Christopher Elliott

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that empowers consumers to solve their problems and helps those who can't. He's the author of numerous books on consumer advocacy and writes three nationally syndicated columns. He also publishes the Elliott Report, a news site for consumers, and Elliott Confidential, a critically acclaimed newsletter about customer service. If you have a consumer problem you can't solve, contact him directly through his advocacy website. You can also follow him on X, Facebook, and LinkedIn, or sign up for his daily newsletter.

airplane, plane, interior, flight, crew, attendant, seatback, row, united

Should you tip your flight attendant?

May 4, 2024July 31, 2017 by Christopher Elliott

Should you tip your flight attendant? For such a commonly asked question, the answer is anything but simple.

talk, chat, talking, chatting, can, communication, mouth

The 6 biggest lies consumers tell a business

February 1, 2024July 31, 2017 by Christopher Elliott

Buyers are liars. That’s not an accusation, just a fact. Remember that University of Massachusetts study that found 60 percent of adults can’t have a ten-minute conversation without lying at least once?

After Samantha Gomez is bumped from a flight from Philadelphia to Palm Beach, Florida, she asks her airline for compensation. Why won’t it pay?

Bumped from my flight to Palm Beach — why won’t American pay up?

February 1, 2024July 28, 2017 by Christopher Elliott

After Samantha Gomez is denied boarding on a flight from Philadelphia to Palm Beach, Florida, she asks her airline for compensation. Why won’t it pay?

Nothing changes you like travel does. I recently sold my house, pulled up my stakes and hit the road. I’m a different person because of it.

These travel agents go above and beyond the call of duty

November 3, 2024July 24, 2017 by Christopher Elliott

Travel agents should really stop calling themselves travel agents. Travel advisors is a better word. Or perhaps even travel advocates.

How can you protect your right to digital privacy at the border?

August 10, 2023July 24, 2017 by Christopher Elliott

When Shira Newman flies home from Tel Aviv this summer, she won’t be worried about long lines at the airport or short tempers on the plane. Instead, she’ll be concerned about her Samsung Galaxy S7 phone — specifically, the information on it.

6 consumer mistakes you absolutely have to avoid this summer

February 1, 2024July 24, 2017 by Christopher Elliott

You’ve probably already heard a lot of advice about what you should do do this summer — buy this, vacation there, see that movie. But what shouldn’t you do?

yosemite, national park, el capitan, outdoors, climbing, mountain, california

Cover your eyes, kids! I think I see two nudes ascending El Capitan!

August 8, 2023July 22, 2017 by Christopher Elliott

A week before we visited Yosemite National Park, Alex Honnold became the first person to free-climb the near-vertical 3,000-foot face of El Capitan.

When Mike Foley cancels his resort reservation, Hotels.com promises him a refund. But more than a year later, his $1,400 is still missing.

I’m still waiting for a refund from Hotels.com

May 8, 2025July 21, 2017 by Christopher Elliott

When Mike Foley cancels his resort reservation, Hotels.com promises him a refund. But more than a year later, his $1,400 is still missing.

You’ve never heard of these people, but they’ve changed the way you fly

February 1, 2024July 17, 2017 by Christopher Elliott

Their advocacy results in big, embarrassing airline fines. They’ve helped create federal agencies that make air travel safer. And they’ve brought competition and transparency to the skies.

squaw valley, alpine, ski, resort, skiing, snow, summer

Skiing in summer? Only at this California resort

February 1, 2024July 15, 2017 by Christopher Elliott

Don’t look now, but there’s a guy next to me at the bottom of the chairlift. He’s snowboarding in a swimsuit. And nothing else.