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Elliot.org - The Travel Troubleshooter

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Consumer advocate Christopher Elliott's site.
URL: http://www.elliott.org
Updated: 2 hours 24 min ago

Black mold in my Amtrak cabin — how about a refund?

17 hours 9 min ago
Here's a case where a ticket contract and the reality of an experience find themselves on a head-on collision of sorts. And I'm kinda in the middle.


Categories: Travel

Bill aims to scuttle new airfare pricing rule

Sun, 2012-02-05 01:00
Enjoy the government’s new airfare rule. It might not last.


Categories: Travel

TSA Watch: Agents do the strangest things!

Sat, 2012-02-04 08:48
What's with TSA agents' bizarre behavior lately?


Categories: Travel

I paid for tickets on the wrong airline

Fri, 2012-02-03 06:32
Laurie Spear's travel agent tells her she's booked on American Airlines. But it turns out she's on British Airways and that leads to all kinds of problems. Who's responsible, and how does she fix it?


Categories: Travel

Whatever happened to passenger rights?

Fri, 2012-02-03 01:00
Remember all that talk about the passenger rights a few years ago? Well, the chickens came home to roost with the likely passage of the FAA Reathorization bill and several new DOT rules, and the news is ... well, it's hard to say for sure.


Categories: Travel

Who’s responsible for this bump in my bumper?

Thu, 2012-02-02 01:00
Chris Benzinger has a problem with National Car Rental. The company sent him a surprise repair bill, but it isn't telling him what he did to deserve it.


Categories: Travel

You’ve gotta try these Apalachicola Bay oysters

Wed, 2012-02-01 20:16
We interrupt this consumer blog to bring you the following important message: If you're ever in Northwest Florida, you must drive down to Apalachicola to try the oysters.


Categories: Travel

The tricks they play at the car rental counter

Wed, 2012-02-01 01:00
Ask George Mayo about car insurance, and he'll tell you that his State Farm policy covers rentals. He's certain of it. And he's also certain that when he rented a car from Avis in Nashville, recently, he declined the optional insurance.


Categories: Travel

Did I forget to mention I was born in Canada?

Tue, 2012-01-31 01:00
Harry Kopy has a secret.


Categories: Travel

Are you a cheatin’ customer?

Tue, 2012-01-31 01:00
A customer who cheats a company out of rightfully-earned revenue is the ultimate "man-bites-dog" story for consumer reporters. But what would you do if you could cheat -- and get away with it?


Categories: Travel

Disney promised me fireworks! Where are the fireworks?

Mon, 2012-01-30 01:00
It may sound insignificant, but to Mona Ogden, the fireworks at Disneyland are a big deal. She even spent $900 to upgrade into a "club-level" room at the Disneyland Hotel on a recent visit because they promised "a view of the Disneyland Park fireworks show from above with in-house soundtrack."


Categories: Travel

TSA Watch: “Secret” memo explains differences between medical devices and weapons of mass destruction

Sun, 2012-01-29 09:00
Remember when the TSA accidentally published its passenger screening manual online a few years ago? Well, in light of this week's events, which call into question the agency's basic operating procedures, I'm not waiting around for it to do that again (although it probably will).


Categories: Travel

Vacation rental phishing scams catch more travelers

Sat, 2012-01-28 07:31
Shauna Kattler thought she’d found the ideal rental home in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, for her Christmas vacation: a two-bedroom penthouse condominium with a hot tub and an impossibly perfect view of the Caribbean.


Categories: Travel

Did I go all “Incredible Hulk” on my rental car?

Fri, 2012-01-27 06:03
There are dents on Mark Ferguson's rental SUV, and Enterprise wants him to pay for the repairs. But there's just one problem: they're on the roof, and neither Ferguson, nor the manager who inspected the vehicle, checked the top before he accepted the car. Is he still responsible?


Categories: Travel

Why doesn’t travel insurance cover dad’s illness?

Thu, 2012-01-26 01:00
When Jessica Kamzik's father was diagnosed with stomach cancer last summer, there was no question about what she had to do. Dad's prognosis was "grave" -- the doctors said he probably wouldn't make it to the holidays -- and, "as any loving daughter would do, I immediately cancelled our vacation to...


Categories: Travel

Oh, did I hurt your feelings?

Wed, 2012-01-25 02:00
Although I consider "reader mail" posts a journalistic cop-out -- a favorite tool of lazy columnists who can't think of anything else to write -- I'm willing to make an exception today.


Categories: Travel

I love New York in January — how about you?

Wed, 2012-01-25 01:00
It was inevitable. Sooner or later, I knew I'd have to come back to New York. So here I am!


Categories: Travel

Is this any way to treat a member of the President’s Club?

Tue, 2012-01-24 01:00
Sarena Wiener thought she'd taken every precaution before embarking on her Vantage Deluxe World Travel tour of India recently. Her flight itinerary gave her plenty of time to make her connections, she had purchased travel insurance, and to besides, she was a valued customer -- a member of Vantage's...


Categories: Travel