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Travel Troubleshooter

Christopher Elliott

Christopher Elliott writes the Travel Troubleshooter column for The Miami Herald; he also writes about the travel industry for MSNBC.com and for National Geographic Traveler.

If you don't find the information you need here in his past columns, you can reach Elliott via his website at www.elliott.org.

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The travel troubleshooter

They confiscated my points — can you help me get them back?

Affinity cards like the one you used are a popular way to earn miles and points quickly. But you have to read the fine print before you take advantage of an offer: there’s lot of fine print that can foil your efforts.

  • The travel troubleshooter

    Mom died but cruise line won’t refund fare

    I’m so sorry to hear about your mother. Between the time you first wrote to me and the time I closed your case, your mother passed away. My condolences on your loss.

  • The travel troubleshooter

    Airline won’t refund my ticket

    I’m sorry to hear about your medical condition, and hope you’re feeling better. I’m also sorry that you missed your daughter’s wedding. British Airways should have answered your request for a refund or voucher, of course — even if it was to explain that it couldn’t do either. I’m puzzled that it wouldn’t even give you the time of day.

  • The travel troubleshooter

    I waited too long to file a car rental claim

    I’m suspicious about a few items in this claim. First, there’s the mysterious damage to the bottom of the front bumper. I’m not saying the bill was bogus, but I’ve handled many car rental damage claims where an employee discovered previously unseen damage to either the underside of the vehicle or the roof.

  • The travel troubleshooter

    Who’s to blame for an ‘invalid’ reservation number?

    Yes, I think you do. You paid for a rental car that you didn’t get. Obviously, Priceline and Avis shouldn’t be able to keep your money, and they need to cover the extra expenses you incurred as a result of their error.

  • The travel troubleshooter

    But Hertz said everything’s fine

    Don’t take it personally; credit card disputes that go in your favor are automatically sent to a collection agency. Some car rental companies also add you to a “do not rent” list, which means you’re blacklisted from ever renting from it again.

  • The travel troubleshooter

    No hope for a refund — or is there?

    I’m sorry to hear about your brother-in-law, and glad he made it. Like other airlines, American rarely makes exceptions to its rules on nonrefundable tickets. The only time it consistently does so, in my experience, is when a passenger dies.

  • The travel troubleshooter

    Hotel chain’s just blowing smoke

    Let me state my bias up front: Smoking should not be allowed in a hotel room. Ever. Unfortunately, at the time you stayed in your hotel, Florida state law permitted smoking. But a look at the Days Inn site also showed that the room type you booked also said your room would be “nonsmoking,” which led you to conclude you wouldn’t have to inhale trace amounts of carcinogens as you slept.

  • The travel troubleshooter

    Sudden illness sank my cruise

    I’m glad you’re feeling better. Carnival was correct to take you off the ship and seek medical treatment. Trust me, you wouldn’t have wanted to take your chances in a Mexican hospital, which may — or may not — have the same level of care as an American medical facility.

  • The travel troubleshooter

    Must late husband’s ticket go unused?

    I’m so sorry for your loss. Airlines routinely refund even nonrefundable tickets when passengers die. But your request came during the last part of the merger between Continental Airlines and United Airlines, and it involved switching to a different reservation system for the company. So, while the representatives you repeatedly contacted may have wanted to transfer the name on your deceased husband’s ticket to yours, it may have been difficult, if not impossible.

  • The travel troubleshooter

    What’s in a name? About $300

    Your travel agency was both wrong — and right.

  • The travel troubleshooter

    Having reservations about my travel agent

    I’m sorry to hear things aren’t working out with your travel agent. A destination wedding is probably one of the most important vacations of your life, so you want everything to be perfect. That’s why you use a travel agent to make arrangements.

  • The travel troubleshooter

    We were dinged for invisible damage

    Well, you had me with the employee and the flashlight. That’s too much. Unless part of the undercarriage somehow came loose and was dragging on the floor — and after reading the bill, I can tell you it wasn’t — then this would have made my scam alert go off. Big time.

  • The travel troubleshooter

    Car rental came with an extra: $55 in taxes

    If Hotels.com said taxes on your rental car were included, then they should have been included, of course. You sent me a copy of your confirmation, and sure enough — they were.

  • The travel troubleshooter

    No ocean view, and no refund either

    If Expedia sold you an oceanview room, then you should have received an oceanview room or a refund of the difference between an oceanview and a standard room.

  • The travel troubleshooter

    Why was Mom’s card charged for my ticket?

    What a mess. United shouldn’t have charged your mother another $869, but after reviewing your itinerary, it shouldn’t have billed you for a $150 change fee, either.

  • The travel troubleshooter

    I missed the wedding, now I’m missing the refund

    You should have received a full refund, as promised. The fact that you had booked your ticket though an online travel agency shouldn’t matter. That just adds one extra layer, with the airline refunding your agency, and then your agency sending the money back to you.

  • The travel troubleshooter

    Budget had second thoughts about the discount it gave me

    Some of the most hotly debated cases I mediate are pricing errors — a fare or rate where a decimal point went astray — but I’d never come across a complaint where a discount had been withdrawn after a trip.

  • The travel troubleshooter

    Help, my frequent flier miles are gone

    I’m sorry to hear about your circumstances. When you called US Airways, it should have shown more compassion toward your situation and considered extending the life of your award miles.

  • The travel troubleshooter

    Stuck with two car rental bills

    AutoEurope’s voucher should have worked. But instead of taking the next rental, you should have contacted AutoEurope immediately and asked it to fix the problem with Hertz. That way, this misunderstanding could have been avoided.

  • The travel troubleshooter

    Help, my ticket credit disappeared

    Your credit should still be good. But how can you know if it is?

  • The travel troubleshooter

    Couldn’t make my cruise because of a hurricane

    If you booked your vacation directly through the cruise line, I don’t see any reason why it shouldn’t offer a full credit.

  • The travel troubleshooter

    Where are those super savings?

    You’re right, Hotwire’s terms are restrictive. But there’s a tradeoff: In exchange for not knowing the exact name and location of the hotel, and giving up your right to a refund, you’re supposed to get a deep discount at a brand-name hotel.

  • The travel troubleshooter

    Why do I have to pay for existing damage?

    Wow, that’s two Dollar cases in two weeks. Are we going for a record here? This one was mishandled from start to finish.

  • The travel troubleshooter

    Charged a fee for lighting up

    Dollar should have notified you of any cleaning charges when you returned the car, not as a surprise on your credit card bill almost three weeks later. Even if Dollar suspected that you’d smoked a pipe next to your Great Pyrenees after a long day of hiking in the desert, it should have notified you promptly of the cleaning fee and offered evidence of your allegedly messy ways.

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