Budget says we drove through a hailstorm. Now it wants me to pay $2,133
When Candace Welch returns her rental to Budget in Sioux Falls, S.D., the company bills her $2,133 for hail damage. Just one problem — there was no hailstorm.
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.
I’ve been banned by Airbnb, but no one will tell me why
Why did Airbnb ban Solange Reyner? The company won’t tell her. But will it tell this consumer advocate?
Budget wants to charge me for refueling and cleaning. Is that allowed?
When William Houck returns his rental car to LAX, Budget tries to charge him a fee for refueling and cleaning. But he brought the car back with a full gas tank, and it was clean. How can he fight these charges?
I had to pay twice for my checked luggage on Avianca. I want a refund!
Peter Holt prepays $66 for two checked bags on his Avianca flight from San Jose, Costa Rica, to Mexico City. Why did he pay twice?
My vacation rental had cameras in the bedroom. Can I get a refund?
Angela Hall finds cameras pointed at the bed in her Hawaii vacation rental. She checks out and Vrbo offers to refund her for a hotel and the remainder of her stay. But it never does. What’s going on?
My brother died. Can I get a refund from GoToGate for my airline tickets?
After Debbie Schembri’s brother dies, she cancels her Alaska vacation. Can she get a refund for her airline tickets?
American Airlines changed my flight. Can I get my money back?
American Airlines changes Allison Bilski’s flight time from 11:30 a.m. to 9 a.m., which is impossible for her to make. Can she get a refund — or at least a credit?
IcelandAir changed her departure airport. Here’s how we got $2,972 refunded
When IcelandAir changes Patricia Boyle’s flights from Baltimore to Washington Dulles, she asks for a refund from her tour operator, IcelandAir Holidays. Why isn’t it responding?
My Allstate Rewards gift card didn’t work on my Princess cruise
David Marsh encountered a frustrating problem while on his Princess Cruise – his Allstate Rewards gift card, worth $1,800, didn’t work. Both the cruise line and Allstate Rewards blamed each other for the issue, leaving David stranded in the middle.
Hotels.com promised me a refund years ago. Where is it?
Michelle Sprekelmeyer is chasing down a missing $1,632 Hotels.com refund from the early days of the pandemic. What’s taking so long?