Elliott Advocacy is a nonprofit organization that mediates cases between consumers and businesses. These are commentary articles that detail our efforts and provide educational information for consumers.
If enough travelers stopped paying the travel industry’s infuriating surcharges and fees, would the unwanted add-ons simply disappear? Would extra charges for checked luggage, ticket change fees and mandatory hotel resort fees vanish into thin air?
You can always cancel. Those are the four most dangerous words a consumer can hear. They’re often preceded by: “Don’t worry!”
Ask any technology expert about the future of artificial intelligence (AI) in travel and they’ll breathlessly tell you we’re on the verge of a revolution.
Nothing changes you like travel does. I know, because after 26 years of suburban stability, I recently sold my house, pulled up my stakes and hit the road. I’m a different person because of it.
If you’ve ever said, “There ought to be a law,” then you’re one of a million frustrated consumers. And you are not alone.
Harvey. Irma. Maria.
In a hyperactive hurricane season, the mere mention of these storms evokes fear, dread — and regret.
Maybe you’ve heard about Jason Puerner, or someone like him. Puerner, a transportation planner from Lakewood, Colo., says he recently rented a Chevrolet Cruze with a pre-existing scratch from Enterprise. After returning the vehicle, he refused to cough up $412 for repairs and ended up on the company’s infamous “Do Not Rent” list.
About halfway through a 3,755-mile road trip from Orlando to Seattle, I had a little reality check. It happened a few minutes into an hour-long interview with an NPR show in Madison, Wis., when the topic swerved toward unruly kids in a car.
Daniel Threlfall remembers his visit to Chichen Itza, Mexico, a destination billed as one of the wonders of the world. It isn’t a good memory.
It’s the little things that inflict big headaches when you’re driving during the summer, like poor road conditions, cellular dead spots and pretty much anything to do with bathrooms.
