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CREDIT CARD DISPUTE

After a stay at Holiday Inn Express, Millie Crawford was surprised to find a $59 charge for a damaged lamp she says she never touched. With conflicting stories from hotel staff and no clear evidence, she escalated the dispute, filed a chargeback—and won. Here’s how travelers can fight back against bogus hotel damage fees.

Holiday Inn surprise charge: a $59 bill for a lamp I didn’t damage!

November 24, 2025November 17, 2025 by Christopher Elliott

Millie Crawford didn’t think much about the lamp in her Holiday Inn Express room. Not until a $59 charge appeared on her credit card days after she checked out. 

Categories Advocacy
When Christi Barguig's concert is canceled, StubHub offers her a refund. Then it sends the money to the wrong person.

StubHub misled me about my $331 concert ticket refund. What should I do? 

December 9, 2025November 14, 2025 by Christopher Elliott

When Christi Barguig’s concert is canceled, StubHub offers her a refund. Then it sends the money to the wrong person. 

Categories Problem Solved
Guest uses a provided hair dryer, an outlet burns out, and Vrbo tries to charge $1000 from the deposit. Who's responsible?

An outlet burned out in my Vrbo — why are they charging me an extra $1,000?

October 14, 2025September 29, 2025 by Christopher Elliott

Picture this: Something goes terribly wrong with your vacation rental, and instead of fixing the problem, the owner slaps you with a $1,000 bill. And when you complain to the rental platform, it tells you that you’re out of luck and then charges your credit card

Categories Advocacy
First-time eBay buyer gets suspended immediately after a purchase, receives wrong item, and is denied a refund.

Help! eBay suspended me after my first purchase – and kept my $438

January 26, 2026August 29, 2025 by Christopher Elliott

Ken Sours buys a watch on eBay, but the company suspends his account immediately after the purchase. Then he receives a magazine instead of the watch. Now he can’t get a refund. What should he do?

Categories Problem Solved
ourist in Panama City scammed by taxi driver with a $450 credit card charge. Bank refuses to refund. Learn how to dispute fraudulent charges and avoid scams.

Yikes! A Panama cab driver charged me $450 instead of $10. Why won’t Bank of America help?

July 8, 2025July 7, 2025 by Christopher Elliott

Read before signing. That’s what Keith Lee will tell you. He recently tried to pay $10 for a cab in Panama City — but ended up getting hit with a $450 charge on his credit card. 

Categories Advocacy
Scott Rosenblatt canceled an Uber Eats order within 30 seconds but was slapped with a cancellation fee—even though the restaurant hadn’t started preparing his food. After Uber refused a refund, he disputed the charge with his credit card company… and won. Uber retaliated by blocking his account indefinitely. Consumer advocate Christopher Elliott stepped in, exposing Uber’s harsh policy of banning users who win chargebacks. Following advocacy, Uber quietly reinstated Scott’s account but ignored questions about its flawed system. A stark warning: Disputing charges with gig platforms can backfire, leaving customers locked out of essential services.

Banned by Uber after I won my credit card dispute — can you help?

May 17, 2025May 16, 2025 by Christopher Elliott

Scott Rosenblatt canceled his Uber Eats order but still had to pay for it. Now Uber is blocking his account. Can he get them to drop the charges and unfreeze his account?

Categories Problem Solved
After Steve Eliason booked a hotel near Glacier National Park, he faced a $169 charge when the hotel closed unexpectedly due to the owner's labor. Frustrated with Hotels.com, he sought help. Learn how he navigated the situation and ultimately secured a refund for his canceled reservation.

How to get a refund after a hotel closure: My $169 battle with Hotels.com

May 8, 2025May 7, 2025 by Christopher Elliott

Steve Eliason cancels a hotel booked through Hotels.com after the owner goes into labor and closes the property. But Hotels.com still charges him for the room. What happens when a third-party booking site fails to honor a cancellation?

Categories The Travel Troubleshooter
Corwin Simmonds encountered a frustrating $457 overcharge from Budget after renting a car in France. Despite multiple unauthorized charges and poor customer service, he persisted in seeking a resolution. Learn how he navigated the process and ultimately secured a refund for the erroneous charges.

Budget overcharge: I paid an extra $457 for my car rental in France!

December 20, 2025May 5, 2025 by Christopher Elliott

When Corwin Simmonds rented a car from Budget in Marseille, France, he never expected a simple transaction to become a frustrating ordeal with multiple overcharges and a bewildering lack of customer service. 

Categories Advocacy
Marcus Mann booked a flight with Frontier Airlines, but never received a confirmation email, leaving him unable to check in for his trip. After losing $583 and facing unhelpful customer service, he turned to a credit card dispute and even visited the airport in desperation. Frontier claimed they sent a confirmation, but Mann insists it never arrived. With help from an advocacy team, Mann finally got answers. Frontier admitted its mistake and agreed to refund his airfare. This serves as a reminder to always double-check your spam folder for important emails.

I never received a flight confirmation from Frontier. Can I get a refund?

November 24, 2024October 16, 2024 by Christopher Elliott

When Frontier Airlines fails to send Marcus Mann a confirmation for his airline ticket, he tries to find out what went wrong. After losing $583, he’s not getting any closer to the truth.

Categories The Travel Troubleshooter
Scarlett Kelly’s Paris vacation rental turned into a nightmare when a $300 damage deposit and a missed check-in window led to her being marked a no-show. Booking.com sided with the rental owner, who kept her money despite Kelly’s claims she was there on time. Now, Kelly is fighting back, alleging fraud, breach of contract, and even obstruction of justice. Should Booking.com refund Kelly, or is this a lesson in reading the fine print? With a $100 refund offer on the table, Kelly refuses to back down.

She lost her Paris vacation rental on a technicality — should I take this case? 

February 7, 2025October 14, 2024 by Christopher Elliott

Scarlett Kelly paid for a vacation rental in Paris through Booking.com, but she never got to stay in it. Booking.com wants to keep her money on what appears to be a technicality.

Categories Advocacy
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