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  • Expedia said it refunded my tickets, but it didn't. What should I do?

    Christopher Elliott|May 2, 2024

    Keith Dawe has been waiting for his refund from Expedia since 2020. But neither the online agency nor his airline can find the missing money. Where is it? I need help getting a refund from Expedia. I booked two roundtrip Air Transat tickets from Toronto to Paris through Expedia back in 2020. I had to cancel the flights. Under the refund rules during the pandemic, Expedia said I could get my money back. Expedia said it would process the refund in a matter of weeks. I waited a few months, but the...

  • ParkWhiz said it didn't charge me for parking -- but then it did!

    Christopher Elliott|May 2, 2024

    When Grant Erwin tries to pay for parking at Seattle's waterfront, a website called ParkWhiz charges him $115 -- even though it claims his transaction didn't go through. Can he get a refund? A parking lot on Seattle's waterfront at the foot of Union Street ripped me off for over $115. When you park there, you have to go to a website called ParkWhiz and give them your credit card number. When I did that, the site told me very definitely the transaction did not go through. After repeated attempts,...

  • My Life

    May 2, 2024

    My sister is 45 and has had an affair with an old boyfriend from her youth. She says she loves him, he loves her, and they wish to pursue a life together. They are both married, though he is separated. My sister has a wonderful husband who is devoted to her even after discovering the affair. Our families are close, and we are in shock at this heartbreaking news. I believe my sister is going through a midlife crisis. Her husband is still willing to save the marriage, but he is tired of her...

  • The Long Way

    Apr 25, 2024

    I wrote you about four years ago when my eight-year marriage was ending in divorce. At that time you gave me some great advice about beginning again. After reading the recent letter from Linda and how she "settled" for the wrong man, I felt I had to write an update letter. I can look back now and realize in too many ways, I "settled" in my first marriage. I reaped the results eight years later with a broken heart. After that marriage ended, I chose to live my life to the fullest, to take every...

  • I paid twice for my hotel on Booking.com. Can I get a refund?

    Apr 25, 2024

    Why did Valeska Wehr pay twice for her stay at a Marriott property in Boston? And why won't Booking.com, the site through which she made the reservation, help her? I recently reserved and paid for a room at the Marriott Vacation Club Pulse at Custom House, Boston, through Booking.com. I prepaid $1,191 for my accommodations. I received a confirmation that I had booked a room at the property and that I had paid for it. However, when we checked out, my husband paid for the room again -- not realizi...

  • Amazon return problem: Why am I being charged again?

    Christopher Elliott|Apr 25, 2024

    After Isabel Barne returns two items to Amazon, the online retailer sends her a refund -- and then charges her for one of the items again. Can she get this fixed? I recently bought scuba equipment from Amazon. The items didn't fit properly, so I returned them a week later. Amazon instructed me to print return sheets and take both items to a UPS dropoff. UPS accepted the package and gave me a receipt. Amazon promptly issued refunds to my account for both items. A few weeks later, Amazon charged...

  • No Victors

    Wayne and Tamara Mitchell|Apr 18, 2024

    Last Friday night I was caught with another woman by my girlfriend. When my longtime girlfriend came to my house, I told her I was going to bed early. She suspected something and came back to find this woman in my house. We had been cheating for about a year. The other woman didn't know either. My girlfriend had a fit. She cursed me up and down and told me she wanted to hit me. After about 30 minutes of that, she left. On the way out she keyed my car. Then the other lady had her say. Mostly she...

  • My trip to Iraq was canceled. Why can't I get my $7,590 back?

    Christopher Elliott|Apr 18, 2024

    When Diane Gottlieb's tour of Iraq is canceled, the tour operator offers her a voucher for a future trip. She wants a refund. Can she get her $7,590 back? I paid $7,590 for a Modern Mesopotamia tour to Iraq through MIR Corporation for last fall. l also purchased insurance from AIG Travel Guard at $766, which offered 100 percent coverage for trip interruption or cancellation. In October, just 14 days before the trip was supposed to start, I received a letter from MIR Corporation that they were ca...

