A flight attendant took my camera and I want it back
Haijun Shan’s camera is missing — forcibly gate-checked on a recent flight. The camera isn’t covered under the airline’s contract. Is Shan out of luck?
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.
A $93 “top off” charge for my rental car?
Danny Griffin just received a $93 bill from Hertz for refueling his rental car. But wait, didn’t the company give him a receipt that verified his tank was full when he returned the vehicle? Yes, but that doesn’t make any difference.
Help, they canceled all of my Travelzoo vouchers
Christina Conte’s mother tries to cancel a voucher she bought through Travelzoo, but the company refunds all of them. Now it won’t reinstate them, despite repeated calls to the company. What can she do?
Hang on — are you sure your hotel’s closed for the season?
When Steve Broman tries to check in to his hotel, he finds that it’s closed for the season. Now Hotels.com won’t give him a refund until it can confirm the hotel is closed. How long should he have to wait?
Can my tour operator pocket my airline refund?
Donald Kne’s British Airways flight is canceled, and the carrier refunds the money to his tour operator. So why isn’t the company refunding the money back to him?
Hey, that’s the wrong London!
Jaime Deane books a hotel room in London, Canada through Priceline. But Priceline books a room in London, England, instead. It won’t refund the hotel. Now what?
When a flight’s canceled, who’s responsible?
When Cheaptickets.com suddenly and without warning cancels John Rutledge’s itinerary, it offers him a refund. Problem is, a new flight will now cost twice as much as he originally paid. Shouldn’t the online agency do more?
When airlines misread passport rules, who pays?
When Olga Parra’s dog chews part of her husband’s passport, they’re denied entry to Costa Rica. Is their airline to blame for letting them board the flight?
Is a burned-out clutch automatically my fault?
After only a few miles, her rental car stops running. Now Hertz is demanding 1,233 pounds for a replacement clutch. Doesn’t insurance cover the damage? Apparently not.
My dog needs to have surgery. No, seriously.
When Allan Keiter’s dog needs major surgery, he’s forced to cancel his Caribbean vacation. But his hotel won’t let him reschedule his vacation. Why not?