Why was Mom’s card charged for my ticket?
After Robin Griffith’s honeymoon, there’s a mysterious $869 charge on her mother’s credit card for a flight from Los Angeles to Mexico City. How did it get there, and how can she get rid of it?
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 missed my brother’s wedding and now I’m missing my refund
Ronnee Schweizer’s flight to the Virgin Islands is canceled, and when her online agency issues a refund, part of the money is missing. How does she get it back?
Oh no, Budget had second thoughts about my discount
Brandon Chase’s car rental company says it’s made a mistake on his bill, and reverses a discount long after his rental. Is it allowed to do that? And what are his rights?
Help, my frequent flier miles are gone!
Marianne MacKenzie’s US Airways miles have expired, but worse, her son’s are gone too. He almost had enough points for a ticket. Is he out of luck?
Oh no, I’m stuck with two car rental bills
Pat Shopher’s car rental experience in Germany ends in confusion when her reservation is canceled and then reinstated at a higher rate. Now she has two bills for the same rental. What should she do?
Help! I can’t make my cruise because of a hurricane
Debra Weissman can’t get to Seattle because of a hurricane. Her cruise line will only offer a 75 percent credit toward a future sailing, even though she bought insurance. Is that enough?
No ‘super’ savings on my Las Vegas strip hotel
Jerome Garcia’s Hotwire hotel room is in the wrong place and overpriced. But did the online travel agency do anything wrong — and does he deserve a refund?
I rented a damaged car from Dollar — why should I have to pay?
William Hicks rents a car from Dollar with a ding in it. Now it wants to charge him for the damage. But it can’t prove he did it. Should he pay, anyway?
Hey, where’s that refund on my all-inclusive vacation?
Matthew Del Bontago finds a better price on his seven-day, all-inclusive vacation and cancels his initial reservation. But more than eight weeks later there’s no refund. What’s taking so long?
Uh-oh! My Expedia coupon had a little accident
The $50 Expedia coupon the agency promises Viola Wilson doesn’t arrive in one piece, and when she asks for a replacement, it sends her coupons. Shouldn’t it be sending her another card?