  • Jiffy Lube ruined my car's engine. Why won't it pay for the repairs?

    Christopher Elliott|Apr 18, 2024

    The engine in Ali Cotton's Nissan Altima is damaged after he brings it to Jiffy Lube for an inspection. Does the company have to pay his $12,998 repair bill? I went to Jiffy Lube for an inspection. They somehow removed my oil plug and drained all my oil out, which ultimately ruined the engine. I had my car towed to the dealership, which confirmed that the oil plug was missing and the engine was ruined. The repairs on my 2016 Nissan Altima will cost $12,998. Can you help me get Jiffy Lube to...

  • Identity Theft

    Wayne and Tamara Mitchell|Apr 11, 2024

    I've known my best friend for six years. Initially, I thought she was a great person who was there for me in times of crisis. As time went by I noticed she was very competitive with others, and then I saw she was most competitive with me. She will ask what I am wearing, then wear something shorter or more low-cut. She sees me in something, then buys that exact item. She copies phrases I say and repeats facts from me and claims them as her own. When we were in college, she constantly tried to one...

  • Why won't Airbnb cover my hotel? They promised!

    Apr 11, 2024

    When David Tuttle's Airbnb host moves him to a different rental, Airbnb offers to cover his hotel expenses. Where's the money? I booked an Airbnb in Las Vegas recently. Just before I checked in, the host did a bait-and-switch, sending me to a different address from the one on the property listing. The new location was not clean and not comparable to the original listing. I also felt unsafe. I called Airbnb customer service that night and sent them some pictures and video of the location. I...

  • Best Buy promised me a $150 refund. Now it won't pay!

    Christopher Elliott|Apr 11, 2024

    After the price of Francis Clark's dishwasher falls, Best Buy agrees to refund him $150. But now it won't pay. What's going on? I bought a Bosch dishwasher for $1,100 from Best Buy recently. A week later, Best Buy lowered the price of the dishwasher by $100 and a week later by another $50. I contacted Best Buy by chat and asked for a price match. It agreed to issue a refund during a chat session. Best Buy said it could take up to two credit card billing cycles, but after my second billing cycle,...

  • Stand-In

    Wayne and Tamara Mitchell|Apr 4, 2024

    My husband and I moved very fast to get married. On my end, I was lost and lonely after my former fiancé was killed in an accident. I wanted to be close to someone again. I dated my husband 12 months after my fiancé's death, and six months later, we were married. That was ten months ago. I was never a "must be in a relationship" type of woman. But I was unfortunate after losing my fiancé and having to let go of the dreams I had for our life together. I believe this is why I jumped so qu...

  • Time Enough

    Wayne and Tamara Mitchell|Mar 28, 2024

    I am 36 and exclusively dating someone, 41, for almost a year now. I feel, given our age, we should have enough experience to know whether we would like to pursue a serious relationship. When I ask my boyfriend about a future commitment, which means he wants me in his future and is committed to making it work, his response is, "Let's take it slow." Frankly, I don't know how much slower I can take it. I am not insinuating marriage or even living together. I would like to know if he is committed t...

  • Vrbo promised to cover my $21,014 rental bill in Hawaii. Why won't it?

    Christopher Elliott|Mar 28, 2024

    When Cheryl Mander's Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened? My family and I recently rented a house through Vrbo for a vacation stay in Hawaii. When we entered the home, we were immediately hit with a strong smell of mold. Upon further inspection, we took pictures of black mold on the smoke detector, the pictures hanging on the walls, the shower stall, and the windowsills. One of the members of my...

  • AAA homeowner's insurance problem: They never told me I had to fix the roof!

    Christopher Elliott|Mar 28, 2024

    Jan Hustler lost her AAA homeowner's insurance because she didn't repair her roof on time. But the company didn't tell her about the requirement until it was too late. Can she get her insurance coverage back? Q: I recently received a notification from AAA, my home insurance company, that it would not renew my coverage for this year. The reason? The AAA underwriting department said my roof had "exceeded its useful life” and needed to be replaced by September. AAA said I could reapply for a h...

