A PERSONAL NOTE FROM CHRISTOPHER
Our fall fundraiser ENDS TOMORROW and we’re only one-third of the way there
10,233 cases
That’s how many consumers have come to us for help so far this year — up 31% from last year.
Our email inboxes are overflowing here at our nonprofit organization. Every one of those cases is a person who got stuck, got stonewalled or got a bill they didn’t deserve. We’re trying to help everyone.
But we’ve raised only one third of what we need to keep the lights on.
There’s more at stake than the next three months. In November, we’re launching an important project that will change the way people get consumer help, and we need your support to make it happen.
The fundraiser ends tomorrow. Please make a tax-deductible donation today. Every penny you contribute goes directly to the advocacy.
The rental company decides what you broke and what it costs. Illustration by Dustin Elliott.
⚖️ Prosecutor and judge — A rental company gets to decide whether you damaged the car, what the repair is worth and whether your appeal has any merit. Now it has drive-through scanners making the first call. One of them handed a reader a $4,567 bill for dents he says were never there.
On Backchannel, Mark Kraemer is trying to recover $409 from United Airlines after it sent his suitcase to Vancouver three days late and broken.
For Members Only: Britain says airlines will have to seat young children next to a parent at no charge, but the bill hasn’t passed and there’s no start date. So what happens if an airline charges you next summer? — Christopher Elliott
FEATURED ARTICLE
Guilty until proven innocent? You are if you rent a car.
Howard Gross photographed a tire pressure warning light minutes after picking up his rental car and an agent checked all four tires and told him it was probably a false alarm. A week later the tire went flat, the tow truck driver said it couldn’t be his fault, and the rental company’s own manager put the warning light in writing. His car rental company charged his credit card $752 anyway. Who gets to decide whether you damaged a rental car?
FORBES EXCLUSIVE
These Bavarian hotels want you to sleep sustainably
A tree house, a Renaissance castle and a farm museum in Bavaria’s Allgäu region believe keeping something alive is the greenest thing you can do with it. Here are the details.
OUR UNDERWRITER
Global Rescue is the world’s leading provider of medical, security, evacuation and travel risk management services. Founded in 2004, Global Rescue has exclusive relationships with the Johns Hopkins Emergency Medicine Division of Special Operations and Elite Medical Group. Global Rescue provides best-in-class services that identify, monitor and respond to client medical and security crises. Learn more about Global Rescue.
📌 Here’s what you missed this week
Catch up on the latest stories from the Elliott Report
Guilty until proven innocent? You are if you rent a car.
Howard Gross photographed a tire pressure warning light minutes after collecting his Alamo rental in Nice, France, and a manager later put the warning light in writing. Alamo billed him $752 for the flat tire that followed, and a Hertz customer got a $4,567 scanner-generated claim with a repair estimate listing zero days of work.
How a French château became a modern art spa — minus the clichés
Monique Pignet didn’t want a castle. Her family bought one in the Loire Valley anyway, restored it by hand over 17 years and turned it into a wellness resort with more than 40 resident artists, a spa inside ancient caves and a former fire juggler running the place.
StubHub told me to sell my Lady Gaga tickets elsewhere, then they charged me for it
Tony Rogozinski called StubHub to cancel his Lady Gaga listing before selling the seats privately, and an agent assured him no further action was needed. The listing stayed active, the tickets sold on the site a second time, and StubHub charged him $864 for an order he couldn’t fill.
Holland America canceled my cruise because of a pricing error. Can it do that?
Cindy Woodring booked a 10-day Zuiderdam sailing at $479 a person, applied a $200 credit and paid the $758 balance in full. Three days later Holland America called the fare a pricing error and billed her $1,530 more, then offered a complimentary stateroom upgrade to anyone willing to pay it.
Hells bells! How did these AC/DC tickets go from front stage to the worst seats in the house?
Jerry Auer paid $506 for AC/DC tickets at Notre Dame Stadium after StubHub’s seating chart showed Section 121 beside the stage, and the official venue map put those seats behind it. StubHub fixed the flipped map the day after he reported it, then used the corrected version to tell him he had bought precisely what he ordered.
Triple-stacking and high-low tracking: New strategies for preventing luggage loss
Virgin Australia scanned my son’s purple Peak Design rollaboard in Queenstown and again in Melbourne, then lost track of it for almost 48 hours. Travel experts now recommend stacking trackers on separate networks, adding a battery-free QR tag and photographing the 10-digit barcode on your bag tag at check-in.
Resort fees have been “dead” for a year. Did anyone notice?
The FTC’s fee rule has required hotels and booking sites to put the full price in the first number an American traveler sees, with taxes and optional add-ons the only things allowed to appear later. It stops at the border, so a room booked on a non-U.S. site sits outside the whole system.
OUR UNDERWRITER
INFplans.com is a specialized travel medical insurance platform dedicated exclusively to non-U.S. residents traveling outside their home country, including to the United States, Canada, Mexico, the UK, Europe, and other global destinations. Key differentiators include coverage for travelers up to age 99 and unique options for pre-existing condition coverage, benefits that are rarely available in the visitor insurance space. With a simple online experience and a seasoned support team, INFplans.com makes it easy for non‑U.S. residents to secure the travel medical protection they need to explore the world with confidence. Travel with confidence with INFplans.com
💬 What you’re saying on Backchannel
What happened to my luggage, United?
Mark Kraemer flew United Airlines from Chicago to Vancouver on Sept. 1 and landed without his suitcase, so the airline’s baggage staff told him to buy clothes, keep the receipts and file for reimbursement. The bag turned up at his hotel three days later with both zipper pulls snapped off, and United has answered his $409 claim with an offer he calls unacceptable. How much does an airline owe you when your bag shows up late and broken? Here’s our team’s advice on Backchannel.
OUR UNDERWRITER
International Citizens Insurance helps expats, travelers and anyone far from home find the right insurance plan. Our knowledgeable agents will help you find the best plan at the right price and be your advocate for the life of your policy.
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