This summer is shaping up to be one of the hottest on record for the US economy.
06.06.2024 - 09:11 / nytimes.com
Last October, my extended family spent a week in Todos Santos, in Mexico’s Baja California peninsula, for a wedding. All went well, but when I got back, I noticed an unusual charge on my credit card: $1,500.49, made on the day we flew home to the United States from San José del Cabo. The merchant appeared to be a restaurant in Mexico City. I recalled that when we went to fill up the rental car at a Chevron station near the airport, the attendant placed the card in a hand-held machine and then told me it had been rejected, requiring me to use a second card. Nothing else unusual happened that day, and reviews on Google for this gas station contain eerily similar accusations of fraudulent charges from other tourists. I disputed the charge, but Wells Fargo repeatedly denied my claim, even when I asked the Better Business Bureau to intercede. Can you help?
We cannot be sure the fraud occurred at the gas station, but if so, it’s a clever scam. The worker presumably slipped your card into a bogus card reader and charged you $1,500 just as you were rushing to return your rental car and catch a flight out of the country, knowing you were unlikely to report the crime to Mexican authorities. It’s a good reminder for travelers that we need to be ever vigilant on vacation, even when we’re cranky or tired or stressed or otherwise out of our element.
It’s also a good excuse to consider how dependent we have become on our credit card issuers to save the day in such situations. As you found out, that doesn’t always happen.
Humor me while I consider the situation from the perspective of a bank like Wells Fargo. What might seem like obvious fraud when it happens to us is not necessarily a crystal clear crime to a fraud claims team tasked with sifting out their clients who are honest vacationers from others who may themselves be fraudsters.
Since I trust you are in the former camp, I reached out to Wells Fargo and soon afterward, a representative got in touch with you by phone and agreed to refund the charge, plus interest. A week later, you received a check for $1,609.96.
“We take customer concerns seriously and seriously investigate all customer claims,” wrote Jennifer Landan, a spokeswoman for the company, in an email statement to me. “We worked directly with our customer on this matter, and it is resolved.”
This summer is shaping up to be one of the hottest on record for the US economy.
Delta Air Lines announced it would launch a new seasonal service between Orlando International Airport and London Heathrow Airport (LHR), starting on October 26.
Thailand is inviting remote workers and digital nomads to not only visit, but to stay a while with its new extended visa program.
Six Flags and Cedar Fair said Tuesday that their planned merger is set to close on July 1.
The lights of Las Vegas shine so bright that it’s the only city in the United States that astronauts can see from space. But when you add in a 4th of July fireworks extravaganza that blankets the entire valley, the destination might just be the brightest city on earth this holiday.
Good morning from Skift. It’s Tuesday, June 18, 2024. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.
I've been going to Las Vegas regularly since the early 2000s and have adopted a firm policy to never stay more than two nights.
New consumer preferences and habits have emerged in the first half of 2024 in an Asia Pacific tourism sector which is recovering from the pandemic years in an uneven manner.
Iconic TV Show FRIENDS™ Comes to Life on The Strip with Interactive Set Recreations, Memorabilia, and Photo Opportunities.
Last October, my extended family spent a week in Todos Santos, in Mexico’s Baja California peninsula, for a wedding. All went well, but when I got back, I noticed an unusual charge on my credit card: $1,500.49, made on the day we flew home to the United States from San José del Cabo. The merchant appeared to be a restaurant in Mexico City. I recalled that when we went to fill up the rental car at a Chevron station near the airport, the attendant placed the card in a hand-held machine and then told me it had been rejected, requiring me to use a second card. Nothing else unusual happened that day, and reviews on Google for this gas station contain eerily similar accusations of fraudulent charges from other tourists. I disputed the charge, but Wells Fargo repeatedly denied my claim, even when I asked the Better Business Bureau to intercede. Can you help?
Capital One is upping the ante at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) with plans to debut its latest airport lounge at Terminal 4.
Connecting in a major international airport is a careful balance between leaving enough time to make the next flight and not wasting hours waiting. In most places, 45 minutes is not nearly enough. But Iceland isn’t most places.