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.

Road trippers should take an extra-long test drive in 2018

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If you’re looking for a new car, here’s a little advice from your fellow travelers: Take your time. I mean, really take your time. Test drive the vehicle a few extra miles, or hundreds of miles, to make sure the designers didn’t take the day off when they signed off.

I’m not being cute. Some of today’s cars are so thoughtlessly designed that they leave travelers cramped and annoyed. If you’re planning to take a lengthy road trip this spring or summer, you don’t want to be stuck in one of these uncomfortable cars.

Alternative forms of insurance you need to know about now

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Think you need travel insurance? Think again.

You might require something else — either a specialized insurance product that protects only one aspect of your trip, or something that isn’t insurance at all.

Call it “alt” insurance.

No, we’re not about to get political. Alt insurance is real and it can protect you regardless of ideological leanings. Sometimes, it isn’t insurance at all, but a different form of protection.

How to prevent pesky robocalls

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Brenda Avadian is one of the 226 million Americans whose phone number is on the Federal Do Not Call Registry, an opt-in database of people tired of being harassed by unwanted, and usually automated, telemarketing calls, commonly known as robocalls.

This MoneyBack Mexico case is a red-flag-a-palooza! So why did we take it?

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Victoria Grzesiakowski’s case had more red flags than a Soviet military parade.

For starters, her problem happened on a cruise and it involved jewelry. One of the players was a shady Mexican company that would register a 9.0 on the scam Richter scale, if there was such a thing. And it was being handled by a surrogate, her daughter, because Grzesiakowski is 91 and doesn’t have an email address.