American Airlines’ disappearing act: how a confirmed first-class seat vanished
When is a first-class ticket not a first-class ticket? When you’re Paul Nelson and you’re flying on American Airlines.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Car rental rage: Why everyone’s losing it at the counter right now
Marcy Schackne is mad.
She recently waited 2½ hours at LAX just to talk to a car rental agent. After completing her paperwork, she inspected three vehicles that were “beyond dirty” before finding one suitable to drive
Help! I paid Expedia $1,459 for an airline ticket that doesn’t exist
Mansour Abado books a ticket for his father from Beirut to Austin, Texas, through Expedia. But there’s a problem: The flight doesn’t exist. Why can’t he get a refund for the bogus ticket?
Her hotel canceled by “mistake,” but Booking.com billed her anyway. Now what?
Thulisile Hadebe thought she’d booked a thrilling getaway on Booking.com to a game lodge in South Africa, which promised an “amazing” experience in its chalets and opportunities to see giraffes, wildebeest and zebras.
StubHub said it sent my UFC tickets — but I never received them
Roland Nazariyan buys three sets of tickets to a UFC fight through StubHub. But the real battle comes after the event — with StubHub’s customer service department. Two sets of tickets never showed up and were eventually refunded. But the third order, worth $4,605, turned into a heavyweight bout. Who will come out on top?
Chase made my $1,000 payment vanish into thin air — how do I get it back?
When Joanne Smikle made a $1,000 payment on her Chase credit card bill, she assumed the transaction had gone through. The money left her Tower Federal Credit Union account. Chase credited the payment. Everything looked normal.
I paid Holland America for a cruise, but now it wants another $800!
Greg Rothman thought his Holland America cruise was locked in: a seven-day Caribbean sailing in a veranda stateroom for $650, courtesy of an MGM casino certificate. He pays in full and then books non-refundable airline tickets from Los Angeles to Fort Lauderdale. Hours later, a second invoice arrives — this one demanding another $800 or threatening to bump him down to a windowless interior cabin.
My Enterprise rental car broke down! Do I deserve a refund?
When John Sand landed in Munich and picked up his rental car from Enterprise, he was ready for a fun-filled European road trip. Instead, he took an unexpected detour that left him without wheels for 36 hours and forced him to navigate a Kafkaesque customer service maze.
GE keeps fixing my fridge, but it won’t stay fixed – what now?
The freezer compartment on Paris Perlick’s GE refrigerator keeps failing because of an elusive coolant leak. The manufacturer has tried to repair it five times over four years, but the problem persists. With a year left on her five-year warranty, Perlick fears the company is deliberately stalling until her coverage expires. Is it?
Want to skip the bot and talk to a human? It could cost you
The problem with artificial intelligence is simple: When travelers need it the most, it is the least helpful.