Help! Travelex won’t cover my hotel problem
Alexander Petlyarsky’s hotel reservation is not valid, even though he paid for it. Will his travel insurance cover the loss?
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.
Budgetair’s new travel itinerary doesn’t work for me — how about a refund?
When Joshua Menang’s travel agency changes his itinerary, he asks for his money back. The agency promises a partial refund but then fails to deliver. Can our advocates help him?
Help! CheapOair misspelled the name on my airline ticket
After Jutta Baumgarten orders airline tickets through CheapOair, she discovers that her last name has been misspelled. Her only option is to buy another ticket and eat the loss. Is that fair?
No single beds so I slept with my companion and I want a refund
Jarrett Wilson’s Hotwire rooms have “guaranteed” single beds. Oh wait, no they don’t. What now?
My seat upgrade disappeared, but Lufthansa kept my money
All Ronald LaPedis wants to do is fly from San Francisco to Bangalore, India, in relative comfort. But a codesharing upgrade nightmare threatens to send him to the back of the plane.
Expedia promised me a full refund of my hotel fee. Then it went back on its word
Expedia promised it wouldn’t charge Katy McLaughlin for her canceled hotel reservation. So why didn’t it keep its word?
Sick at the airport, so why won’t Airberlin refund my ticket?
After an unexpected medical emergency, Osmar and Aracely Alvarez ask their airline for a refund. But Airberlin defers to their travel agent. Can anyone help this couple?
Vueling rescheduled my flight, but didn’t bother to tell me
Judy Weidel’s flight from Rome to Palermo, Italy, is rescheduled, but no one bothers to tell her. She has to cancel a hotel and find a place to stay — at her own expense.
There’s no smoke in my hotel room, so what’s this $250 charge?
When Samantha Armstrong sees a $250 charge on her hotel bill, she’s told it’s because she smoked in her room. Just one small problem: Armstrong doesn’t smoke.