Help! Airbnb banned me for life — but won’t say why
After Airbnb bans Kevin Donovan for life, he tries to find out why. But Airbnb won’t tell him. Will it tell this consumer advocate?
The Travel Troubleshooter
The Travel Troubleshooter is a weekly consumer column that solves travel problems. Missing cruise refunds, lousy airline service, car rental surcharges — it’s all fair game for this feature. Each story presents a problem and fixes it in a quick Q&A format.
Locked out and charged $385 for getting into my Airbnb — is that fair?
A couple faces a $385 charge after an Airbnb keypad fails during a rainstorm. The locksmith blames the weather, but Airbnb sides with the host. When weather wreaks havoc, should guests foot the bill?
Carnival charged me a $500 cancellation fee I didn’t know about. Can I get it back?
When Cory Belkov cancels his Carnival cruise, he gets a refund — minus a $500 cancellation fee. It’s the first he’s heard of the fee. Does he have to pay?
Why did FedEx charge me $1,237 to ship luggage it couldn’t deliver?
When Todd Janus sends his luggage to Norway via FedEx, it gets stuck in customs. Does he still have to pay $1,237?
Denied boarding and stranded overnight. Why won’t Air Canada cover my $178 hotel bill?
Bonnie Thiel and her husband are stranded in Toronto after a flight delay on Lufthansa. Why won’t the airline cover her hotel expenses? And how does she get reimbursed for them, now that she’s home?
Stranded by a flight delay. Why won’t Holland America refund my $3,952?
A family’s dream Alaska cruise collapses when a flight delay leaves them stranded. Holland America refuses to issue a refund despite having booked their flights. Can they get their $3,952 refunded?
Stranded in Buenos Aires: How a FlightHub booking error forced a family to pay twice for their tickets
Emily Day’s family vacation nearly collapses when FlightHub’s system assigns random passport numbers to their tickets, forcing them to buy new flights. Why won’t the airline refund the tickets they couldn’t use?
Help! I canceled my trip, but my travel insurance won’t pay my claim
When Amy Sparks’ father-in-law passes away, she cancels a planned tour of Utah and files a claim with Tin Leg, her travel insurance company. But the company denies her claim. Is she going to lose the $4,098 she paid?
Aer Lingus promised me a full refund after a threatened strike. Where is it?
When a strike threatens Martha Rhine’s trip to Dublin, Aer Lingus offers her a full refund for her business class ticket. But she gets only a portion of her ticket back. What’s going on, and how can she get the rest back?
Iberia downgraded me to economy class on a flight to Madrid. Where’s my refund?
Iberia downgrades Christopher Long and his husband to economy class on a flight from Chicago to Madrid. Under European regulations, he’s entitled to a refund of 75 percent of his fare. So why is he only getting a fraction of that?