  • Name That Tune

    Wayne and Tamara Mitchell|Mar 21, 2024

    Ihave been married to a wonderfully grounded woman for nine years, and we have two young children. The problem? My mother-in-law lives from crisis to crisis. She claims to have a "plan," but it is always wrong, and my wife and I are constantly picking up the pieces. A one-year experiment of her living with us became a stressful five-year stay. We are financially stable, but our oldest child is a special needs child who is draining our financial resources at a healthy clip. When our second child...

  • American Queen Voyages refund problem: What's a SkyMile worth?

    Christopher Elliott|Mar 21, 2024

    After American Queen Voyages changes Terrance Hardy's arrival port, the cruise line agrees to cover his additional flight expenses. But more than a year later, there's still no refund check. What's going on? My wife Judy and I booked a cruise on American Queen Voyages two years ago. The trip on the American Countess was scheduled to depart Chattanooga, Tenn., last fall. Four days before our departure, we received a notice from American Queen Voyages that our final destination had been changed...

  • I canceled my Sears dishwasher order. But where's my refund?

    Christopher Elliott|Mar 21, 2024

    Yilun Liu canceled her Sears dishwasher order three months ago. But the company is still holding her $540. Will she ever get a refund? I canceled a dishwasher order after Sears repeatedly delayed the delivery and installation. It's been two months, and I still have not received my refund for the canceled order. I've called, emailed, and chatted online with Sears, which repeatedly promised a refund in 7 to 10 days. Every time the ten days were up, I followed up because I still did not see the ref...

  • Unprofessional Conduct

    Wayne and Tamara Mitchell|Mar 14, 2024

    I am sitting here so unsure of what to do anymore. I've never asked anyone for help of this type, as many people come to me for answers. I am a social worker and my husband is a psychologist. We should have the answers, but we just don't. We have been married 10 years and have an 8-year-old daughter. The problem as I see it is my husband refuses to help out at home. He will not do anything associated with domestic work. He does not mow the lawn. What he does is work a full-time job, play music i...

  • Lyft surprised me with a $150 cleaning charge. Is that allowed?

    Mar 14, 2024

    Jared Hakimi finds a $150 charge on his credit card after a Lyft ride. Is that allowed -- and will the charge stick? I took a Lyft recently in New York. I did not damage the vehicle, but after the ride, Lyft charged me a $150 damage fee. Initially, my bank flagged the charge as fraud. However, when I contacted Lyft and asked for an explanation, the company claimed I caused damage to the car. Lyft also sent photos that the company said the driver had shared. I did not cause any damage...

  • UPS didn't deliver my package on time. Can I get a refund?

    Mar 14, 2024

    Sue Maier's sister sends her luggage to London via UPS, but the package misses her by a day. Can she get her money back for the shipping costs? I'm hoping you can help me obtain a refund from United Parcel Service. It's for a shipping fee that my sister paid to UPS to send me a package containing the contents of a backpack that I accidentally left behind when she drove me to the airport to board a flight to London. My sister shipped the contents of the backpack to the address of my hotel in Lond...

  • Direct Answers

    Jan 18, 2024

    Something in my life is weighing heavily on my mind, and I don't talk to anyone about it. I married my husband when he was 21 and I was 20. After being married six months I found out I was pregnant with our daughter. She was and is the apple of our eyes. She just graduated from college and is doing well in her new career. Our marriage was not easy. It was constant chaos. I felt as though I had a baby and a 15-year-old son. My husband drank and stayed out late, and when he was home, I was told I...

  • Flight Delay

    Oct 26, 2023

    It took me eight years after my husband died to try a relationship, and now I am thinking maybe I should never have tried. Over a year ago I met Jay. I always felt we had the perfect relationship. We like the same things, have the same type of personality, and talk things through when there is a misunderstanding. A few days ago Jay came over, and after dinner, he said he doesn't want to see me anymore. The next day he left a phone message saying he knows we have a relationship most people spend...