Author: Christopher Elliott

Christopher Elliott
About the Author 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 weekly columns for King Features Syndicate, USA Today, Forbes and the Washington Post. He also publishes 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 Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, or sign up for his daily newsletter. Read more of Christopher's articles here.

eBay accepted my return, but never sent my refund. Where can I get help?

By Christopher Elliott

When Gloria Lenoir received approval from eBay to return a recent purchase, she expected a prompt refund. Instead, the company sent her notification that it had closed her case. How does she get eBay to reopen it?

Question

I recently bought two tubes of Voltaren, a pain medication, through eBay. I paid $29 for the product but decided I could not use it and I asked eBay for return approval after the seller did not respond.

eBay provided a USPS shipping label so I could send back this product. I returned the item to the eBay seller about a month ago but I did not get my refund.

When I tried to enter the USPS tracking number, the eBay website would not accept it. eBay has now closed the case and refused to send my refund. Can you help me? — Gloria Lenoir, Austin, Texas

My online travel agency canceled my flight but didn’t tell me. Now what?

By Christopher Elliott

Donna Fredkove says her online travel agency, MyFlightSearch, canceled her Sun Country flight to Newark without notice. Now she wants help getting a refund for the new, more expensive tickets that this cancellation forced her to buy. Can we help?

Question

Last year, I bought roundtrip tickets through MyFlightSearch for my husband and me on Sun Country from Minneapolis to Newark. MyFlightSearch charged us charged $477 for these tickets.

The night before our outbound flight, we tried to print our boarding passes on the Sun Country website but got the response that we had to check in at the airport. When we got to the Sun Country check-in desk, a representative told us our tickets were not valid. Sun Country staff called MyFlightSearch and found out that the online travel agency had canceled our reservations. We had to book a new, more expensive flight to Newark.

Iceland Car Rental charged my card, and my refund is missing

By Christopher Elliott

When Kristen Nelson cancels her trip to Iceland in 2020, the refund for her rental car is frozen. The car rental company wants her to accept a credit. Can it do that?

Question

I’m trying to get a full refund from Iceland Car Rental for our trip to Iceland in August 2020 that was canceled because of COVID. At the time we booked the rental, in March 2020, they offered a “100 percent money back” guarantee. We notified them to cancel our reservation as soon as our flight was canceled, in July 2020. Can you help me get my $545 back? — Kristen Nelson, Minnetonka, Minn.

I have long-haul COVID. Why can’t I get a refund for my Lady Gaga tickets?

By Christopher Elliott

Why won’t Ticketmaster refund Barbara Davenport’s VIP tickets to the Lady Gaga show? It claims she missed her window for requesting a cancellation. But is that true?

Question

I bought VIP tickets for a Lady Gaga concert in New Jersey, but the event was postponed twice because of COVID. No new date has been set. Ticketmaster sent me an email that said I could have tickets to the new concert or a full refund. I asked for a refund, but now Ticketmaster is refusing.

I’m 68 years old and have been diagnosed with long-haul COVID. I don’t feel I will be able to make a trip from Florida to New Jersey. Can you help me get my $1,795 back for these Lady Gaga tickets? — Barbara Davenport, Port Orange, Fla.

My Antarctic tour never happened, so where is my deposit refund?

By Christopher Elliott

Steven Meisel paid Aurora Expeditions a $5,000 deposit for an Antarctic tour back in 2019, and he wants a refund. The reason? The pandemic forced the company to cancel and reschedule the trip multiple times. Can we help?

Question

In 2019, I booked a trip to Antarctica through Aurora Expeditions, an Australian company. I reserved the tour through Expedition Trips, a Seattle-based travel agency. I made a $5,000 deposit, and the trip was scheduled for late 2020.
Of course, the pandemic caused this trip to be canceled. Aurora rescheduled the trip for November 2021, and we agreed to accept the reschedule.

But since that time, Aurora has rescheduled the trip two more times. Now, they are departing from Chile instead of Argentina due to COVID restrictions. That, combined with some recent health issues, made the trip much less desirable.
I’ve been working with my travel agency, and Aurora has agreed to cancel our reservation and return our deposit.

