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.

Brad wrote to me a few days ago. His son had just finished Navy basic training and had enough leave time to fly home during the holidays.

American Airlines charges sailor a fee for flight change

January 22, 2024December 6, 2011 by Christopher Elliott

“I’m hoping you can help my son with a situation,” Brad Lessem wrote to me a few days ago.

Three months after Joan rented a Ford Fusion rental car in Orlando last summer, a surprise bill from Thrifty Car Rental landed in her mailbox.

Cashless toll roads, another hazard for car renters

January 22, 2024December 3, 2011 by Christopher Elliott

Think of it as an invisible road hazard.

When it comes to airline fees, there’s no shortage of outrage. The mention of the word “ancillary” or “surcharge” draw hundreds of comments.

Why isn’t anyone mad about car rental fee disclosure?

January 22, 2024November 30, 2011 by Christopher Elliott

When it comes to airline fees, there’s no shortage of outrage. The simple mention of the word “ancillary” or “surcharge” in a story is enough to draw hundreds of comments.

When the hot water doesn't work in your hotel room, you call the front desk and it gets fixed. But what if you're in a rental apartment?

No hot water in my Paris rental apartment

January 22, 2024November 29, 2011 by Christopher Elliott

When the hot water doesn’t work in your hotel room, you call the front desk and with any luck, it gets fixed. But what if you’re in a rental apartment?

This case is about fare errors -- one of my favorite topics. It's raises difficult questions about ethics, journalism and consumer advocacy.

Korean Air cancels tickets because of fare error

January 22, 2024November 28, 2011 by Christopher Elliott

Here’s a case that’s been keeping me up at night.

One moment, 8-year-old Brent Midlock was swimming in a shallow saltwater pool at an all-inclusive resort in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

Do we need an International Travelers Bill of Rights?

January 22, 2024November 26, 2011 by Christopher Elliott

One moment, 8-year-old Brent Midlock was swimming in a shallow saltwater pool at an all-inclusive resort in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. The next, he was gone.

Ground transfers are supposedly included in Robert Brown’s Viking River Cruise. But he supposes wrong, and now he’s being asked to pay extra for them.

Help, my Viking River Cruise transfers are sunk

June 9, 2024November 25, 2011 by Christopher Elliott

Ground transfers are supposedly included in Robert Brown’s Viking River Cruise. But he supposes wrong, and now he’s being asked to pay extra for them. Is that right?

Arthur knows how long it takes to get from Anchorage to Philadelphia because he had to stand for most of the flight.

Passenger forced to stand for a seven-hour airline flight

January 22, 2024November 22, 2011 by Christopher Elliott

At nearly seven hours, US Airways flight 901 is one of the longest domestic nonstop flights. And Arthur Berkowitz knows how long it takes to get from Anchorage to Philadelphia down to the minute. That’s because he says he had to stand for most of the flight when he returned to Philly last July.

The tarmac delay activists are out in full force again, pushing for new laws that they claim would prevent lengthy ground delays.

Hartford tarmac stranding doesn’t justify new laws

January 22, 2024November 19, 2011 by Christopher Elliott

The Halloween weekend stranding of more than 1,000 airline passengers at Bradley International Airport in Hartford, Conn., brought the tarmac delay activists out in full force again, pushing for new laws that they claim would prevent lengthy ground delays.

Econo Lodge bills Lenore Davies twice for the same nights at a hotel in East Hartford, Conn. Is there any way to fix the billing error?

Booked for one night but charged for two

January 22, 2024November 18, 2011 by Christopher Elliott

Lenore Davies books one night at an Econo Lodge by phone. She’s charged for two. Now, neither her hotel nor her credit card will help her. Is she out of luck?

Christopher Elliott

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