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.
When Dennis Kavanagh booked two nights by phone at the Resort at Squaw Creek in Squaw Valley, Calif., the agent quoted him a rate that didn’t include a small surprise: a $16-a-day “resort fee” that covered “free” local calls, a newspaper delivery, in-room coffee and teas, Internet access and use of the health club.
The allegation that car rental companies have turned the damage claims process into a profit center is so common, I could probably write an entire blog on it.
Kalevi Ruuska contacted me with an urgent problem recently. One of his friends was being asked to pay an odd cancellation fee by Air Berlin, and would not take “no” for an answer. The airline had hired a collection agency to pursue its claim.
To get an idea where this nonsense with hidden fees is headed, consider what just happened at Ticketmaster.
If you think your hotel clerk is out to get you, you might be right.
I’ve been following the coverage of Steven Slater, the JetBlue flight attendant who bailed out of a parked aircraft after a profanity-laced confrontation with a passenger about his luggage, with some interest.
Kirk Miller knew his nonrefundable US Airways tickets was lost when he canceled his flight, but like many air travelers, he wondered about the taxes. Could he get those back?
Josh Banta and his wife cashed in some of their hard-earned American Airlines miles to fly from New York to Miami for a funeral. But the tickets weren’t free; they paid $125 for the privilege of using their miles within 21 days. That’s a fee someone has yet to explain to me.
It seems like just yesterday that American Airlines scrapped its More Room Throughout Coach program, which made flying in the back of the plane a more civil experience by adding a few extra inches of legroom. But that program was announced a decade ago and killed five years later.
Mandatory resort fees added to your hotel bill have been annoying hotel guests for almost as long as I’ve been covering the hotel industry, which is to say, a long time. But how do you persuade a property to remove these extra fees from your bill?
