When Connie Cullen books a vacation with her American Express card, the resort charges her. Then it charges her again, and again. And again. Why won’t it fix the error? Read more “Charged four times for one vacation. Why won’t American Express fix this?”
Tag: AMERICAN EXPRESS
American Express freaks out about unpaid $32 bill
Mike Boyar discovers an unpaid $32 bill on his American Express card more than a year after he cancels his account. By then, a collection agency is involved and creates chaos. Is there a way to undo the damage? Read more “American Express freaks out about unpaid $32 bill”
A surprise $600 bill for my Mexico car rental
Question: We recently rented a car from Thrifty for a week at Cancun airport. We were quoted a rate of $136. The estimate at pick-up time, with mandatory accident insurance and one additional driver, was $371 for the week, which I accepted and signed.
One or two days later, while driving on the highway, the car overheated and stalled. Obviously, they had given us a car with very low radiator coolant. We called Thrifty road service and asked for a replacement car, which they delivered about three hours later, ruining our afternoon excursion.
Read more “A surprise $600 bill for my Mexico car rental”
The Travel Troubleshooter: Help, my Amtrak tickets were accidentally canceled
Question: I’ve been trying to resolve a problem with Amtrak, and have spent hours on “hold.” I need your help.
I recently purchased Amtrak tickets to Reno, Nev., on my American Express card. I paid $156 for the roundtrip ticket and in return, I received 11,000 rewards points, which allowed me to buy another roundtrip ticket.
There was a misunderstanding when I booked the second ticket, and my first ticket was somehow canceled.
I didn’t find out about the cancellation until I went to the train station in Emeryville to get my tickets. An Amtrak agent said I would have to spend another $236 for a ticket.
Since then, I’ve spent countless hours on the phone, including a three-way call between Amex, Amtrak and myself, to try to get this sorted out. They’ve asked me to mail proof of payment and proof that I’ve taken the trip, which I have done.
I just received a message from Amtrak that they will not refund the ticket. I have disputed the charge with American Express. Now what? — Mel Jung, San Rafael, Calif.
Answer: When the erroneous cancellation was discovered, Amtrak should have found a way to reinstate them at the same price. That would have fixed the problem and prevented you from having to spend half an eternity on the phone to chase down a refund (your time is more valuable than that).
Read more “The Travel Troubleshooter: Help, my Amtrak tickets were accidentally canceled”
Do green airlines send their customers boxes of Styrofoam?
Doug Marshak wants to know. The airline in this case is Delta, which mailed him a box of … well, I’ll get to all that in a second.
But before I do, let it be noted that Delta and other airlines want us to think of them as good corporate citizens. As my colleague Harriet Baskas pointed out in a recent story,
Delta Air Lines, which also has an in-flight recycling program, is currently the only airline recycling airplane carpet through Mohawk Group’s ReCover program, which turns old carpets into new carpets and other products.
Read more “Do green airlines send their customers boxes of Styrofoam?”
“I do not know where else to turn”
If you’re a frequent flier, maybe you covet a Delta Reserve American Express Card. It offers access to Delta’s Crown Rooms, a first-class companion certificate and a generous 10,000-mile bonus when you sign up.
Vincent Petty did. So he signed up for one. But when American Express or Delta — it’s not clear which one — failed to credit him with the promised points, he set off on an odyssey that led him nowhere closer to getting the miles he’d been offered.
Can a card company simply refuse to give you what it advertised?
Read more ““I do not know where else to turn””
Worst. Honeymoon. Ever.
Adam Salamon’s honeymoon did not go well.
His all-inclusive resort wasn’t what he expected. The food was lousy, the staff was rude, there were bed bugs and his travel agent didn’t care, he claims.
Although the companies involved in this vacation debacle offered some compensation, it wasn’t enough for Salamon. He wanted a full refund, and he wanted me to help him get it.
Here are the unpleasant details. (A warning to those of you who are squeamish: his account is somewhat graphic.)
Read more “Worst. Honeymoon. Ever.”