Consumer Rescue - Michelle Couch-Friedman

08/06/2025

😳🚗💸If you miss your cruise because of bad traffic is it your fault? Can you get a refund? That's the question for today.

A couple says they missed their Carnival cruise through no fault of their own -- traffic caused this disaster. Now they want a full refund.

08/05/2025

😬💸American Airlines does not allow customers to sell their vouchers or points. This traveler found out what happens when you try.

American Airlines forbids passengers from selling their flight vouchers. And the airline has high-tech security to catch you if you try it.

08/04/2025

🤔🛳🛟More cruise ship passengers -- especially solo female travelers -- are reporting being scammed in Nassau. But what's really going on?

Are cruise ship passengers safe in Nassau? Read about the scams reported by travelers during their port visits. What's really going on?

08/04/2025

😳📞☎️Verizon customers beware of fake employees calling!

Beware of phone scammers targeting Verizon customers! Read about one consumer advocate's encounter with a clumsy fraudster.

08/02/2025

😲🛳Would Norwegian Cruise Line ban a passenger for aggressive complaining? (Hint: Yes)

Read the shocking story of a passenger banned for complaining about Norwegian Cruise Line itinerary changes. Why such a harsh punishment?

08/02/2025

😵🛳Cruise passengers make a lot of mistakes. Here are some of the most disastrous ones.

Here's your ultimate guide to planning and taking a cruise in 2025 to help you avoid common passenger mistakes. Michelle Couch-Friedman has mediated hundreds of cruise fiascos for passengers over the years. This guide will help you steer clear of a cruise fiasco of your own. Happy sailing!

08/02/2025

Hello friends. (From Consumer Rescue's newsletter this week)

My heart is so heavy today. But I must tell you that our end-of-the-month round-up brings a terrible announcement.

Meera Sundram, my friend and colleague for almost a decade, has unexpectedly died. As you know, she is the driving force behind our feature "Just Ask Meera" -- our personalized executive customer service finder.

Meera was a rare find—a good egg, as they say. Her resume impressively includes volunteer positions all over the world.

Meera and her husband Jim were global nomads because of Jim's career. But everywhere they landed, Meera immediately looked for opportunities to volunteer. I so admired her worldwide mission.

I may be biased, but I believe Meera loved her role at Consumer Rescue as our Research Director, customer service finder, and personal research valet the best. Her "Just Ask Meera" work was her pride and joy -- promoted in giant media outlets like Fodor's Travel and The Points Guy.

I will miss Meera immensely. Not only because of her work as our research director, but also because of our friendship. She was a fiercely loyal friend.

If you were on Meera's friend's list and someone tried to do you wrong, she went to war. I know this firsthand, and I want you to know that about her, too.

Meera Sundram was someone we should all try to emulate. A kind, helpful soul who, on this earth, dedicated herself to helping others when she could.

Meera, I hope you are in a better place today. You definitely earned your angel wings here on earth.

https://neptunesociety.com/obituaries/austin-tx/miriam-sundram-12466618

07/31/2025

American Airlines passenger and frequent traveler June Lee recently checked his sturdy aluminum suitcase on a cross-country flight. Although Lee’s much-loved 2-year-old designer bag had successfully weathered many trips worldwide, it would not survive this journey. When American Airlines reunited Lee with the $1,700 suitcase at baggage claim in New York, it was destroyed. In fact, the luggage looked like it had been run over by an aircraft instead of transported inside one.

Now what does American Airlines owe him? Consumer Rescue investigates.

07/30/2025

🤓✈️This businessman's flight arrived in Hong Kong right on time, so how did he miss all his scheduled meetings there?

How is it possible for this passenger's American Airlines flight to have arrived right on time -- but he still missed his important meeting?

07/29/2025

🥲Friends, I have sad news to share. Consumer Rescue has suffered a terrible loss. The driving force behind our "Just Ask Meera" feature, our loyal friend and dedicated colleague, Meera Sundram, has unexpectedly died.

Meera has been part of my consumer advocacy work since 2017 -- always diligently hunting for hard-to-find customer-facing contacts for consumers who want to fix their own problems. Over the past 8 years, she has donated thousands of hours to this mission, also volunteering at a host of other unique projects while living abroad and traveling the world with her husband Jim.

I will miss Meera's energy and enthusiasm. And I know our readers will miss her friendly face and helpful guidance.

If Meera's light ever touched you, please consider sharing your experience on her memorial wall so that her husband and the rest of her family can see the immense impact she had during her time on this earth. ❤️

https://neptunesociety.com/obituaries/austin-tx/miriam-sundram-12466618

07/28/2025

🤯✈️⚠️This American Airlines passenger's bag looked like it had been run over by the aircraft rather than traveling inside the plane. What is he owed?

When American Airlines returned this passenger's designer bag it was severely damaged, looking as if an aircraft had run it over. Now what?

07/27/2025

😳🧳Before you hand over your bags to a hotel's storage facility and take off for two weeks, you better make sure it has one.

Here's a lesson in what to do if you want to store your luggage abroad... not this! Why did Marriott throw this customer's bags in the trash?