Latest news with #ElliottAdvocacy
Boston Globe
05-06-2025
- Automotive
- Boston Globe
A ‘small scratch' on a rental leads to a whopping $1,800 bill
I called Enterprise's customer service. The United States representative couldn't find any record of the damage and couldn't help me. Three months later, Enterprise charged my credit card for the full amount of the damage. I disputed the charge with my credit card company, but they are siding with Enterprise. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up How can I defend myself against this false claim? Advertisement ERIC WEIMAN, San Diego A. You shouldn't have to pay for damage that didn't exist when you returned the vehicle. You're responsible for the car from the time you pick it up to the time you return it. But after you return it? That's on the company. You did the right thing by taking a video of the car when you returned it. This gives you some evidence to support your claim. I also recommend taking 'before' photos and videos of the vehicle, just to establish a baseline. Advertisement The most confusing part of your case is that you showed the rental location a video of the car you rented, and it appears the car didn't have a scratch. Meanwhile, the photos they showed that allegedly proved you had damaged the car did not identify this particular car as the car you had rented. In other words, it could have been any vehicle in the company's fleet. And when you asked for clarification, Enterprise seemed to double down on its claim. I think you had one more option: an appeal to an executive at Enterprise. I list the names, numbers, and email addresses of the top customer service executives at Enterprise on my consumer advocacy site, I contacted Enterprise on your behalf. 'We take seriously any concerns brought to us by customers and investigate them thoroughly,' a representative told me. 'In this particular instance, damage to the vehicle was not present when the renter took possession of the vehicle, yet was clearly present when the vehicle was processed for return.' Enterprise says it has a photographic tunnel that is operated by a third party. Vehicles from all rental companies pass through the tunnel in and out of Munich Airport and are photographed for damage. The photos suggest that you returned your car with damage. 'Because of this, we do intend to stand by our charge in this case and pursue the renter for damages,' the Enterprise spokesman said. Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy ( a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@ or get help by contacting him at Advertisement
Boston Globe
15-05-2025
- Automotive
- Boston Globe
Avis charges $7,671 for a one-day car rental due to an accident
Get Winter Soup Club A six-week series featuring soup recipes and cozy vibes, plus side dishes and toppings, to get us all through the winter. Enter Email Sign Up NICHOLAS CHANDLER, Windham, Maine Advertisement A. Unfortunately, you're on the hook for the vehicle's loss of use. When you rent a car, you accept responsibility for the vehicle no matter who is responsible for the accident, and since your name was on the contract, Avis sent you a bill. But the company made some errors when it charged you. It looks like there was a series of miscommunications in your case. For some reason, Sedgwick only charged the other driver $1,222, presumably for repairs, leaving you responsible for the difference. And according to your records, Avis would not send you a bill for the loss of use. Instead, it just appears as if you rented a car at the most expensive daily rate, which no one would do. Advertisement I would be remiss if I didn't mention that loss of use is highly controversial. The car rental company is charging you the maximum daily rate for what it would have earned if it had been able to rent the car while it was in the shop. But they assume that they could have rented the car the entire time. I believe loss of use is not a fair charge, even if your contract permits it. Many consumers, insurance companies and state regulators agree with me. We can discuss loss of use another day, though. You were a model customer. You had insurance that covered you, and you responded quickly to Avis and Sedgwick when they asked for your insurance information. You drove the car carefully. You tried to work within the system to clear up the miscommunication. I think you should have appealed this to a manager. I list the names, numbers, and emails of the Avis and Sedgwick customer service managers on my consumer advocacy site, This was a confusing case. But after several conversations with Avis, it appears that there were 'some issues' with the car rental location and the tow truck, which created some confusion in its internal system. 'We're adjusting the contract back to a one-day rental and removing all the additional days that the customer didn't have the vehicle,' a representative told me. A short while later, you reported back: 'Avis charged me one day for the rental as you mentioned and refunded me the rest,' you said. 'The credit was posted back to my card this morning. This is incredible, and I can't thank you enough for all of your help.' Advertisement Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy ( a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@ or get help by contacting him at
Boston Globe
08-05-2025
- Boston Globe
After a strange hotel closure and a glitch, guest is charged $169
Advertisement STEVE ELIASON, Minnetonka, Minn. A. The hotel should have honored your booking — and if it couldn't, should have refunded your $169. When a hotel can't honor a reservation, the booking site is obligated to find you comparable accommodations or return your money. This is a standard practice in the travel industry. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up This is the first time in my years of advocating cases that someone has closed a hotel to give birth. I hope that the mom and baby are OK and that the hotel opens again soon. In this situation, you did everything right by trying to contact the property and You also kept a detailed paper trail of all correspondence, including emails and phone call records. This documentation shows that you gave the system a chance to resolve your problem. Advertisement Most importantly, the correspondence shows that the hotel sent you an email saying your reservation wasn't confirmed and that you wouldn't be charged. So, someone — either the hotel or — really screwed up here. If your initial attempts fail, consider escalating the issue to a supervisor or an executive. You can find the contact information for executives on my consumer advocacy website, If hadn't been able to help, and if you hadn't reached out to me, you could have disputed your charges. Under the Fair Credit Billing Act, your credit card can refund you for an item you paid for but didn't receive, like a hotel stay. I contacted on your behalf. A representative acknowledged the unusual circumstances of your case and agreed to issue a full refund. You received your $169 refund from along with a $50 credit for future bookings. Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy ( ), a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@ or get help by contacting him at
Boston Globe
09-04-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Booking.com won't refund a room after an on-time cancellation
After making close to 30 calls to the hotel, I escalated my case to Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Each time I talk to customer support, they spin a different story. They either say my refund is being processed or that the merchant name is a mismatch. I also discovered that the property has negative reviews for engaging in similar transactions with other people, yet Advertisement In one of my conversations, a customer representative also mentioned that they were investigating the property, but its hands were tied. Can you help me get my money back? AMAN CHAWLA, New Delhi A. You made your reservation through Advertisement When you cancel a hotel room within the cancellation window, you should expect to get a prompt refund. But your hotel had done this to other guests who canceled, and the property had negative reviews to prove it. So, please read the hotel reviews next time and consider booking a reputable property with one of the major hotel chains. I'm a little dubious of the claim that a Polish hotel couldn't refund your Indian account. It had no problem charging you the first time, so what's the problem with refunding you quickly? Clearly, there was a breakdown in communication between But it doesn't really matter. I contacted Advertisement 'In this case, our customer service team has identified that there was a delay in processing the customer's refund and has since escalated the full refund payout to the customer's Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy ( ), a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at or get help by contacting him at .
Boston Globe
31-01-2025
- General
- Boston Globe
Vacation rental is a complete nightmare with bugs and dog urine
Advertisement I've been going back and forth with Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Please help me get my money back from these scam artists! MARY BREWER, Weldon Spring, Mo. A. No one should have to stay in the rental unit you described. The home that you reserved on Typically, when you check in, and the unit hasn't been cleaned (this happens sometimes), the rental management company will send someone over to remedy the situation. But I believe there are cases in which a rental unit is unsalvageable. Examples of this include finding black mold, a fire hazard, rodents — or the powerful stench of animal urine. Yes, Vacasa could have cleaned the carpet and bathtub, but if you have a dog allergy, there's no way it would have been enough. As you note, neither Vacasa nor Advertisement Ultimately, A brief, polite appeal to one of the I contacted 'That being said, after investigating this case, Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy ( ), a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at or get help by contacting him at .
