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Elliott Report

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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.

Leigh Roberts and her wife purchased an extra seat on a flight from Orlando to Venice, only to find out that United Airlines resold it to another passenger. Despite multiple attempts to get a refund, United initially refused, citing nonrefundable ticket policies. However, a missed boarding pass scan and a lack of proper follow-up led to this costly mistake. After escalating the issue and persistence, United finally agreed to process a refund for the extra seat. This story highlights the importance of ensuring your extra seat is properly scanned.

If you reserve an extra seat on United Airlines, don’t forget to do this

September 25, 2024September 11, 2024 by Christopher Elliott

Leigh Roberts and her wife book an extra seat on a trip from Orlando, Fla., to Venice, Italy. But United resells the seat to another passenger. Can Roberts get a refund? 

Categories The Travel Troubleshooter
Jim Hutslar faced a challenging situation after a scooter accident forced him to cancel his British Airways flight. Despite receiving a promise from Expedia for a $1,987 ticket credit, he hit a roadblock when British Airways marked him as a "no-show" and canceled his entire trip. As a result, he was caught in a frustrating loop between Expedia and British Airways, each pointing the finger at the other. Discover how Jim navigated this complex issue and whether he managed to secure his ticket credit or lost his money for good.

Expedia says I have a $1,987 credit, but British Airways says I was a “no-show”

September 9, 2024September 4, 2024 by Christopher Elliott

After a scooter accident, Jim Hutslar cancels his British Airways flight. Expedia offers him a $1,987 ticket credit. But British Airways refuses, claiming he was a “no show” for his flight. Is the money lost?

Categories The Travel Troubleshooter
Linda Carnivale found herself in a frustrating situation after canceling a cruise and trying to get her $250 deposit back. With the credit card she used now closed, NCL claimed to have refunded the money, but Chase, her bank, said otherwise. A tense three-way call between Linda, Chase, and NCL led to a blame game with no resolution in sight. Linda's persistence paid off as she documented everything, but will she finally see her refund? The situation serves as a cautionary tale for anyone dealing with refund disputes between businesses and banks.

Help! NCL and Chase are arguing about my $250 refund, but I just want my money back

September 5, 2024August 28, 2024 by Christopher Elliott

Linda Carnivale wants her $250 cruise deposit refunded. But now her bank and cruise line are arguing over who is responsible for the money. Does it matter? And can she get her money back?

Categories The Travel Troubleshooter
Catriona Garry misses her flight from Edinburgh to Boston because there's only one ticket agent at the airport. Can she get $1,200 in rebooking fees refunded?

Aer Lingus made me miss my flight. Then it charged me these booking fees!

July 11, 2025August 21, 2024 by Christopher Elliott

Catriona Garry misses her flight from Edinburgh to Boston because there’s only one ticket agent at the airport. Can she get $1,200 in rebooking fees refunded?

Categories The Travel Troubleshooter
Josephine Donatelli was charged $515 by Enterprise for a missing head restraint and hat shelf from her rental car. However, she insists she returned the vehicle exactly as she rented it. Enterprise sent the claim more than a month after the return, with insufficient evidence to prove it was her rental car, including no photos with identifying details like a license plate. After disputing the charge with her credit card company and contacting Enterprise, a representative apologized for the error and refunded the money, acknowledging the confusion and promising future rental credits.

Billed $515 for a missing head restraint on my rental car. But is this the right vehicle?

August 19, 2024August 14, 2024 by Christopher Elliott

Enterprise charges Josephine Donatelli $515 after it discovers a missing head restraint in a rental vehicle. But was it her rental vehicle?

Categories The Travel Troubleshooter
Rocco De Mella's recent journey with ITA Airways from Miami to Rome turned into a frustrating ordeal when a plane change resulted in the loss of his $160 seat upgrade. Despite promises of a prompt refund from multiple airline representatives, six months have passed with no resolution. Rocco's attempts to contact ITA Airways through various channels yielded no results, leaving him in limbo. However, a breakthrough came when a consumer advocacy site intervened, leading to the long-awaited refund. This case highlights the challenges passengers face with airline service changes and refund processes.

Downgraded on my ITA Airways flight. Why can’t I get a refund?

April 2, 2025August 7, 2024 by Christopher Elliott

When ITA Airways changes Rocco De Mella’s plane from Miami to Rome, he loses the seat upgrade he bought. An airline representative promises him a prompt refund. But six months later, the airline still has his money. 

Categories The Travel Troubleshooter
David Aronstein's Alaskan cruise took an unexpected turn when he contracted Covid-19. While the onboard medical team provided excellent care, he faced a new challenge upon returning home: a $750 bill for Paxlovid treatment. His insurance company required medical records to process the claim, but despite multiple attempts to obtain these from Holland America, David received no response. The cruise line directed him to fill out a release form and send it to their parent company, Carnival, but this yielded no results. David's perseverance highlights the importance of securing medical records immediately after treatment.

How do I get Holland America to send me my medical records? I keep asking.

January 6, 2026July 31, 2024 by Christopher Elliott

David Aronstein needs his medical records from Holland America. Without them, he can’t file an insurance claim for the treatment he received on a cruise. What’s the holdup?

Categories The Travel Troubleshooter
Maxine Biggs booked a flight for her husband from Salt Lake City to Geneva via Booking.com, but United Airlines canceled it and promised a refund. Despite United sending the refund to Booking.com three months later, Maxine is still waiting for her $1,751, six months on. Repeated calls to Booking.com only resulted in empty promises and no concrete information. After contacting both companies on her behalf, it was discovered that United had mistakenly exchanged the ticket instead of refunding it. Finally, after much confusion, Maxine received her long-awaited refund.

Refund confusion after United Airlines cancels his tickets. But where’s the money?

September 25, 2024July 24, 2024 by Christopher Elliott

When United Airlines cancels her husband’s flight, it promises Maxine Biggs a prompt refund. So why is she still waiting for her $1,751 six months later?

Categories The Travel Troubleshooter
Glen Hartness faced an unexpected challenge after mistakenly booking the wrong night at a La Quinta hotel through the Priceline app. Despite promptly notifying both Priceline and the hotel, and receiving a cancellation confirmation from the hotel's front desk, Priceline refused to issue a refund. This frustrating situation highlights the strict enforcement of nonrefundable rates, even for honest mistakes. However, after escalating the issue, Priceline eventually agreed to process the refund, though the ordeal underscored the need for improved booking safeguards.

A Priceline booking problem leads to a nonrefundable hotel room — or does it?

July 29, 2025July 17, 2024 by Christopher Elliott

Glen Hartness books the wrong night at a La Quinta hotel through the Priceline app. Why won’t Priceline refund the erroneous booking?

Categories The Travel Troubleshooter
Cathy Balsewich's travel advisor offers her an Apple Vacations voucher for $200 at a hotel in the Turks & Caicos. Why doesn't it work? And are tour operator vouchers worth the paper they're printed on?

This Apple Vacations voucher doesn’t work! Can I get my money back?

July 15, 2024July 10, 2024 by Christopher Elliott

… Read more

Categories The Travel Troubleshooter
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