# Elliott Confidential

> The newsletter the travel industry doesn't want you to read.

This file provides information about Elliott Confidential to help large language models understand and reference this publication's content.

## Posts
- [Are these taxes fair — or are you being taken for a ride?](https://www.elliottconfidential.com/p/are-these-taxes-fair-or-are-you-being-taken-for-a-ride): From Edinburgh to Kyoto, destinations raised visitor taxes this year. As you plan next summer’s vacation, here’s what you’ll pay and which fees cross the line.
- [Hey, who you callin' cute?](https://www.elliottconfidential.com/p/hey-who-you-callin-cute): Conservationists and visitors are saving endangered wallabies in Melbourne. Just don't use the "C"-word!
- [Can GE really send the same broken part eight times?](https://www.elliottconfidential.com/p/can-ge-really-send-the-same-broken-part-eight-times): Paul Clarke’s $3,000 ice maker has waited four months for one working propeller
- [Airbnb promised a refund for a noisy rental. Then it went quiet.](https://www.elliottconfidential.com/p/airbnb-promised-a-refund-for-a-noisy-rental-then-it-went-quiet): An agent confirmed AirCover and put the money in writing. Then the file started moving.
- [Can your internet provider charge you for equipment you already own?](https://www.elliottconfidential.com/p/can-your-internet-provider-charge-you-for-equipment-you-already-own): Cox billed a service member $252 for a modem he bought himself, then sent the bill to a collections agency
- [Refundable booking? You may not get all your money back](https://www.elliottconfidential.com/p/refundable-booking-you-may-not-get-all-your-money-back): The travel industry has rewritten what the word means, and the new version comes with subtractions
- [Are holiday flights too expensive?](https://www.elliottconfidential.com/p/are-holiday-flights-too-expensive): Thanksgiving and Christmas fares have hit a 10-year high. Airlines blame fuel, but one airline CEO says passengers are barely pushing back.
- [The rest of the world is protecting air travelers. Why isn’t the U.S.?](https://www.elliottconfidential.com/p/the-rest-of-the-world-is-protecting-air-travelers-why-isnt-the-us): Europe, Britain, Australia, Canada and India moved to protect air passengers this year. Washington went the other way.
- [No, your pet doesn’t want to go on vacation with you](https://www.elliottconfidential.com/p/no-your-pet-doesnt-want-to-go-on-vacation-with-you): The travel industry will gladly take your money to bring an animal along. But it’s almost always a bad idea.
- [Is your hotel room safe? The mistake you’re making right now](https://www.elliottconfidential.com/p/is-your-hotel-room-safe-the-mistake-youre-making-right-now): Resort security amnesia is turning careful travelers into easy marks
- [HP sold me the wrong warranty—and then sent my refund to the wrong bank](https://www.elliottconfidential.com/p/hp-sold-me-the-wrong-warranty-and-then-sent-my-refund-to-the-wrong-bank): Hugh Fuller buys the wrong warranty for his HP Pavilion laptop. The company promises a refund, but then sends the money to the wrong bank account. Now HP says the case is closed. Is it?
- [Priceline canceled my reservation and left me with a $360 bill](https://www.elliottconfidential.com/p/priceline-canceled-my-reservation-and-left-me-with-a-360-bill): Charles Marcus books two rooms at a Hampton Inn through Priceline, but the site cancels them without his permission. When he rebooks the same rooms, the price jumps by $360. Can he get his money back?
- [Help! Microsoft locked my account and won’t let me back in!](https://www.elliottconfidential.com/p/help-microsoft-locked-my-account-and-wont-let-me-back-in): He’s used the same email address for 20 years and pays for Office 365. Microsoft’s recovery bots still won’t believe it’s him.
- [How to survive the middle seat in economy class (no, seriously)](https://www.elliottconfidential.com/p/surviving-the-middle-seat-a-field-guide-to-aviations-worst-conflict): Jacket weather is about to make the tightest seat on the plane tighter, and the rules have changed.
- [Guilty until proven innocent? You are if you rent a car.](https://www.elliottconfidential.com/p/guilty-until-proven-innocent-you-are-if-you-rent-a-car): Damage fees are becoming more common and arbitrary. Here’s how to repair the problem.
- [How a French château became a modern art spa — minus the clichés](https://www.elliottconfidential.com/p/how-a-french-chateau-became-a-modern-art-spa-minus-the-cliches): The owners of the Château de Candes set out to build something nobody would mistake for a castle hotel
- [StubHub told me to sell my Lady Gaga tickets elsewhere, then they charged me for it](https://www.elliottconfidential.com/p/stubhub-told-me-to-sell-my-lady-gaga-tickets-elsewhere-then-they-charged-me-for-it): Tony Rogozinski was told his listing was canceled. StubHub sold the tickets anyway and billed him $864.
- [Hells bells! How did these AC/DC tickets go from front stage to the worst seats in the house?](https://www.elliottconfidential.com/p/hells-bells-how-did-these-ac-dc-tickets-go-from-front-stage-to-the-worst-seats-in-the-house): A flipped seating map cost him $506, but StubHub said his tickets were fine
- [Try these new strategies for preventing luggage loss](https://www.elliottconfidential.com/p/try-these-new-strategies-for-preventing-luggage-loss): Your tracker knows where your bag is, but your airline may not
- [Resort fees have been “dead” for a year. Did anyone notice?](https://www.elliottconfidential.com/p/resort-fees-have-been-dead-for-a-year-did-anyone-notice): For some hotel guests, these annoying extras are still on the folio. Here’s what changed — and what didn’t
- [Rising hotel taxes need better disclosure. Here’s the fix.](https://www.elliottconfidential.com/p/rising-hotel-taxes-need-better-disclosure-heres-the-fix): You can’t negotiate a hotel tax. Shouldn’t you at least be able to know what it pays for?