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.

Is the TSA coming for your iPad?

January 22, 2024April 15, 2012 by Christopher Elliott

It happened again last week: A TSA agent was formally charged with swiping yet another iPad from a passenger.

Tom and Terri Dorow didn’t like their recent vacation rental in Scottsdale, Ariz.

New confidentiality clauses can influence vacation rental reviews

November 4, 2024April 14, 2012 by Christopher Elliott

Tom and Terri Dorow didn’t like their recent vacation rental in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Help! Code-sharing confusion grounded my vacation

January 22, 2024April 13, 2012 by Christopher Elliott

Jay Middour’s flight to the Bahamas never happens because of a code-sharing disaster. His vacation is ruined and the airline still has his money. Can this trip be saved?

Was this Grand Canyon vacation rental a grand scam?

January 22, 2024April 12, 2012 by Christopher Elliott

The rental cabin in Williams, Ariz., she found through VRBO.com had three bedrooms — the perfect size for her family. So last year, Trudi Wood sent the owner a $839 check for a deposit.

Are fees for carry-on luggage just the beginning?

February 13, 2024April 11, 2012 by Christopher Elliott

Since Allegiant Air’s decision to start charging passengers for carry-on luggage last week, you’d think that everything needed to be said about this outrageous new fee had already been said.

Yuck! Carnival served me dinner with a side order of chewing gum

January 22, 2024April 10, 2012 by Christopher Elliott

When Marilyn Sweeney bit into a serving of sweet potato casserole during her seven-day Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Carnival Valor she tasted something unusual. It was rubbery, with a faint mint flavor.

Double-booked because at this age I tend to forget things

January 22, 2024April 9, 2012 by Christopher Elliott

Daryl Preston and his wife are flying from San Francisco to Rome this summer, and they have tickets on Lufthansa. Four tickets, to be exact.

Where do TSA agents learn their bad manners?

January 22, 2024April 8, 2012 by Christopher Elliott

If you’ve ever been browbeaten, barked at or belittled by a TSA agent — and let’s be honest, who among us hasn’t? — then you’ve got a friend in Sen. Harry Reid (D.-Nev.).

Airlines claim passengers are overtaxed — but are they?

January 22, 2024April 7, 2012 by Christopher Elliott

To say that air travelers spend as much time complaining about fees and surcharges as they do flying might not be much of an exaggeration. And now the airline industry wants you to add another complaint to that list: taxes.

Why is my hotel dragging its feet on a refund?

January 22, 2024April 6, 2012 by Christopher Elliott

Although Anthony Braxton cancels his hotel more than 24 hours before he checks in, the property charges a one-night penalty, anyway. Can’t Hotels.com help him get a refund?