Author: Michelle Couch-Friedman

Michelle Couch-Friedman
About the Author Michelle Couch-Friedman has served as the executive director of Elliott Advocacy since its inception. She is a dedicated consumer advocate, mediator, author, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) specialist, content strategist, and licensed psychotherapist. Her expert guidance has been cited in Consumer Reports, Travel & Leisure, Newsweek, Popular Science, CNN, CNBC, Travel Weekly, Reader's Digest and more. You might even catch Michelle on your local news helping fix a situation. :) She spends as much time as possible fiercely defending consumers and exploring the world with her family. Contact her at Michelle Couch-Friedman or on Linkedin, Twitter or Facebook. Read more of Michelle's articles here. Check out our 5-star reviews on Great NonProfits!

My child was denied boarding our cruise! Can NCL refuse my refund request?

By Michelle Couch-Friedman Updated on:

Anakarina Alvarez has a highly unusual story to tell — one that includes lots of confusing twists and turns. She says her family had been eagerly looking forward to a tropical vacation aboard Norwegian Cruise Lines’ Gem. Unfortunately, those plans ended abruptly at embarkation when the cruise line denied boarding to her 11-year-old child. To add insult to injury, NCL refused the family’s $4,000 refund request, too.

Alvarez says NCL made a big mistake when it denied boarding their family’s dream cruise to her fully-vaccinated daughter. Now she wants our team to force the cruise line to admit its error and issue a refund and compensation.

But wait a minute!

The cruise line maintains it made no mistake — Alvarez’s daughter was not denied boarding in error. NCL requires all passengers to be fully vaccinated. And since children under 12 aren’t currently approved for any COVID vaccine, this 11-year-old couldn’t have been fully vaccinated.

Case closed. Or is it?

A filthy vacation rental is not my thing! How do I get a refund?

By Michelle Couch-Friedman

When an Airbnb host directs Andrea Walker to use the service elevator in the building where she is renting an apartment, she’s slightly suspicious. However, when she opens the door to the unit, she knows she definitely won’t be staying. The owner apologizes for the state of the filthy Airbnb vacation rental and quickly agrees to a refund.

So why does the host later tell Airbnb that she spent the whole weekend at the property? (Last updated 10/14)

This is one easy way to ruin your anniversary and waste $3500, too!

By Michelle Couch-Friedman

During the pandemic, it’s easier than ever to ruin your anniversary — especially if you’re planning to travel. Willie Williams found this out in a most unpleasant way.

Last month, Williams and his wife were eagerly looking forward to celebrating their anniversary on a sunny beach in Jamaica. A few days before departure, they were patiently waiting for Rite Aid to provide the results of their pre-trip COVID test. But all their anniversary dreams were ruined when those test results came too late for them to board the plane.

Instead of celebrating their anniversary in the tropics, they spent it staring at a $3,500 nonrefundable invoice from Vacations To Go.

Now the couple is pleading with the Elliott Advocacy to pull their anniversary plans out of the ruins. But is that something we can do?

Why did Travelocity make me pay for a permanently closed hotel?

By Michelle Couch-Friedman

Rosalva Paulino recently used Travelocity to book a pleasant-looking historic property in a remote area of Mexico. However, upon arrival at the location, she was confronted by a permanently closed hotel. Complete with blocked entrances and overgrown vegetation, it was clear the hotel had been shuttered for some time. Bewildered, she scrambled to find alternative accommodations on her own.

Paulino assumed Travelocity would apologize and quickly refund her prepaid reservation for the permanently closed hotel.

She was wrong. Her shock turned to anger when Travelocity rejected the refund request, claiming the hotel refused to approve it.

Now she wants the Elliott Advocacy team to see if we can make sense of this nonsensical situation.

I didn’t damage this vacation rental! Do I have to pay for it?

By Michelle Couch-Friedman

Could you be falsely accused of causing damage to your next vacation rental — and be forced to pay for it?

Colleen McKenna is sure that the answer to that question is “yes.” She just returned from what she thought was a peaceful and uneventful stay in a rented condo in Hawaii. But the property manager says she and her husband caused significant damage to the vacation rental during a domestic disturbance. As a result, he charged her credit card for cleanup and repairs — several days after the couple’s departure.

McKenna says she has absolutely no idea what this man is talking about and believes it’s a scam. Now she’s asking the Elliott Advocacy team to investigate.

Can we find out what’s going on here?

Vrbo doesn’t allow shared space vacation rentals. So why won’t this host leave?

By Michelle Couch-Friedman

Franklin Wu had a most unusual experience with Vrbo after he prepaid $9,000 for a four-month apartment rental in Switzerland. Although Vrbo doesn’t allow shared vacation rentals, suddenly in the middle of the night, the host made it clear she wasn’t leaving. So he did.

But then Vrbo gave him another shock —  the host could keep all his money. What is going on here?

This tale is a strange one to be sure. Wu did nothing wrong, and yet he almost lost thousands of dollars in this debacle — almost. (Last updated Sept. 21, 21)

This United business class upgrade wasn’t worth $999. I want my money back!

By Michelle Couch-Friedman Updated on:

It’s not likely that any airline would refund a business class upgrade after a passenger completes the trip. But that’s precisely what Juli Talec says an employee of United Airlines promised to do before her recent upgrade.

Talec insists that she never intended to pay to boost her seat into the elite section of the aircraft. So why did she sign a credit card receipt for the business class upgrade at the United Airlines check-in counter?

That’s the $999 question of the day.

Talec’s strange tale underscores just how important it is for travelers to familiarize themselves with basic airline protocol. You can’t enjoy a business class upgrade on United Airlines or any other carrier and expect a refund later. Unfortunately, this passenger learned that lesson just a little too late.

What happens if the name on your passport doesn’t match your ticket?

By Michelle Couch-Friedman

Can you fly off to an international destination if the name on your ticket does not match the name on your passport?

Ralph Lantz found out the answer in a devastating way. He booked his friend, Jackie, a ticket to meet him on a dream vacation to Greece. But his generous gesture went all wrong at the check-in counter. That’s where Jackie’s Mediterranean plans came to an abrupt end when a Virgin Atlantic agent pointed out that the name on her ticket was not the same as the one on her passport.

Now Lantz wants to know how he can get his money back for the flight. (This article originally appeared in 2019)

My honeymoon ended in disaster at the airport! Who owes me $7,000?

By Michelle Couch-Friedman Updated on:

Daniela Jedlicki’s honeymoon recently ended in disaster before it even began. She says a series of mistakes caused the couple to be denied boarding their honeymoon flight to Turks and Caicos. Jedlicki blames both her booking agent and insurance company for those errors.

Now she’s asking our team to find out who owes her $7,000 for this honeymoon disaster.

Unfortunately, the culprit of this fiasco is someone she never suspected.

Don’t bother booking a cruise if you’re not fully vaccinated. Here’s why

By Michelle Couch-Friedman

Well, that didn’t take long. The first wave of unvaccinated and partially vaccinated passengers who’ve been denied boarding their cruise ships has washed ashore.

As the cruise industry begins to return to the waterways, mass confusion about the requirements for cruising has ensued. One of the first casualties of this chaos was Joshua Maxwell and his fiancee. They showed up at the dock earlier this month, planning to set sail on Celebrity Cruises’ Equinox. Unfortunately, they weren’t fully vaccinated, and the cruise line rejected the couple and sent them home.

The twist? Maxwell says vaccination requirements confused cruise line employees, too. As a result, he says the duo were allowed to board the ship and settle into their cabin before being forcibly removed by security hours later.

So what’s going on here?

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