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Elliott Report

Elliott Report

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Fair Credit Billing Act

Your credit card isn't as safe as you think when you travel

Your credit card isn’t as safe as you think when you travel. Here’s the fix.

March 20, 2026March 20, 2026 by Christopher Elliott

Eric Finkel thought he’d dodged a bullet on a recent visit to Vietnam. His hotel “accidentally” charged his credit card $1,500 instead of the correct amount of $66. The staff immediately cancelled the erroneous charge right in front of him. 

Categories Safe Travels
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.

Chase made my $1,000 payment vanish into thin air — how do I get it back?

March 5, 2026February 24, 2026 by Christopher Elliott

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.

Categories Advocacy, Popular
Joanne Pantaleo thought her pricey high-frequency wand would grow hair, not headaches. After the gadget died, the merchant vanished, and American Express sided with the fraudsters. Is she stuck with a broken gadget?

Beware the Vortex! How a $197 hair gadget sparked a three-month fight with American Express

March 5, 2026February 19, 2026 by Christopher Elliott

Joanne Pantaleo thought her pricey high-frequency wand would grow hair, not headaches. After the gadget died, the merchant vanished, and American Express sided with the fraudsters. Is she stuck with a broken gadget?

Categories Problem Solved
marriot hotel issues

Marriott closed my hotel but kept my money — and offered gift cards instead

February 23, 2026February 3, 2026 by Christopher Elliott

When Jason Hanna prepaid $525 for a weekend at the Four Points by Sheraton LAX, he expected to stay at the Four Points by Sheraton LAX.

Categories Advocacy
Teresa McGee thought she'd done everything right before her flight from Detroit to Charlotte. But she never expected American Airlines to not do everything right.

She showed up two hours early for her flight. Why did American Airlines cancel her ticket?

December 26, 2025December 15, 2025 by Christopher Elliott

Teresa McGee thought she’d done everything right before her flight from Detroit to Charlotte. But she never expected American Airlines to not do everything right. 

Categories Advocacy, Popular
When Iberia Airlines canceled Olga Betzler's flight from Barcelona to Los Angeles, she assumed getting her $654 refund would be straightforward

When an airline refuses to refund you $654, this could be the reason

November 24, 2025November 24, 2025 by Christopher Elliott

When Iberia Airlines canceled Olga Betzler’s flight from Barcelona to Los Angeles, she assumed getting her $654 refund would be straightforward.

Categories Advocacy
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
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
Customer's Groupon for a now-closed restaurant isn't being refunded in cash, only in-store credit. Is this fair?

Why won’t Groupon refund me? The restaurant closed!

September 20, 2025September 19, 2025 by Christopher Elliott

Sofya Mumford’s $65 Groupon voucher is worthless after the restaurant goes out of business. Why won’t the company refund her money?

Categories Problem Solved
Frontier Airlines charged a passenger twice for the same checked bags and then refused a cash refund, offering only expiring credit.

Frontier Airlines overcharged me $220 for luggage! Can you help me get it back?

October 14, 2025August 20, 2025 by Christopher Elliott

Allison Sanders prepays for her checked luggage on a Frontier Airlines flight from Denver to Orlando. But the airline charges her for her bags twice. Now it won’t refund her for the second charge. Can she get her second charge back?

Categories The Travel Troubleshooter
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