“Extreme” travel inconveniences — and how to avoid them
I’m still wondering how I ended up in seat 18E — a middle seat — on a Hong Kong Express flight from Phuket, Thailand, to Hong Kong. But it was an extreme inconvenience.
CONSUMER ADVOCACY
In Hong Kong, oyster shells and creative engineering pave the way to a greener future
The Langham’s dinner buffet in Hong Kong is a showcase of Chinese cuisine. You can find an extensive selection of dim sum, wonton dumplings, barbecue, and tofu pudding for dessert. But the luxury hotel’s spread is also at the forefront of the city’s sustainability efforts.
StubHub promised a refund after an emergency — but where’s my $2,561?
When Simone Zeno can’t attend a j-hope concert because of a family emergency, StubHub agrees to refund her purchase. Then it backtracks and refuses to return the money. Can it do that?
Avis charged me $450 for a “heavy smoke smell” in my car — but I don’t smoke!
Randall Lee returns a rental car to Avis after a 7-hour rental during which he only drove 57 miles — only to receive a $450 cleaning fee a week later for a “heavy smoke smell.” But hang on. Neither Lee nor his wife smoke. Can he get a refund?
Help! My iPhone trade-in got lost in the mail!
Dave Weiss thought he’d done everything right with his iPhone trade-in. He sent his old phone back to Apple, expecting a smooth transaction and a $160 store credit.
Turo is accusing me of causing $1,200 in damage. But I didn’t do it!
Bartosz Jusypenko rents a car through Turo in Canada and returns it without incident — or so he thinks. The host claims a new scratch appeared during the rental, but the car was dirty at pickup. Now Turo wants him to pay $1,200 to fix the damage. Is that right?
When an airline refuses to refund you $654, this could be the reason
When Iberia Airlines canceled Olga Betzler’s flight from Barcelona to Los Angeles, she assumed getting her $654 refund would be straightforward.
A wheel good investment: Here’s the luggage that survived 350 days on the road
Some travel disasters start small. It’s a wobbly wheel you hardly notice until you’re double-timing it through the terminal and your carry-on suddenly feels like you’re dragging an anchor.
Aer Lingus withholds a full refund after a flight cancellation. What should I do?
After Aer Lingus cancels James Jones’ flight from Paris to Philadelphia, he requests a full refund. The airline shorts him by $744 and then it stops responding to his emails. What can he do to get the money back?