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.
Although Shelley Jones’ complaint is common, I’ve never heard it from someone like her. Her problem: She’s done with airline “codesharing” — a marketing arrangement in which an airline places its designator code on a flight operated by another airline, and sells tickets for that flight. She’s seen too many passengers pull up to the wrong terminal because they thought they were flying on one carrier when, in fact, they were booked on another.
Have you noticed the recent string of stories about cases that ended in a big question mark? Neither the consumer nor the company responded to repeated requests for an update or a resolution, so we were left to guess the outcome.
Here’s an important lesson about diversity and tolerance that I’m sure you’ll find useful as a consumer.
In this season of gratitude, American consumers are feeling left out in the cold. And with good reason.
It’s not your imagination. Your grocery bills are rising.
Maybe it’s the season. The Wednesday before the Thanksgiving holiday is historically the busiest day of the year for grocery shoppers, as Americans drop a figurative cornucopia of cash on turkey, trimmings, pie and their beverage of choice.
Then again, it could be the business.
In Europe, a regulation called EU 261 protects passengers like Andrew Rapp. And although a United Airlines representative at the check-in counter said that he “might be eligible” for compensation based on the length of the delay, no promises were made. Rapp’s story is a reminder that a little self-advocacy can take you a long way, especially if you know what to ask for. (We can help with that.)
When I complain about my critics, my father, a retired Presbyterian minister, responds with St. Luke’s words of wisdom. “Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you,” he reminds me, “for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.” In other words, maybe it’s good to have enemies.
A Donald Trump presidency will either be great for American consumers — or it’ll be a disaster.
Luggage always seems to vanish. Airlines misplace one to two bags per flight, sometimes more, sometimes less.
If the words “price transparency” don’t make your eyes glaze over, then you’re probably one of the hundreds of thousands of travelers who feel ripped off by a low price.
