Make the McKenzie Connection!
Make the McKenzie Connection!
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My wife and I recently reserved a Jeep Compass from Dollar Car Rental to be picked up in Phoenix and returned to the Albuquerque airport. When we arrived in Phoenix, we verbally declined the extra insurance and roadside assistance because we already have coverage through our own insurance. The car had issues. We had to fill a tire with air daily and the "check oil" lights flashed a warning while we were driving. We returned the car a few hours later in Albuquerque. An employee checked the car...
I was renting a car through the Avis Uber Partner Program so I could drive for Uber. The arrangement was simple: it cost $349 a week, which was supposed to be deducted from my bank account. But things went south when Avis started charging my card for different amounts, several times a day. My bank, assuming this was fraudulent activity, blocked Avis and locked my account for security. This created a major problem. I had to wait for a new card to be issued and mailed to me, which meant I...
My bride of 53 years and I recently flew Delta Air Lines from Hartford, Conn., to Boise, Idaho. We had a 6 a.m. flight to Atlanta, so we woke up at 2 a.m. to ensure we had enough time for check-in. There had been a storm in Hartford. We pushed back from the gate at 6:10 a.m., but didn't lift off until 7:15 a.m. Even with this delay, our connection in Atlanta looked doable. However, once we arrived in Atlanta, we waited 35 minutes for an open gate. Because of the wait, we eventually missed our...
I recently rented a Mercedes SUV through Turo for a friend’s birthday trip to New Hampshire. While driving in the mountains at about 40 mph, the front right tire blew out. I called Turo immediately. A representative told me I could use their tow service for $199. Since I have been a AAA member since I was 16, it made no sense to pay extra for a tow, so I used AAA instead. AAA towed the vehicle to our vacation rental. The tow driver asked us to look underneath the vehicle. Both front tires w...
I booked flights with Viva Aerobus from Tijuana to Hermosillo, Mexico. The airline canceled the flights, and I requested a refund. Viva Aerobus would not refund to my American Express card. Instead, it said it had to wire the money to my U.S. bank account. I sent the airline the details for an international transfer. My bank is Northrop Grumman Federal Credit Union. I found a SWIFT code for the bank online and included it in the forms. It turns out my bank does not use a SWIFT code or an interme...
I recently rented a car through Turo in Los Angeles. I delivered the car a day early because I had to catch an earlier flight home. The next day, I received a text from Turo saying the owner claimed I had damaged the car. Turo sent photos, one of which showed a scratch on the fender and a small hole in the bumper. Fortunately, I had taken photos when I took possession of the car. I sent Turo my photos, which clearly showed the scratch was already there. Turo reviewed the evidence and told me...
I booked a round-trip flight with Aeromexico from Washington, D.C. to Oaxaca, Mexico. Recently, the airline informed me it had changed my connecting flight to the next day. The new itinerary left me with a layover of more than eight hours in Mexico City. My flight would arrive at 9:30 p.m., but the connecting flight wouldn't leave until 6:15 a.m. the following morning. I will be traveling with a newborn. This schedule will not work for me because I can't stay overnight in the airport with a...
I recently booked a roundtrip flight from Minneapolis to Dublin for my wife and myself through Orbitz. I paid $1,626 for the trip on American Airlines and Aer Lingus. Months before the flight, I received an email from Orbitz that Aer Lingus had canceled the Philadelphia-Dublin segment of the flight. I contacted Orbitz and a representative told me I could take a flight from Minneapolis to Dublin via London on British Airways and then return on a direct flight from Dublin to Minneapolis on Aer...
I booked a room with two queen beds through Booking.com at a hotel in Brooklyn, N.Y. I needed the queen beds, and the room was clearly advertised as such. However, when I checked in, the beds were obviously smaller-I later measured them to be approximately 50 inches wide, which is a full-size, not a queen. To make matters worse, the room was disgusting. The sheets had grease stains, hair, and what looked like suspicious red stains. I asked for a new room, but the second one was worse, featuring...
I booked two first-class, round-trip tickets through the Hawaiian Airlines app for my wife, Linda, and me to travel from Honolulu to Haneda. I received written confirmations for both tickets almost immediately. Both were purchased, one after the other, using the same credit card. When we arrived at the Honolulu airport, an agent told me that I had a ticket, but my wife's had been voided. No one could tell us why. Her seat had already been sold to someone else. The agent told us that to get my...
My wife and I have been looking forward to our six-day Rhine River cruise with CroisiEurope. It was supposed to be a relaxing trip before we continued on to Dublin. What we got instead was a series of mechanical problems - and a lot of anxiety. The trouble began almost immediately. On the first night, the ship stopped cruising early. The next morning, scuba divers worked under the hull. We departed late, and a scheduled excursion to Heidelberg was canceled. That night, around midnight, the ship...
I recently experienced what can only be described as a travel nightmare with United Airlines. I had booked flights from San Francisco to Auckland, New Zealand, and back through Cairns, Australia, for my family of four. We purchased business class upgrades using 30,000 miles and a $600 copay per passenger. The outbound trip went smoothly, but our return became a disaster. At 1 a.m. in Cairns, I checked the United app and discovered my 74-year-old mother's status on the Cairns-Brisbane flight had...
