Elliott - elliott.org
General Information:
Latest News:
Help! My cruise is gone and so is my upgrade 27 Aug 2013 | 10:00 am
Joesayhello/Shutterstock Here’s an interesting question raised by what is probably an unsolvable problem: When your cruise is nonrefundable, what happens to the upgrade you purchased? That’s the pro...
Wanna take a cruise? It’s safe to go in the water – almost 27 Aug 2013 | 06:16 am
Oleksandr/Shutterstock This is the online version of Elliott’s E-Mail. You can sign up here to receive this newsletter by email. □ IS IT TIME TO PERUSE FOR A CRUISE? If you’re one of the 303 millio...
Can technology help you turn the tables on your car rental company? 26 Aug 2013 | 10:00 am
Peshkova/Shutterstock If you’re tired of technology being used against you — and how can you not be after the the latest NSA spying allegations — then you’ll probably appreciate this man-bites-dog st...
Making the most of Mendocino 26 Aug 2013 | 04:05 am
Iden Elliott on the rocks at Glass Beach near Fort Bragg, Calif. Mendocino, Calif. — or “Mendo” as the locals call it — is the third stop on our West Coast tour. (We started in Las Vegas and then dro...
How travelers can challenge the industry’s “act of God” excuses 25 Aug 2013 | 10:00 am
cephotoclub/Shutterstock It’s the time of year when the travel industry likes to play the weather card. Couldn’t check into your hotel? Blame it on that distant tornado. Flight canceled? It’s the hur...
The art of persuasion: 5 things you can say to get better service 24 Aug 2013 | 11:00 am
It isn’t the horse that makes the wagon go. It’s the carrot you put in front of his nose. That’s an old Russian proverb, and it reminds me how customer service people sometimes won’t go out of their ...
Are loyalty programs worth belonging to? 24 Aug 2013 | 10:00 am
Aleksandar/Shutterstock It’s time to question one of the most basic tenets of travel: Everyone should participate in an airline loyalty program. A tectonic shift in the world of travel rewards is fo...
Charged for insurance I never wanted — or needed 23 Aug 2013 | 10:00 am
hyxl/Shutterstock Jenny Tran discovers a mysterious $260 charge on her credit card and discovers she’s been charged for optional car rental insurance she never wanted, or needed. Can she get a refund...
They canceled my favorite cable networks — do they owe me? 22 Aug 2013 | 10:00 am
David Jackson/Shutterstock When Rogers Cable removes two of Ed Kurys’s favorite channels from his cable package, he believes the company is violating his contract. But is it? Question: I need your h...
Should you hire a consumer advocate? 3 questions to ask 21 Aug 2013 | 10:00 am
Lancelee/Shutterstock Here’s a familiar come-on: If you have an intractable problem with a business, you can “utilize our years of experience fighting fraud” to get a fast refund. The catch? If thes...
