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.
Even though Lauren Stokowski has proof that she boarded her KLM flight, the airline insisted she was a no-show and forced her to pay for another ticket to get home. Can KLM fix this problem and refund her money?
When Booking.com refunds Elaine Treacy for a canceled vacation rental, it transfers her money to someone else’s credit card. How can she get her money back?
American Airlines promises Joseph Muskovich compensation for a lengthy flight delay. But despite repeated promises, it never pays. How can he get American Airlines to honor its promise?
Douglas Berry books a Princess cruise online and pays for the fare and travel insurance with his credit card. But then Princess cancels his cruise — and then charges him a $3,718 cancellation fee. Can it do that?
When Natasha Bird rents a car from Thrifty, she notes damage to the front bumper. So why is she getting a bill for $2,212 for the same damage?
Eric Weiman rents a car from Enterprise in Germany. He is later accused of damaging the car. When he disputes the charges, Enterprise threatens legal action. Can he get them to drop the claim?
Nathan Ciurzynski’s flight from Tampa to San Diego is canceled because of a hurricane. When he asks American Airlines for a refund, it offers a flight credit instead. Can he get his money back?
Sherry Fadely is turned away at the gate when she tries to board her flight in Madrid. Can she get compensation for being denied boarding? And who should pay her?
Nicholas Chandler was rear-ended while driving an Avis rental car. Even though the other driver was at fault, Avis charged him for the entire time the car was out of commission. Can he get a refund?
Steve Eliason cancels a hotel booked through Hotels.com after the owner goes into labor and closes the property. But Hotels.com still charges him for the room. What happens when a third-party booking site fails to honor a cancellation?
