FTC Archives

Craig McAllister paid $524 for front-row tickets to a Mets-Yankees spring training game in Port St. Lucie, Fla., only to find his view obstructed by an ESPN cameraman. With 80% of the game blocked, he stood until he found better seats in the sixth inning. Despite contacting SeatGeek for a refund, he was initially refused, as the venue did not consider the cameraman an obstruction. After reaching out for consumer advocacy, SeatGeek reviewed the complaint and offered Craig a $150 credit as compensation, which he accepted.

I can’t see the baseball game! Can I get my money back from SeatGeek?

July 27, 2024July 19, 2024 by Christopher Elliott

Craig McAllister can’t see most of his baseball game in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Does he deserve a refund from SeatGeek?

What you don’t know about billing cycles will blow your mind

January 31, 2024February 21, 2018 by Christopher Elliott

Billing cycles can really mess with your head.
Don’t take my word for it. Consider what happened to Michael Dearing, a registered nurse from Chicago, when Comcast adjusted — or in his words “played with” — his billing cycles recently.

Travelers are fed up with solicitations.

Review this! Travelers fed up with solicitations

December 15, 2023January 15, 2018 by Christopher Elliott

Is it my imagination, or are travel companies getting pushier?

The come-ons include repeated invitations to return to a hotel or restaurant, high-pressure pitches to “like” a company’s Facebook account and urgent requests for positive online reviews. As summer vacations fade into memory, the aggressiveness has never been more obvious.

I want to receive Royal Caribbean’s promotional emails. Why won’t they send them?

January 31, 2024December 28, 2017 by Christopher Elliott

Keith Johnson can’t seem to subscribe to Royal Caribbean’s promotional emails. Maybe he needs help from an advocate.

All I want for Christmas is a little honesty from the travel industry

January 31, 2024December 19, 2017 by Christopher Elliott

What do you want for the holidays? If you’re Paulina Want, how about a little honesty?

It’s been a wild year for travel. What’s ahead for 2018?

January 31, 2024December 18, 2017 by Christopher Elliott

Travel bans. Shootings. Viral passenger videos.

No one will forget the past year in travel. How could they? But what does it all mean for your 2018 trips?

Government fines against airlines for consumer rule violations are on track to hit a six-year low as U.S. DOT’s enforcement actions shift.

Federal government wraps up quiet year for traveler protections

January 29, 2024November 30, 2014 by Christopher Elliott

Government fines against airlines for consumer rule violations are on track to hit a six-year low as U.S. DOT’s enforcement actions shift.

You're surrounded by fakes. The clothes you wear could be fake. The money you use? Your "friends" on social media are sometimes fake

Surrounded by impostors, what’s a consumer to do?

January 23, 2024July 31, 2013 by Christopher Elliott

You’re surrounded by fakes. The clothes you wear could be fake. The money you use? Not real, maybe. Even your “friends” on social media are sometimes fake. What’s a consumer to do?

A Federal Trade Commission investigation, which found certain pre-paid calling cards offered an average of just 40 percent of call minutes.

Is your phone card phony? 5 ways you can tell

June 20, 2024July 10, 2013 by Christopher Elliott

When is an hour just 36 minutes? When you buy some phone cards, apparently. That’s the conclusion of a recent Federal Trade Commission investigation, which found certain pre-paid calling cards offered an average of just 40 percent of call minutes customers thought they were buying — and some, significantly less.

West Street Hotel in Bar Harbor, Maine price hadn’t included a $25-per-day that gave access to the hotel pool, hot tub and fitness center.

Are hidden hotel fees about to check out?

January 22, 2024December 8, 2012 by Christopher Elliott

After Jane Hatch selected the room rate she wanted at the West Street Hotel in Bar Harbor, Maine, the hotel Web site delivered an unpleasant surprise on the next screen: The quoted price hadn’t included a $25-per-day “resort and club fee” that gave Hatch access to the hotel pool, hot tub and fitness center — whether she wanted it or not.

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