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.
Automatic tips are becoming prevalent

Why you’ll leave a tip — whether you want to or not

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David Mitroff’s favorite restaurants in New York and San Francisco now quietly add an 18 percent tip to his final bill — before he even has a chance to consider a gratuity.

Automatic tips have also appeared on his hotel bills and when he checks his luggage with the airport skycap. It’s almost as if everyone assumes he wants to tack a few extra dollars onto the final tab, even when he doesn’t.

TSA PreCheck long lines

TSA PreCheck members fume as their lines get longer

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It happened to Andy Lundberg when he was flying recently from Kansas City to Baltimore on Southwest Airlines. A Transportation Security Administration screener pointed him to the PreCheck line, where he waited behind a dozen other frequent travelers with the agency’s trusted traveler designation.

Times that you can go without travel insurance

6 times when you’re better off without travel insurance

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Even though Jon Look is a frequent traveler, he always leaves home without one thing.

“I have never purchased a travel insurance policy,” admits Look, a retired photographer. “It adds expense and complications and rarely pays off.”

Traveling without insurance? Yep, most Americans still do it, and some of them with good reason. Because not everyone needs insurance and some people wouldn’t be able to use it even if they bought it.

As it turns out, there are times when you’ll want to skip that insurance policy. It may not be as often as you think, but it happens.