I paid $2,369 for a Panama Canal cruise with Princess Cruises through a travel agent last year. My wife Norma and I made a deposit and then paid the final balance one day before the due date. Two days later, I checked my account on the Princess app and the reservation was gone. When our travel agent called Princess, a customer service representative told her we were in default for nonpayment and owed approximately $2,000 more. Where was this new $2,000 charge coming from? Nobody at Princess coul...
I rented a car from Alamo at Geneva Airport in April for a six-day trip through Switzerland. The car worked perfectly for the entire rental period until the last morning. We were staying in Champex-Lac in Valais, a mountain village at 1,500 meters elevation, and woke up to a cold, frosty morning. We needed to return the car and catch our flight from Geneva. When we tried to start the car, nothing happened. No lights. No starter. Nothing. Four people tried to get it going, but the car was...
My husband and I had to cancel our Aer Lingus flights last year because of a death in the family. The airline issued us vouchers, which should have been straightforward. But it hasn't been. I received a voucher for $938. My husband, Jorge, got an email saying his $925 voucher had been processed. But when I called the next month to book our next trip, an Aer Lingus agent told me his voucher was never actually issued. Here's where it gets complicated. We live in Buffalo, New York, but wanted to...
I booked two ITA Airways tickets for travel from Chicago to Turin, Italy, four months ago. Shortly after I made my reservation, I learned I could not travel due to primary osteoarthritis in my right hip. I submitted a medical certificate from my orthopedic surgeon covering the travel dates and requested a refund for my ticket and a date change for my wife's ticket. ITA initially confirmed it received the documentation, but later denied my refund, claiming the certificate lacked a "prognosis"...
Henry Pash upgrades his Hilton timeshare but soon realizes he can't afford the extra cost. He wants to revert to his original agreement, but unreturned calls, conflicting advice, and a 43-point credit drop just leave him frustrated. Is there a way out? I recently upgraded our Hilton Grand Vacations timeshare, but I really can't afford it. I want to return to our original agreement, which I can honor fully. I've contacted Hilton multiple times over several months. Representatives have told me...
I don't understand why Airbnb deleted my account. I've been a responsible guest with excellent reviews. Airbnb says I violated its community standards, but I know I didn't. The only explanation I can think of is my location. I live in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, which is near the front line but remains under Ukrainian control. Airbnb will not do business in Russia. Some international services wrongly mark our entire region as "disputed," which feels discriminatory and unfair. Airbnb asked me to...
My wife and I were booked into the Hampton Inn in Great Falls, Mont. On the morning of our trip, she woke up with a 102-degree fever and a severe cough. She was later diagnosed with pneumonia and had to be admitted to the hospital. I called the hotel to cancel the reservation, but the desk clerk told me we'd still be charged the full $173 because it was a late cancellation. He said there was nothing he could do. I called Hilton's customer service line, and a representative said the property...
I rented a van from Budget for a family trip last September. When I returned it, the agent checked the vehicle and said nothing about dirt. But 18 days later, Budget inspected the vehicle again and charged me $450 for "excessive dirt and sand," claiming the floor mats needed cleaning. They sent photos of the mats but didn't explain how they calculated the fee. I'm a retired auto professional -- I'd never mistreat a rental. My group was all seniors in their 70s and 80s! Budget's contract says the...
On a recent flight from Copenhagen to Newark on SAS Scandinavian Airlines, I was in the aisle seat of an exit row. The passenger in the middle seat had a heavy bag with a water bottle in her lap, which a flight attendant stowed overhead before departure. Midway through the flight, another flight attendant opened the overhead bin and the bag fell, banging my wrist and cracking my phone screen. I submitted a compensation request to SAS, but it was denied twice. I then appealed to a vice president...
My family of four flew from Toronto to Marrakech on tickets booked directly with Delta Air Lines. The first leg was on KLM, and the connection was on Transavia. When we landed in Amsterdam, Transavia couldn't find our reservation at first. After two hours of back and forth, a representative said our tickets weren't paid in full. The airline wouldn't give us boarding passes unless we paid $1,198 on the spot. We had no choice but to pay. When we returned home, I contacted Delta Air Lines, which...
I booked a flight for my father on Expedia, but when he went to the airport, there was no such flight. The reservation was from Beirut to Frankfurt on Lufthansa, connecting to a United flight to Austin. Lufthansa wasn't even operating flights from Beirut at the time, but Expedia sold me the ticket anyway. I've been trying for more than three months to get my money back. Expedia keeps telling me the refund is "subject to airline approval," while United insists the ticket is nonrefundable. I paid...
I rented a car from Avis at Sacramento International Airport recently. A few hours into my drive, I noticed it smelled strongly of marijuana. I kept the windows open, but the odor lingered. When I returned the vehicle six days later, I told the staff about it. They said it would be fine. A week later, I received a $250 bill from Avis for cleaning, plus the repair of a burn mark that I never noticed. I don't smoke cigarettes or marijuana and was the sole driver. I protested, but Avis insists the...
On a recent trip to Malaysia, I used it to measure the aptitude of other tourists, and I have to say, I was disappointed. Visitors get a stern warning about drinking tap water when they visit a place like Kuching. But street food is hard to resist. I saw the Western tourists ordering coconut smoothies from the small stalls along Padungan in Chinatown. And then, not even 24 hours later, I witnessed the same people in the lobby of my hotel, clutching their stomachs in pain. Their vacation was...
