Carnival charged me a $500 cancellation fee I didn’t know about. Can I get it back?
When Cory Belkov cancels his Carnival cruise, he gets a refund — minus a $500 cancellation fee. It’s the first he’s heard of the fee. Does he have to pay?
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.
Stranded by a flight delay. Why won’t Holland America Refund my $3,952?
A family’s dream Alaska cruise collapses when a flight delay leaves them stranded. Holland America refuses to issue a refund despite having booked their flights. Can they get their $3,952 refunded?
Stranded in Buenos Aires: How a FlightHub booking error forced a family to pay twice for their tickets
Emily Day’s family vacation nearly collapses when FlightHub’s system assigns random passport numbers to their tickets, forcing them to buy new flights. Why won’t the airline refund the tickets they couldn’t use?
Help! I canceled my trip, but my travel insurance won’t pay my claim
When Amy Sparks’ father-in-law passes away, she cancels a planned tour of Utah and files a claim with Tin Leg, her travel insurance company. But the company denies her claim. Is she going to lose the $4,098 she paid?
Aer Lingus promised me a full refund after a threatened strike. Where is it?
When a strike threatens Martha Rhine’s trip to Dublin, Aer Lingus offers her a full refund for her business class ticket. But she gets only a portion of her ticket back. What’s going on, and how can she get the rest back?
Iberia downgraded me to economy class on a flight to Madrid. Where’s my refund?
Iberia downgrades Christopher Long and his husband to economy class on a flight from Chicago to Madrid. Under European regulations, he’s entitled to a refund of 75 percent of his fare. So why is he only getting a fraction of that?
Booking.com promised to refund me $655 for my hotel room — but now it won’t!
After Frances Dooley’s hotel booking is canceled, Booking.com says it will refund her new room’s higher cost. But then it goes silent. What can you do if a company breaks its promise?
Hertz wants another $842 after my insurance paid — is that legal?
Victoria Muenchow hits a deer while driving a Hertz rental van, files a claim through her credit card insurance, and waits 10 months for Hertz to send a $5,873 bill. After her insurance settles the bill, Hertz demands an additional $842 for “diminished value” but can’t provide documentation. Can she fight this fee — and win?
Frontier Airlines overcharged me $220 for luggage! Can you help me get it back?
Allison Sanders prepays for her checked luggage on a Frontier Airlines flight from Denver to Orlando. But the airline charges her for her bags twice. Now it won’t refund her for the second charge. Can she get her second charge back?
Help! Turo is charging me $500 for cracked paint on my rental car
Latisha Thompson rents a car through Turo and is charged $500 for a paint job that she says was defective to begin with. Can she get a refund?