No hope for an airline ticket refund – or is there?
When Kathy Stickney’s niece must return home early to be with her ailing father, she must forfeit an American Airlines ticket. But is that fair?
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.
Smoked out of the Days Inn
Debbie Rosenkranz books a non-smoking room at a Days Inn hotel. But when she arrives, she’s offered a smoking room. Does the hotel owe her anything?
Kicked off my cruise for getting sick
Shortly before her cruise to Mexico sets sail, Regina Hatfield and her family are ushered off the ship. The reason? She’s experiencing sharp pains in her kidney. Now her cruise line wants to keep her money. Is it allowed to do that?
No name change on a dead passenger’s ticket?
After Robin Johnson’s husband is killed in a tragic accident, she tries to salvage his United Airlines ticket credit. But the carrier says it can’t change the name on a ticket – it’s against the rules. Is there any hope for her?
Two letters on my ticket cost $300 — are you serious?
Agnes Lednum’s husband’s ticket is missing two little letters — “Jr” — and in order to fix it, her online travel agency wants $300. Is that her only option?
Should I fire my travel agent?
Brian Durbin’s destination wedding is off to a bad start. His travel agent isn’t returning his calls and he and his fiancée are afraid everything isn’t going to run smoothly. What do you do when your travel agent goes AWOL?
How can you be sure I damaged my rental car?
Months after her car rental, Diane Mikulis gets a bill for damages she doesn’t recognize. When she asks for a translation, the car rental company sends her case to a collection agency. Now what?
No oceanview room – and no refund
Mary Fahy pays extra for a nonrefundable oceanview room through Expedia, but when she checks in, she’s given quarters overlooking the other side of the property. Is she owed a refund?
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?