Smart Consumer

Smart Consumer is a weekly syndicated column that offers smart, actionable advice to customers. If you’re interested in publishing this feature, please contact Elliott directly at [email protected] or (202) 370-7934.


Travel prices are rising — and here’s the reason

Travel prices are rising.

The airfare site Hopper forecasts ticket prices  will jump by up to 5 percent by the end of this March but could soar by as much as 8 percent if vaccines are deployed quickly.

Hotels in many markets are projected to chalk up double-digit rate growth this year, including Seattle (up 13.5 percent), Boston (up 13.4 percent) and Chicago (up 12.6 percent) from 2020, according to hotel consultancy STR.

Weekly car rental rates, which are idling around $90 a week, will rev up to near $120 by the end of the summer, according to RateGain.

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This is how to be the world’s smartest consumer every time

Maybe you’re old enough to remember a time when the customer was always right. Back then, employees were friendly “yes” men and women who served you with a smile. Deals were made with a handshake. You paid less, but you felt as if you got more. You didn’t need to be the world’s smartest consumer because businesses treated you honestly and fairly.

But today, people don’t trust companies to do the right thing — probably because companies often don’t do the right thing. Businesses assume the customer is wrong unless proven otherwise. And the reason no one is screaming to high heaven about this is that the decline of trust and customer service happened slowly.
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What happens after the pandemic? Time to pivot — again

Heather Clark is preparing to pivot back after the pandemic.

Last March, her company, Phoenix-based Pomchies, was on life support after orders for headwear, scrunchies, and lanyards dried up. She quickly switched to manufacturing face masks and business took off.

Pomchies is one of thousands of American companies that made an abrupt turn from one business or service to another. Other transformations include distilleries switching to making hand sanitizer and booking platforms changing their service to fit their customers’ needs.
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Why are travelers not following the CDC’s advice?

Many Americans are not following the CDC’s advice. Instead of staying home during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, as the government recommends, they’re going on vacation, according to the latest numbers.

This is what the CDC says: “Travel may increase your chance of getting and spreading COVID-19. Postponing travel and staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others this year.”
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How MirrorTrip solved the one-way car rental problem

Call it the one-way car rental problem.

If you rent a vehicle and return it to the same location, you can usually find a competitive rate. But rent the car in one place and return it somewhere else — a one-way rental — and you’ll pay a hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of dollars more.

Why? Car rental companies charge hefty dropoff fees to give drivers an incentive to return the vehicle to their original location.

But what if there was a way around that?
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