My Dell laptop broke after an update. Can I get a refund?

By Christopher Elliott

After the latest update to Jonathan Sinnwell’s Dell laptop, it broke. The company seems to be unable to fix the problem. Will Dell give him a refund instead?

Question

I ordered a Dell laptop recently. About a month after it was delivered, I began receiving notifications from the Dell support tools preinstalled on the computer that a critical BIOS update was required.

I ignored the continual pop-ups reminding me to install the update for about four weeks. Eventually, about two months after I received the laptop, I installed the BIOS update. Immediately after applying the update from Dell and rebooting the laptop, the computer stopped outputting video on the USB-C port to the monitors connected to my Dell dock. I believe the Dell recommended update broke my laptop.

Conservatively, I’ve spent 15 hours of my personal time dealing with this support case, including more than three hours of the tech on-site working with me. This does not include the time it took me to install all applications and configure the laptop for my purposes.

She canceled her Dave Chappelle and Joe Rogan tickets because of COVID. Then this happened

By Christopher Elliott

Tricia Lewis canceled her tickets to a Dave Chappelle and Joe Rogan show in New Orleans because of surging COVID cases. Vivid Seats refused her request for a refund. Is there a way to get her money back?

Question

I canceled tickets to a Dave Chappelle and Joe Rogan show in New Orleans that I bought through Vivid Seats. At the time of the show, there were too many COVID-19 cases and I didn’t want to risk attending it.

When I called Vivid Seats, they were experiencing “high call volume,” so I tried contacting the company via email. I received an automatic response that an agent would respond to my email inquiry within 24 hours. After two business days without any response, I contacted Vivid Seats via chat. They advised me the only way I can receive a refund for the tickets would be if the Dave Chappelle/Joe Rogan show gets canceled or significantly postponed.

Norway stopped us from visiting. Will Expedia extend our travel voucher?

By Christopher Elliott

After the pandemic outbreak, Norway closed for travelers, and Kent York was forced to cancel his planned tour. The hotel and Expedia easily granted him a future travel credit. But that was a year ago, and the expiration date of the credit is looming. York hopes we can convince Expedia to extend his voucher. Can we?

Question

I booked a hotel stay at the Opus XVI in Bergen, Norway, in 2020 through Expedia. The hotel was part of a package. I had to cancel the trip because of COVID.

Expedia refunded our airfare and issued a $1,875 credit for Opus XVI that expires in December 2021. Norway has been closed to U.S. travelers, so we have been unable to use the credit.

What happened to my refund for our trip to Iceland?

By Christopher Elliott

When Kim Josund cancels her trip to Iceland, she believes she’s entitled to a full refund. Why are her hotel and dive operator refusing?

Question

I had to cancel a trip to Iceland and I expected a full refund. Unfortunately, my fully vaccinated daughter and her boyfriend, who was supposed to travel with us, contracted COVID-19. So I canceled all the prepaid components of our trip, which required many emails and phone calls. I was within the cancellation window for all the components of our vacation.

Most refunds were prompt. But I’m having trouble with the Blue Lagoon, a resort hotel, and a snorkeling trip. The Blue Lagoon will not respond to any inquiries, even though I received confirmation of cancellation. I have not seen a refund from them.

Help! I owe $1,048 in back rent, but I always pay on time

By Christopher Elliott

Why did Kate Syverson’s rent just go up by $157 a month? And why is her apartment manager threatening to take her to court if she won’t pay $1,048 in back rent?

Question

I’m hoping you can help me with a situation I am having with my apartment management company. I’m a college senior. I recently moved out of student housing and into my own apartment at the Allure apartment complex, which is a property of Greystar Real Estate.

My rent was $1,886 plus utilities every month, and when I got a dog in March of 2020, the rent went up by $50 a month. I’ve always paid my rent on time through the resident portal and I have never had any problems with the other residents or apartment management.

My parents and I agreed that we would sign a year lease last February so I would not be stressed about moving during finals and the holidays of 2021. I assumed I would get a new lease notification via email or in my resident portal account, as that is how all communication with Allure has occurred.

Latest