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.
Thank you! United fixes “last vacation” for terminal cancer patient
Here’s a heart-warming story for the Thanksgiving holiday: James Thomson and a longtime friend, who is suffering from terminal cancer, ran into trouble with their flights from San Francisco to Bali. One leg of Thompson’s flight was canceled, which threatened to end his friend’s final vacation.
Southwest Airlines strikes out in airline food survey; Continental tops the list
Airline food. No, that’s not the punchline to a joke.
Hawaiiana hotel forecloses, taking guest’s $2,541 deposit with it
The foreclosure crisis isn’t just affecting homeowners. It’s also hitting hotel guests.
“CheapoAir bargain made my mother cry”
And they were not tears of joy at having found a bargain. Elizabeth Hutton’s mother, Mary Ellyn, bought a round trip ticket from Cincinnati to Tallinn, Estonia, with stopovers in Newark and Stockholm. But something was wrong with the reservation, and she had to pay for another flight.
Sorry, wrong address: Enterprise car rental turns down Expedia customer at the counter
Regular readers of this site are familiar with car rental companies’ no-rent lists. But did you know that there are other instances in which a company might refuse you a car — even if you have a completely legitimate reservation?
Help! My airline charged me for a car seat — and it’s keeping the money
There are certain items for which domestic airlines will probably never charge, like strollers and child safety seats. Cashing in on babies is just seen as tacky by most airline passengers. So when Continental Airlines inadvertently charged Greg Sykes for his child’s car seat, he expected a quick refund.
Queen Mary’s little gas problem
When Mel McBeth and his wife booked a cruise on Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 last year, they weren’t expecting any additional charges. But that’s exactly what they got when the cruise line helped itself to another $180, which it claimed was a fuel surcharge, on the day they paid for their vacation.
Tarmac delay hall of shame: Delta, American — please take a bow!
So you think that after criticizing the tarmac troopers recently, I’ll lay off my monthly series on the tarmac delay hall of shame.
Sky Harbor’s luggage scandal: Who’s to blame for a thousand stolen bags?
Outraged? No, those of us who fly suspect this kind of thing is happening at every major airport in the country. It’s the only explanation.