Category: The Travel Troubleshooter

My airline tickets disappeared. How do I get them back?

By Christopher Elliott

When Benjamin Eckstein’s JetBlue airline tickets disappeared, he didn’t know what to do. Should he call his online travel agent? Buy new tickets at the airport? Drive instead?

But it’s a 3,127-mile road trip from Boston to San Jose. That would have taken almost 50 hours nonstop. No, motoring cross-country with a wife and two young kids wasn’t what Eckstein had in mind.

Instead, he bought a new ticket to San Francisco on United Airlines the next day and tried to sort things out with his airline and travel agency.

He couldn’t.

I booked a nonrefundable room at the Hampton Inn by accident. How do I fix it?

By Christopher Elliott Updated on:

Carol Egan thought she was doing the right thing when she booked an expensive and nonrefundable room at a Hampton Inn. After all, she was coming to Wetumpka, Ala., for a special occasion, and she was just following the instructions for the event.

But the instructions were incorrect, leaving her with a $264 overcharge on her hotel bill. Now she wants our help getting a refund for her nonrefundable room.

How can I make Avis refund this surprise $4,228 car rental charge?

By Christopher Elliott Updated on:

Avis blindsided Claudia Lockwood with a $4,228 surprise charge after her last car rental experience.

She thought she’d done everything right and expected no problems. She brought the car back to the correct lot and left the keys in the vehicle, as instructed. Lockwood even saved her gas receipt that showed she had filled the tank before returning the Ford Edge SUV.

Not much good it did her. One month later, Avis claimed she still had the rental car in her possession. This, even though she had proof that she’d flown to Germany (without the car, of course) soon after the end of her car rental contract.

So will she just be stuck paying Avis this $4,228 upcharge?

Why did this Vrbo host ruin her birthday party?

By Christopher Elliott Updated on:

Charysma Adams’ birthday party was ruined by a Vrbo host who wouldn’t let her into the house she’d rented for the night. But now, instead of returning her money, the host is making a bad situation even worse — and Adams wants our help to make it right.

Adams’ strange case is a warning to anyone thinking of using a rental platform like Vrbo or Airbnb for a special event. It’s also a reminder to do your due diligence when you’re planning a party. You don’t want to overlook certain important details, or you could end up standing outside in the cold like this birthday girl.

Where’s my airline ticket refund from GotoGate? It’s been eight months

By Christopher Elliott Updated on:

When SriLankan Airlines cancels the flights for Joseph Obiora Ezezue’s wife and son, he requests a refund. But the airline refers him to his online agency, GotoGate. And it doesn’t help him. Who is responsible for getting his money back?

Question

I purchased two airline tickets from GotoGate for my wife and son in late 2020. The tickets were for a one-way trip with SriLankan Airlines from Guangzhou, China, to Kigali, Rwanda. Sadly, the airline canceled the flight. I bought new tickets with Qatar Airways for my family to return to Kigali.

He got into an accident in his Avis car. Why won’t the company take back the vehicle?

By Christopher Elliott Updated on:

When Mayank Kumar gets into an accident in his Avis rental car, he does everything in his power to return the vehicle to the company. But nothing seems to be working, and now Avis is asking about its car.

Question

I recently rented a vehicle from Avis in Seattle and had an accident while visiting Mount Rainier National Park. A local towing company towed the car away. I reported this to Avis and gave them the towing company’s contact number and address.
An Avis representative said they would work with the towing company to recover the vehicle from them and that I didn’t need to do anything. I still followed up with them almost every day for two weeks to ensure they had the car.

Avis hasn’t recovered the vehicle yet, and it is still at the towing company’s facility. An Avis representative keeps telling me the case is being processed and that the car will be recovered soon.

Did this Airbnb host forget to mention something really important?

By Michelle Couch-Friedman Updated on:

Scrolling through Airbnb one evening, Jeremy Little thought he’d found the perfect vacation rental for his family’s trip to London. With scenic views and a spacious layout, it had everything he, his wife, and children could need…and more. Unfortunately, the “and more” turned out to be a real deal-breaker: total strangers sharing the common area. That’s something the host failed to mention until after Little booked and paid for the Airbnb.

As a shared space rental was never part of his family’s vacation plans, Little immediately asked Airbnb to cancel. Much to his surprise, the listing giant allowed the cancellation but refused to refund the payment.

After many unsuccessful attempts to retrieve his money, Little hopes the Elliott Advocacy team can help. But with Airbnb firmly on the side of the property’s Superhost, is there anything we can do?

Vrbo offered a refund after my husband lost his job. Where is it?

By Christopher Elliott

When Betsy Bair’s husband loses his job, they cancel their Vrbo rental. Are they going to lose all their money even though Vrbo offered them a refund?

Question

My husband unexpectedly lost his job last year [2021]. We had to cancel a two-day vacation rental through Vrbo. I spoke to a Vrbo representative, who agreed to issue a partial refund of $751. I waited a month but did not receive anything.

I called Vrbo and the company told me it approved the refund, but that I would need to contact the property owner since the owner was the one that was holding up the refund. I contacted him again. Now he says he doesn’t know anything about a refund and never agreed to a refund.

Can you help me sort this out? Initially, all I wanted was a refund of the cleaning fee since we weren’t there. But ideally, I would like them to honor their promise of a partial refund. — Betsy Bair, The Dalles, Ore.

Hertz sent me a $700 bill for eight extra days! How do I get a refund?

By Christopher Elliott

When Elie-Anne Chevrier rents a car in Palm Beach, Fla., she expects to pay around $200. So why did Hertz just charge her over $900 for extra days she didn’t have the vehicle?

Question

I recently rented a car from Hertz for three days in Palm Beach, Fla. Hertz billed me for 2 hours and 11 days.

I have contacted the car rental company several times to try to resolve this. But Hertz employees haven’t been able to fix this problem.

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