Commentary

Elliott Advocacy is a nonprofit organization that mediates cases between consumers and businesses. These are commentary articles that detail our efforts and provide educational information for consumers.

An eBay gift card scam is running wild. This is how to avoid it

By Michelle Couch-Friedman |

Here come the eBay gift card scammers — and just in time to steal your cash after the holidays. But the Elliott Advocacy team is here too, warning you about these swindlers so you can avoid their trap.

We’ve received many pleas for help from distraught victims of this particular eBay gift card scam during the past month. They’ve lost hundreds and even thousands of dollars to this scheme. These consumers all want the same thing: to retrieve their stolen money from the anonymous predators who tricked them.

But is there any possible way to do that? (Reprint)

Read more “An eBay gift card scam is running wild. This is how to avoid it”

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Does Global Entry work? Here’s what the government doesn’t want you to know

By Christopher Elliott |

When the federal government proposed a trusted traveler system years ago, I got into an argument with a well-known travel writer. He claimed a program like Global Entry that subjected you to a background check and stored your biometric data would never fly.

He argued that the government had no interest in collecting that information and keeping close tabs on its citizens. (Reprint) Read more “Does Global Entry work? Here’s what the government doesn’t want you to know”

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I left my rental car at the airport, but now it’s missing!

By Michelle Couch-Friedman |

Maureen Heller recently received a shocking message from Budget Security about a missing rental car. The letter accused Heller of failing to return a Nissan Sentra that she had left at the Detroit airport weeks earlier.

But with no receipt to prove she returned it, will Heller be on the hook for this missing rental car? (Reprint) Read more “I left my rental car at the airport, but now it’s missing!”

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If you get sick on a bus tour, can you get a refund?

By Michelle Couch-Friedman |  | Updated February 15th, 2021

If you get sick on a bus tour should the operator give you a refund — even if you completed the entire trip? Gay Hackney believes so.

She says that two fellow travelers aboard the bus appeared ill during her 13-day tour through Spain and Portugal. The father and son’s constant coughing irritated her. But the last straw came at the end of the tour when she woke up sick herself. Now that she’s home, she wants to know if Trafalgar owes her a refund for this unpleasant bus tour. (Updated Jan. 2021) Read more “If you get sick on a bus tour, can you get a refund?”

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Enterprise, Seven Corners and Southwest Airlines Win 2021 Customer Service Award

By Christopher Elliott |

SEDONA, Ariz., Jan. 18  — Enterprise, Seven Corners and Southwest Airlines are among the companies that have won top honors in the 2021 Elliott Readers’ Choice Customer Service Awards, an annual recognition of companies that offer outstanding customer support and service.  Read more “Enterprise, Seven Corners and Southwest Airlines Win 2021 Customer Service Award”

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Just in time! Here is some expert winter driving advice

By Christopher Elliott |

Looking for some expert winter driving advice? Here it is — and just in time for 2021!

Of course, getting behind the wheel in below-freezing conditions probably isn’t your idea of fun. Even the most experienced motorists slide around on icy roads as if they just graduated from driving school. But you can have a better road trip this winter without losing your cool, say experts.

No one knows for sure what kind of winter weather lies ahead. But the good news is that forecasters are predicting a mild winter for 2021 in most areas of North America. However, since predictions are not always reliable you should still prepare yourself for the worst. Here’s how. Read more “Just in time! Here is some expert winter driving advice”

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Social distancing on a plane? This is how to do it

By Christopher Elliott |

Are you wondering about how to conduct social distancing on your next plane trip? Then here is the information you need. (Reprint) Read more “Social distancing on a plane? This is how to do it”

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Warning: Wear a mask or get banned from Uber — guaranteed!

By Michelle Couch-Friedman |  | Updated December 29th, 2020

Adrianna Allen just got banned from Uber for refusing to wear a mask while using the ridesharing service. She says she’s been falsely accused and has worn a face covering during all her trips throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

Now Allen wants the Elliott Advocacy team to ask why Uber banned her, and also get her premium membership reinstated. But with three separate drivers reporting her for refusing to wear a mask, that seems like a tall order.

Can we figure out what’s going on here? Read more “Warning: Wear a mask or get banned from Uber — guaranteed!”

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Never invite an eBay buyer to your house. This is why

By Michelle Couch-Friedman |  | Updated January 22nd, 2021

If you’re an eBay seller and a local buyer asks to pick-up an item at your house, should you let them? The answer is no and Steven Sanderson can tell you exactly why. An elaborate scam involving eBay and Paypal led an iPad thief directly to his front door. The brazen predator came disguised as a friendly customer willing to purchase the digital device from Sanderson for top dollar. But it was weeks before the fraudulent nature of this transaction became clear.

Now Sanderson’s iPad is gone and so is the money he made by “selling” it on eBay. He blames PayPal for this fiasco and wants our help getting his $650 back. But who really is responsible here? (Reprint) Read more “Never invite an eBay buyer to your house. This is why”

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