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Q: I booked a rental car with Dollar through Priceline. My car did not have a front or rear license plate, so I had to bring it back that night. The second car Dollar gave me was not the size I reserved. It was too small to accommodate my passengers.

The next day, I finally got Dollar to agree to give me the vehicle I had booked, a midsize SUV. A representative told me to bring my car back for another exchange. But instead of exchanging it, Dollar treated it like an early return. A representative told me I would have to pay for another reservation.

I have been talking to Dollar and Priceline for two weeks, attempting to get a refund for the days I couldn't use my rental. Both of them keep telling me they do not have my money and that the other entity owes me a refund.

A: You should have gotten the car you reserved from Dollar. Instead, they handed you the keys to a rental without plates, and then canceled your next reservation. Come on!

But, things went wrong on both sides of the counter. The first thing you should do before leaving the rental facility is to inspect the car carefully and take photos. Had you done so, you probably would have noticed the missing plates. Then, you wouldn't have had to return your first rental.

If the first vehicle has to be replaced for whatever reason, you should be sure the new car meets your specifications before you accept it. If you had just said "no" to the second rental, you also might have avoided this problem.

It looks like you had a prepaid rental, which means you had already paid Priceline for the three-day rental. So, when you returned the car, Dollar simply rented you a new one and kept the money for your previous car. Then, it looks like it tried to push the responsibility on Priceline to fix the problem.

I think everyone was a little confused. Priceline didn't fully understand your refund request. It tried to mediate with Dollar, but the car rental company claimed it had given you the right vehicle. It had, initially. But, that car didn't have plates.

Priceline issued you a $25 gift card to make up for the trouble. But, you wanted — and were entitled to — a refund for the two lost days.

I contacted Priceline. Priceline again reached out to Dollar. "We were able to secure a refund from Dollar on the customer's behalf, which has been processed back to her credit card," a Priceline spokeswoman told me.

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit consumer organization. Contact him at elliott.org/help or chris@elliott.org.