These are the answers to the most troubling and often shocking problems consumers have asked our mediation team. The Elliott Advocacy team covers airline, cruise line, hotel, and vacation rental problems among other topics.
Before you rent a vacation home, listen to Richard Powers’ story. Earlier this year, he found a bargain on a four-bedroom cabin in Lake Placid, N.Y., through Vrbo, a vacation rental site. He contacted the “owner” through the platform, who instructed him to wire the money to his bank account.
Renting a car can be complicated. You have to choose the right company and the right vehicle — and there are decisions about insurance, tolls and fuel.
For many air travelers, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screening is the most dreaded part of the journey.
There are a few basic things you have to know about booking travel. Here’s your ultimate guide to planning a trip.
David Klement wants to know if his travel insurance will protect him during the coronavirus outbreak. Specifically, could it get him a full $15,506 refund for his Grand Circle Travel tour of India?
The question — “Will travel insurance protect me during the coronavirus outbreak?” — is driving travelers a little crazy during the pandemic. After all, they bought travel insurance believing it would fully protect them. And by “fully protect,” they mean being made whole if something catastrophic happened.
And then something catastrophic happened.
You can fix your own consumer problem. If you’re having trouble with a product or service, there is a way out — and you don’t have to hire an expensive lawyer or call the cops.
Yes, you can do it yourself.
Hang on! That’s what I told Laureen McCluen when she contacted me about her Airbnb reservation in Washington, D.C. She wanted to know how long to wait for her coronavirus refund.
McCluen plunked down $8,457 for her rental. She looked forward to a week in the nation’s capital, enjoying the museums and monuments and the cherry blossoms. And then coronavirus hit. You know the rest.
Be honest – you stopped playing the airline upgrade game a long time ago.
And for good reason. Airlines demanded way too much in exchange for a slightly more comfortable seat: unquestioning brand loyalty, an encyclopedic knowledge of their arcane and constantly changing loyalty program rules, or a briefcase full of cash.
Yes, you can get a refund on a nonrefundable airline ticket.
Your airline may claim you can’t. Your travel agent may tell you it’s impossible. Your ticket fare rules may instruct you to abandon all hope.
Don’t listen to them.
To say that Alan Muskat’s accommodations in Costa Rica were a vacation rental disaster would be an understatement.
“It was horrid,” Muskat says. Mosquitoes buzzed through gaping holes in the screens. Termites infested the kitchen. The roof leaked.
“Worst of all, it had fleas,” he remembers.
