⛑️Consumer Rescue Presents 🛟
Tales from Consumer Advocacy Land
Hello friends! ❤️
We seem to have everyone on board here now at Beehiiv (our new newsletter platform). I hope we haven’t lost anyone!
Today, I have the story of a couple who were several hours into a flight home from Zurich when the pilot suddenly made a frightening announcement: He was turning the plane around because of engine troubles. 😳
🛬The good news is that the aircraft landed safely. The bad news for this couple was that their $1,500 upgrade disappeared on the replacement flight.
When Swiss Air failed to refund the upgrade, the passengers contacted Consumer Rescue. Was the missing refund just an oversight, or was something else going on? Find out in our first featured article today.
😈By the way, after I published last week’s article about the Publishers Clearing House Scam (with the recorded call), I started hearing from victims of these scammers. One fraudster even set up an answering machine, announcing it was the “PCH Winners Circle” and encouraging callers to leave their contact information. (That’s a story for another day.)
For now, I’ve updated the article with the full transcript of the original scam call I received. I realized there may be readers who cannot listen to the call, so the transcript will solve that problem!
I’m also sharing two other articles that I polished up that you may have missed the first time around.
Would Hertz promise a customer a goodwill gesture and then send him to collections? (You better believe it!)
And what happens if you don’t really understand how bidding for an upgrade works on Austrian Airlines? A traveler found out in the worst way when he thought he bid $400, but the upgrade actually cost $4,000! Is there any way out of this fiasco?
☕️🍷🛋️Grab a coffee or an evening beverage and get comfy: Here are this week’s fiascos and fixes from Consumer Rescue!
(P.S. If you are interested, I have a little tribute to Scooby at the very bottom of today’s newsletter🐶)
This Week’s Fiascos and Fixes 🔍
An engine scare, a sudden U-turn, and a $1,500 upgrade that vanished into thin air.
When Swiss Air’s replacement flight took off, these passengers’ premium seats were gone.
Will their refund disappear, too?
Michelle Couch-Friedman, Chief Fiasco Fixer and founder of Consumer Rescue
Hertz customer Aaron Baird made a costly mistake during his last car rental. Because he returned the vehicle to the wrong location, the car rental giant slapped him with a $780 upcharge. Ultimately, in the spirit of positive customer relations, Hertz offered Aaron a goodwill gesture and erased the debt.
Or did it? (MCF)
What if you snagged an international business class upgrade for just $400 but later — after you enjoyed your flight — found out that the cost was actually $3,400? It happened to this couple.
Can anything be done now? (MCF)
Publishers Clearing House scams remain a menace to senior citizens, even after the company’s bankruptcy earlier this year. I know because a friendly, self-proclaimed “man of God” called me last week, claiming to be a representative of PCH. He said he’d soon arrive at my house to deliver my sweepstakes award of “a whopping $5.5 million.”
The comment section is open 💬🗣️
Do you have an opinion about today's articles? Want to share a suggestion? I love to hear from you.
Our comment section on the site is open and ready for you to offer your thoughts. You can also add your comments under our articles on the Consumer Rescue Facebook page.
Or you can join our "Consumer Rescue: What's Your Problem?" Facebook group. It's a community where we can discuss consumer issues, solve real-time problems, chat about consumer news and our articles, and get quick answers to questions. Members can also share tips, guidance, and travel experiences.
It's a private group, so only members can see what's inside. We hope to see you there!
Welcome, new friends! 🥰
🤗Welcome to all our new subscribers! We're delighted to have you here with us.
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Farewell to my little furry friend 🐶
😢Unfortunately, there was nothing more the vet could do for Scooby last week. He’d been battling Cushing’s Disease for five years now, and over the past six months, his health had declined rapidly. The last few weeks were especially tough — he couldn’t walk anymore, so I had to carry him everywhere. Neither of us was sleeping at night. His sight and hearing were fading, and nearly all his teeth had fallen out (though that never stopped him from happily devouring cookies, hot dogs, and chicken!).
Scooby was 13½ years old — born on Leap Day 2012 with his brother, Bentley. He was a sweet little guy who was supposed to be a miniature long-haired dachshund, but instead grew into a 35-pound ball of fluff who looked like a very short golden retriever. He was always by my side and loved nothing more than curling up under my desk while I worked.
I’ll miss him dearly. Thank you to everyone who sent kind messages while he was ill. Your compassion meant a lot to me.
❤️Scooby Couch-Friedman ❤️
Until next time 🤓
Don't forget! Consumer Rescue is just a click away. One of us is always here to answer your questions.
You can get direct consumer advocacy assistance here
What's your problem? Private Facebook group.
Ask Abe (Your registered Medicare counselor)
Of course, you can always reach me at [email protected]
Your friend and loyal consumer advocate,
Michelle Couch-Friedman
Founder/CFF (Chief Fiasco Fixer) 😛
917-841-0583
The Consumer Rescue newsletter and the articles you read on the site are fine-tuned by a team of absolutely wonderful editors (and my friends): Art Ellis, Karen Roberts, Irene Rawlings, Wendie Feinberg, Tanya Anticevic, Jennifer Finger, Robyn Whittingham, Teri Bergin, Dwayne Coward, and Chip Elam. ❤️ |