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.

Maybe DirecTV let this Genie out of the bottle too soon

January 23, 2024August 8, 2013 by Christopher Elliott

Steve Lipscomb upgrades to a DirecTV Genie set-top box. But it doesn’t work right, and now the company won’t let him out of his contract or allow him to downgrade to his old box. What now?

5 summer travel scams no one warned you about — but should have

January 23, 2024August 7, 2013 by Christopher Elliott

Watch your wallet while you’re on vacation.

Lufthansa stranded my 16-year-old son in Detroit

January 23, 2024August 6, 2013 by Christopher Elliott

It’s something out of every mother’s worst nightmare: Your child is stranded at the airport and won’t be able to fly home unless he forks over thousands of dollars for a new ticket.

Time to get real about real-time airfares

January 23, 2024August 4, 2013 by Christopher Elliott

Sue Marcus was looking for a flight from Washington to Tulsa. Instead, she found trouble.

Do hotels lie about being “family friendly”?

January 23, 2024August 3, 2013 by Christopher Elliott

Somewhere between a booster stool at the check-in desk and a DJ spouting profanities at the kids’ pool lies the definition of a “family-friendly” resort. No one seems to agree. Maybe it’s time we did.

That’s not the ticket credit you promised me

January 23, 2024August 2, 2013 by Christopher Elliott

After a canceled flight, a merged airline and crossed wires with Expedia, Anoop Ramaswamy is the proud owner of a worthless airline ticket. Now what?

Verizon won’t honor its “Triple Play” gift card offer

January 23, 2024August 1, 2013 by Christopher Elliott

Steve Schuster signs up for Verizon service after it offers a bonus of $200 in prepaid Visa gift cards. But the plastic is never delivered, and now Verizon is refusing to pay. What now?

Surrounded by impostors, what’s a consumer to do?

January 23, 2024July 31, 2013 by Christopher Elliott

You’re surrounded by fakes. The clothes you wear could be fake. The money you use? Not real, maybe. Even your “friends” on social media are sometimes fake. What’s a consumer to do?

Don’t forget to confirm your hotel reservation

January 23, 2024July 28, 2013 by Christopher Elliott

A two-night stay at the Driftwood Inn in Chestertown, Md., was supposed to cost Bruce Romano $138 through a Web site called HotelPlus Destination Portal, as long as he prepaid for his accommodations. That seemed like a good deal. After all, it was Memorial Day weekend, one of the busiest travel times of the year.

Can I get a refund for my stay at the No-Tell Motel?

January 23, 2024July 26, 2013 by Christopher Elliott

Gladys Martin’s hotel room is uninhabitable, but the property wants to charge her for it, anyway. Is there any way to undo this mistake?

Christopher Elliott

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