Are “unpublished” hotel reservations too hard to cancel?
Derek Ho’s Expedia booking goes sideways, and he needs help. Can this trip be saved?
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.
Is it too hard to get an airline ticket refund?
When John King’s mother dies, he asks American Airlines to refund her ticket. Instead of sending the money, it emails him a series of form letters. What should he do?
What should I do about this $50 phone bill?
Tyson Howard has to pay a $50 phone bill at his hotel. But wait — aren’t long-distance calls “free”? Well, kinda.
Charged an extra $400 for a vacation I can’t take
Ruth Hartmann has to cancel her yoga retreat to Costa Rica after she lands in the hospital. Why is her resort asking her to pay an extra $400 for a vacation she can’t take?
A flight attendant took my camera and I want it back
Haijun Shan’s camera is missing — forcibly gate-checked on a recent flight. The camera isn’t covered under the airline’s contract. Is Shan out of luck?
A $93 “top off” charge for my rental car?
Danny Griffin just received a $93 bill from Hertz for refueling his rental car. But wait, didn’t the company give him a receipt that verified his tank was full when he returned the vehicle? Yes, but that doesn’t make any difference.
Help, they canceled all of my Travelzoo vouchers
Christina Conte’s mother tries to cancel a voucher she bought through Travelzoo, but the company refunds all of them. Now it won’t reinstate them, despite repeated calls to the company. What can she do?
Hang on — are you sure your hotel’s closed for the season?
When Steve Broman tries to check in to his hotel, he finds that it’s closed for the season. Now Hotels.com won’t give him a refund until it can confirm the hotel is closed. How long should he have to wait?
Can my tour operator pocket my airline refund?
Donald Kne’s British Airways flight is canceled, and the carrier refunds the money to his tour operator. So why isn’t the company refunding the money back to him?
Hey, that’s the wrong London!
Jaime Deane books a hotel room in London, Canada through Priceline. But Priceline books a room in London, England, instead. It won’t refund the hotel. Now what?