Dollar Car Rental Left My Family Stranded On NC Interstate But On Plus Side, The Customer Service Sucked
The rental car's frogurt was also cursed.
I had a great time the past few weeks back home in South Carolina and later in the North Carolina mountains. However, on our way to Bryson City on June 25, our Dollar Car Rental died completely on Interstate 26. I don't know much about cars (I spent most of my 20s and 30s in New York City), but I believe the average Nissan Armada is supposed to go "vroom."
We flipped on our hazards as motorists passed us by. We checked everything. We had gas but no forward momentum. Anyway, our car was eventually towed to the nearest exit, which our son considered one of the best parts of the trip. He's nine.
Dollar Car Rental's customer service was not worth a Yugoslavian pfennig. We'd already waited 90 minutes at the Atlanta airport for this lemon, and then we waited another hour at the Asheville airport for a replacement. (They refuse to adequately staff to meet clear demand.) We were on hold with the "emergency" roadside assistance for almost half an hour. They were rarely helpful and didn't even succeed in sending a car to pick us up. I had to guide two different Ubers to our spotty location on an exit ramp in baking heat. After getting the wife, kid, his wheelchair, and our luggage into a single Toyota Prius, I waited around for a second Uber. The app kept sending drivers to a location across the freeway, so I'd almost given up but the lovely Danielle came through for me (even after I'd cancelled the ride). It was her first week! She was very sympathetic.
The whole experience took about three hours out of our Sunday, so it wasn't a total disaster, but no one at Dollar has called us to offer a real explanation or apology beyond an outsourced "sorry for the inconvenience." My wife and I make a big point of ensuring our own car is serviced and safe before going on an extended trip, and that's the least we'd expect from a company that's renting us one.
The Washington Post reported in 2021 that rental car companies were experiencing a major vehicle shortage because they'd unloaded most of their fleets during the pandemic. God knows where Dollar acquired our Nissan Armada. When people started traveling again in greater numbers, they were faced with fewer cars available and hiked-up prices, which is great news for John McCain if he were a shareholder in a rental car company (and still alive).
Earlier this year, travelers were literally stranded in Orlando because multiple companies — Enterprise, Avis, Budget, Hertz, Thrifty, Dollar, and Sixt — didn't have enough cars to fulfill reservations made well in advance. It was like that classic "Seinfeld" scene.
This is also apparently a staffing issue. There's not enough staff to process customers quickly and not enough staff to turn over the vehicles. I guess there's no obvious solution to this dilemma.
While waiting for our second car in Asheville, I saw a rental car associate (the only one working at the time) inform an old lady that she could either wait around for another couple hours or take a pickup truck. That's just unacceptable.
I'd end this with "Do better, Dollar!" but that seems unlikely. I will probably never do business with a company that leans into its cheapness. You get what you pay for, and with a Dollar Car Rental, not even that.
[ Washington Post / Fox 35 ]
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I've spent a lot of time in rental cars and been screwed by failing vehicles a few times. Hertz, Budget, Enterprise, you're basically on your own. If you plan to be in rentsl cars, I'm afraid your best option is keeping a AAA plus membership, so you can get towed on your own up to 100 miles without a surprise bill. Sucks but that's reality.But a tow truck to a 9-year-old? OBVIOUSLY that was the best part of the trip!Happy your family made it through safely.
Not dollar, but a friend carefully sized his moving truck needs and reserved a 22 foot. Got there, no trucks. Explanation: “reservations only hold after any on demand orders are served.”