A: I've reviewed the paperwork between you, your hotel and Hertz. Parking was included in your stay at the Marriott. When you exited the parking garage, the gate swung open, so you exited. And that's where the problems started. The hotel should have provided you with a validating ticket, or you should have presented your keycard. Instead, it appears that the parking management company took a snapshot of your rental car's license plate and sent Hertz the bill.

When you provided Hertz with an email from Marriott, you should have received a prompt refund. But there were problems. First, this happened in the U.K. And, yes, it involved two American corporations, but they had European divisions through which they had to channel the request. Making matters more complicated, you initiated a credit card dispute, and your credit card issuer ruled in Hertz's favor, even though it was the wrong decision.

Instead of initiating a dispute, I might have escalated this to a customer service manager. I list the Hertz executive contacts (www.elliott.org/company-contacts/hertz) and Marriott (www.elliott.org/company-contacts/marriott) on my consumer-advocacy site.

The problem here, as I see it, is that no one wanted to take responsibility for your problem, which surely would have required a little research. Simply put, there's no financial incentive for Hertz to go out of its way for you, especially since the credit card company had resolved this in Hertz's favor. And Marriott didn't want to pay you out of its pocket because parking was included in your rate (or as they say in the travel industry, it's “free”).

This was a no-win situation for you. Your next step would have been to take Hertz to small claims court, and that wasn't worth your time. I contacted Hertz on your behalf, and it refunded the extra $146 you had to spend on parking.

Christopher Elliott is the ombudsman for National Geographic Traveler magazine and a co-founder of the Consumer Travel Alliance, a nonprofit organization that advocates for travelers. Read more tips at www.elliott.org or email chris@elliott.org.