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.
What can you do to avoid getting a bad hotel room? Here are some simple tips from an expert to make sure that you don't find yourself in one.

How can you avoid a bad hotel room?

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What can you do to avoid being assigned a bad hotel room?

For Michael Rewers, he knows that he increases his chances of avoiding a bad hotel room by staying away from “free” hotel vouchers – and at least one four-star hotel.

Rewers, who travels frequently as a sales rep for a European energy company, recently tried to redeem a hotel coupon for a weekend at an upscale hotel in Warsaw. “Big mistake,” he recalls.

Last week some of you called for my head after I disclosed that my teenage daughter threatened to hack my computer. Why, the nerve of that girl! One commenter, who demanded that I delete the offending story, scolded me for being a bad parent. My response? That's not bad parenting.

Here’s the bad parent’s guide to travel

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Last week some of you called for my head after I disclosed that my teenage daughter threatened to hack my computer. Why, the nerve of that girl! One commenter, who demanded that I delete the offending story, scolded me for being a bad parent.

My response? That’s not bad parenting.

LastPass was the perfect way to remember my login information, but now it doesn't work. Maybe that isn't a bad thing.

Help! My LastPass login doesn’t work. What’s the fix?

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Before passwords got complicated, and before the massive data breaches scared the living daylights out of us, LastPass was the perfect app for remembering my login information. It stored all of my passwords on my laptop and recalled them securely whenever I needed them.

Until one day, it didn’t.

The question -- "Will travel insurance protect me during the coronavirus outbreak?" -- is driving travelers a little crazy during the pandemic.

Will travel insurance protect you during the coronavirus outbreak?

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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.