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⛑️Consumer Rescue presents🛟
Tales from Consumer Advocacy Land
Real stories. Real rescues. Real advice.
Happy Sunday, friends! ❤️
I have a whopper of a tale to tell you about today. So let’s get right to it.
You’re probably aware that airport car rental locations are often charged concession fees by the airport authority. Not surprisingly, the car rental companies pass those fees along to their customers. In some locations, the fee is up to $10 per day.
In today’s first featured story, I’ll tell you about a Dollar branch that says it “forgot” to charge the airport fee to a multi-month customer until a routine audit four months after the rental ended. The customer only learned about Dollar’s intention to charge him a $10-per-day airport fee when Viking sent him a $1,900 collection notice.
But there is a big problem with this demand: that Dollar branch is 25 miles from the nearest airport. So why won’t Hertz (Dollar’s parent) call off the collection agency? Find out today.
Also, all-new this afternoon is the latest report from Consumer Rescue's registered Medicare counselor, Abe Wischnia, about upcoming changes to Medicare prescription drug coverage that could severely impact you if you aren't paying attention.
And, as always, I have a few articles you may have missed the first time around:
Enjoy! 😉
This Week’s Fiascos and Fixes 🔍
🚙Six months after Zimmery Harvey returned his last rental car, Dollar surprised him with a $1,900 “final invoice.” The car rental company says it neglected to charge Harvey the required $10-per-day airport concession fee for his multi-month reservation. According to Dollar, it can't waive those charges because the airport collects the mandatory fee.
But something feels awfully fishy about this bill, and it’s not just the long delay in its arrival. The primary oddity is the location of the Dollar branch where Harvey rented the vehicle — 25 miles from any airport.
💊Imagine going to your regular pharmacy to pick up a needed prescription and being told your insurance isn’t valid. That’s what happened to more than 100,000 Medicare beneficiaries earlier this year. They lost their prescription drug coverage because they made two critical mistakes.
Now, Medicare drug plans are making changes for 2027 that could put many more at risk. I want to help you avoid making those same mistakes.
🛳️An independent cruise excursion operator has resurfaced after a two-year hiatus. Sandra O’Leary, of the now-shuttered Sandra’s Cruise Tours, still owes former customers thousands of dollars. Not surprisingly, those people are especially infuriated by her sudden appearance on Airbnb Experiences and Viator, where she’s selling guided day tours in Newfoundland.
So, has O’Leary turned over a new leaf? Will she finally repay the money she owes? Or is this just her next chapter?
Here’s my original report.
🛳️Cruise ship passengers frequently contact Consumer Rescue after falling victim to scams during their travels. Unfortunately, by then it’s usually too late to do anything – except to tell their stories so others can avoid the same fate.
Here are the eight most common travel scams you should know before your next cruise.
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Until next time 😃
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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. ❤️ |