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.”
in other words, "reservation" is meaningless (unless it means they can charge you more "for the convenience"), first come, first served, Devil take the hindmost.
When I was stuck with an failing Enterprise rental post car accident I got an amazing upgrade for 6 weeks plus a discount for my inconvenience. It was the nice manager's last day and she was going out in a blaze of customer service glory.
So sorry to hear about people treating you badly. The last time I had to get a tow truck, about 2 hours after calling them, AAA sent me a Pakistani immigrant who was not amused when I explained what the book I was carrying was about ("Good Omens") and so for the second half of the trip he went banging on about how we don't punish criminals hard enough in this country, we should take a lesson from his home country and chop a hand off every thief we catch, he was really insistent about how mutilating criminals was the way to go. The idea seemed to appeal to him a lot, and he thoroughly creeped me out.
Watch out, SER. If you rental car wasn't checked in on time at the original destination, it's not out of the question they'll list the car as stolen and you stole it.
Not joking. Hertz did this to a sister of mine whose rental car broke down. She called them. They sent a local tow truck to take it to their local shop. And months later, they filed charges against her.
Our little brother is an attorney and we're really white. After some annoyance it got fixed. Not everyone has those advantages.
Now that incompetence has become generally accepted as an excuse, their fabricating criminality on the part of the custmers they've wronged is only the logical next step.
That anger vote is from me. I’m truly sorry you and your family had to deal with that inconvenience- especially in the Carolinas in freaking June! Glad you’re all safe and sound.
Enterprise has screwed me over too, so fuck them along with Dollar.
Years ago, we lived in DC & I rented a lot of cars at the airport. I found that the only way to go is Hertz Gold. You have to do a certain number of rentals to get bumped up to gold, but it's turned out to be worth it. I rarely rent cars anymore (only on vacations & I don't take vacations), but they make it very easy when I do. Also, there's no yearly fees or other BS. You just get a lot of junk emails to delete.
Sorry you had to go through the crap - glad you made it through - happy 4th.
Even before the Seinfeld episode I had almost the exact same rental car situation
I am like OMG, was Seinfeld in line behind me?
Another time I flew into Boston Logan. They were totally out of cars as well. They did have a pickup I said sure it was just me. Then they tried to charge me extra. - I said no way. After clerk “speaking to manager” they let me have it for same price
My daughter and SIL did a year of full-timing in an RV. Good Sam refused to come tow them more than once when they broke down. They said they were not in a safe place. So what are they supposed to do, just stay on the side of I-10 forever? Luckily GEICO emergency road service came and they were awesome.
The pinnacle of capitalism is to take your money and give you nothing. Red states are making it easier and easier for corporations to get there. And of course the only people easier to fuck over than travellers are the poor. My sympathies to any who live in a red state or have roots in one, SER.
I'm fortunate to live walking distance from an independent car rental place. Yes, really! They exist! They have bargain prices and excellent service. It's called Aamcar.
Protip: pay with American Express. You get automatic damage insurance and - as I learned - if your car is damaged, Amex pays the whole nut with zero fuss. I apparently ran over something that cracked a bumper last time I rented a car. I have no memory of doing that but I'm a terrible driver (cf. New York City) so who knows.
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.”
in other words, "reservation" is meaningless (unless it means they can charge you more "for the convenience"), first come, first served, Devil take the hindmost.
When I was stuck with an failing Enterprise rental post car accident I got an amazing upgrade for 6 weeks plus a discount for my inconvenience. It was the nice manager's last day and she was going out in a blaze of customer service glory.
That's a nice time!
So sorry to hear about people treating you badly. The last time I had to get a tow truck, about 2 hours after calling them, AAA sent me a Pakistani immigrant who was not amused when I explained what the book I was carrying was about ("Good Omens") and so for the second half of the trip he went banging on about how we don't punish criminals hard enough in this country, we should take a lesson from his home country and chop a hand off every thief we catch, he was really insistent about how mutilating criminals was the way to go. The idea seemed to appeal to him a lot, and he thoroughly creeped me out.
Watch out, SER. If you rental car wasn't checked in on time at the original destination, it's not out of the question they'll list the car as stolen and you stole it.
Not joking. Hertz did this to a sister of mine whose rental car broke down. She called them. They sent a local tow truck to take it to their local shop. And months later, they filed charges against her.
Our little brother is an attorney and we're really white. After some annoyance it got fixed. Not everyone has those advantages.
Now that incompetence has become generally accepted as an excuse, their fabricating criminality on the part of the custmers they've wronged is only the logical next step.
That anger vote is from me. I’m truly sorry you and your family had to deal with that inconvenience- especially in the Carolinas in freaking June! Glad you’re all safe and sound.
Enterprise has screwed me over too, so fuck them along with Dollar.
Years ago, we lived in DC & I rented a lot of cars at the airport. I found that the only way to go is Hertz Gold. You have to do a certain number of rentals to get bumped up to gold, but it's turned out to be worth it. I rarely rent cars anymore (only on vacations & I don't take vacations), but they make it very easy when I do. Also, there's no yearly fees or other BS. You just get a lot of junk emails to delete.
Sorry you had to go through the crap - glad you made it through - happy 4th.
Even before the Seinfeld episode I had almost the exact same rental car situation
I am like OMG, was Seinfeld in line behind me?
Another time I flew into Boston Logan. They were totally out of cars as well. They did have a pickup I said sure it was just me. Then they tried to charge me extra. - I said no way. After clerk “speaking to manager” they let me have it for same price
So shocked that capitalism and a free market hasn’t corrected this problem already.
My daughter and SIL did a year of full-timing in an RV. Good Sam refused to come tow them more than once when they broke down. They said they were not in a safe place. So what are they supposed to do, just stay on the side of I-10 forever? Luckily GEICO emergency road service came and they were awesome.
Yikes. I think I would have reported that one.
He did sound too much like a jihadi for comfort
The pinnacle of capitalism is to take your money and give you nothing. Red states are making it easier and easier for corporations to get there. And of course the only people easier to fuck over than travellers are the poor. My sympathies to any who live in a red state or have roots in one, SER.
I'm fortunate to live walking distance from an independent car rental place. Yes, really! They exist! They have bargain prices and excellent service. It's called Aamcar.
Protip: pay with American Express. You get automatic damage insurance and - as I learned - if your car is damaged, Amex pays the whole nut with zero fuss. I apparently ran over something that cracked a bumper last time I rented a car. I have no memory of doing that but I'm a terrible driver (cf. New York City) so who knows.