Tagged: consumer-protection

Report: Car Rental False Arrests Not Limited to Hertz

We're sorry to tell you there's a new chapter in the ongoing saga of people renting cars legally yet somehow being accused of vehicle theft anyway—a story Frommer's has been…

The Proposed U.S. Airline Mergers Are Terrible for Americans, And Here's Proof Why

I spent Halloween in federal court in Boston at a trial that pits the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) against the merger of JetBlue Airways and Spirit Airlines. There have been much…

Travel Influencer Sued for Telling "Increasingly Bold Lies" to Build Her Brand

This story was published in April 2022. An update to this story is posted below.A travel influencer with more than half a million Instagram followers and more than 207,000 TikTok…

California Bans Deceptive Resort Fees: See What's Affected and When

The resort fee dam is breaking.California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a new law, SB 478, that reins in the practice of slipping extra fees into travelers' bills.While some media…

Scam Alert: Passengers Report Fake Airline Phone Numbers Are Listed by Google

Over the weekend, as airports in the northeastern U.S. endured another 1,300 flight cancellations, reports surfaced of a complex scam operation that has allegedly compromised Google…

How to Complain to Delta Air Lines

To give feedback or file a complaint with Delta Air Lines using the company's website, go to the online Help Center and select the option for leaving comments and complaints. Logging…

Expert Advice for Spotting Vacation Rental Scams Online

Why is it that only pests seem to have no trouble following the adapt-or-perish rule of evolutionary survival? Koalas and North Atlantic right whales are barely hanging on, but rats,…

Should You Decline Prepaid Fuel When You Rent a Car? The Answer, Once and for All

It's a dreaded moment that comes every time you approach a car rental counter: the part where the agent pressures you to accept the prepaid fuel deal. The pitch seems convincing. If…

Las Vegas Casinos Accused of Fixing Prices in 90% of Rooms on the Strip

Here's a budding lawsuit worth keeping your eye on.Casino operators that account for about 90% of the rooms on the Las Vegas Strip—Caesars Entertainment, MGM Resorts International,…

$500 for Oysters? How Tourists Can Avoid Big Overcharges at Restaurants

A beach restaurant on the Greek island of Mykonos (pictured above) has garnered a lot of negative attention this summer for allegedly charging tourists prices that make LaGuardia…

The FAA Wants Your Thoughts on Airplane Seat Sizes

If you think airplane seats are too small—and it's hard to imagine anyone this side of Smurf Village who wouldn't feel that way—the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) would…

Airlines Messed Up 2022. All Your Travel Plans Should Be Cancellable Now

However you slice it, the airlines messed up this summer. They overpromised and can't deliver, and we're the ones paying the price.More than 14,000 U.S. flights were canceled or…

Canada Gets New Airline Refund Rules (They're Better Than America's)

The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) announced this week that as of September 8, 2022, its regulations governing passenger protections will be expanded.Until now, flyers on…

Don’t Fall for This Online Airfare Scam—Here’s What to Watch Out For

One of the most common scams in air travel, according to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), is what we'll call the Fake Fare Flimflam. The perpetrators of this particular con take…

Airlines Might Lose Your Seat Fees When You Change Flights—How to Get Refunds

Covid brought the world a lot of conflict and consternation, but it also brought one change that made travel much easier: the end of airline change fees. But don't be fooled. The…

Are Avis and Hertz Fixing Rental Car Rates? Congress Is Demanding Answers

As excoriating letters from members of Congress go, these made little effort to soften accusations. "Hertz appears to have used its market position to raise prices substantially even…

Warning! Hertz Still Slapping Erroneous Fees on Innocent Customers, Paper Says

Hertz may have emerged from bankruptcy protection earlier this year, but for customers of the rental car company, warning lights are still flashing. The troubled brand that Vanity Fair…

Marriott Made Hundreds of Millions from Deceptive Fees, Lawsuit Says

Just how lucrative are resort fees for hotels? Newly unsealed court documents from a lawsuit brought by the District of Columbia's attorney general against Marriott International shed…

Almost Everyone Agrees: American Airlines' New Conditions of Carriage Are Bad for Consumers

A few weeks ago, American Airlines quietly revised its Conditions of Carriage governing what customers can expect for their money. That sounds really boring, but trust us: You're…

Airlines Bring Back Fees, But Not for Every Passenger

Strange as it may feel to find anything about 2020 that could possibly qualify as the Good Old Days, the global crisis did yield a few positives. When demand for commercial flights…

MGM Resorts in Legal Hot Water Over Resort Fee "Lies"

If you have traveled or shopped for travel in the past few months, you've probably noticed a vexing trend: Many hotels in the United States have drastically curtailed amenities because…

Steps the U.S. Government Should Take Right Now to Protect Air Travelers

What should be the top priorities for the U.S. Department of Transportation when it comes to air travel? Consumer Reports has a few ideas. The advocacy organization sent a list of…

Hotels Suspended Amenities But Are Keeping Resort Fee Cash. The Scam Must End

At this point, everyone knows that the travel industry has been forced to curtail its usual offerings. To satisfy social distancing and tight sanitary protocols, hotels have suspended…

Lawsuit: Hertz Customers Jailed After False Accusations of Stealing Rental Cars

Rent a car from Hertz and your road trip could end in unjustified jail time, or so a lawsuit filed in Delaware on behalf of nearly two dozen plaintiffs alleges. The accusers—all…

How to File an FAA or Consumer Complaint Against an Airline: A Guide to Directing Your Government Grievances

Let’s say you have an issue with an airline. The company owes you a refund, for example. Or lost your baggage. Or bumped you from a flight unfairly. Or discriminated against you…