4. Regarding availability ñ right now, a lot of car rental places are very tight on inventory becaus

Reader P. works for one of those big national car rental companies, on the customer houston hotel service front lines. She has some insights for how to get on the good side of car rental employees, how to make sure the car you ordered houston hotel ends up where you need it, and the potential hazards of online reservation systems.
1. If you make your reservation online, PLEASE GIVE A PHONE NUMBER AND/OR EMAIL ADDRESS!!! We would love to confirm your reservation with you, but we re not mind readers. The reservation/rental system I am forced to use is DOS-based (oh! the shame!) and leaves a lot to be desired as far as being user-friendly.
2. If you make your reservation online, be proactive and call the station where you ll be picking up your vehicle to verify that the reservation went through and that your desired car will be on the lot. Should you have to do this? No, you shouldn t. But what s the harm in giving a heads up so that potential difficulties can be headed off at the pass?
3. We don t grow cars on our lot. Our cars are constantly moving to and from location depending on demand. Specialty vehicles ñ things like 15-passenger vans, minivans, or high-end cars like sports cars, Infinitis, Lincoln Navigators and Town Cars, etc. need at least one week lead time to ensure you can reserve one.
4. Regarding availability ñ right now, a lot of car rental places are very tight on inventory because of the credit crunch, the general state of auto manufacturers, etc., so finding that perfect rental car might be even more difficult.
5. Be a pal and let us know when you aren t going to honor your reservation. This isn t such a big deal on a one day rental, but if you have a reservation for a week or for a specialty vehicle, please do the Christ-like thing and call and release the vehicle so we can possibly rent to someone else.
6. Regarding minivans and 15-passenger vans ñ a lot of rental franchises require a minimum rental period ñ especially during the summer months when people are taking vacations. Do not take this out on your local station; they have rules they have to abide by and are not doing this just to ruin your day.
7. Regarding truck rentals ñ I m sorry that you have to rent a big old truck to move that big old widget you got for free on Craigslist. Yes, I realize the truck rental is costing you more than the widget. Yes, I recognize the cruel irony of this, but life is like that sometimes.
8. Speaking for my station, you must be at least 21 to rent a car. Renters 25 and younger are subject to an additional $25 per day surcharge. Again ñ I m not doing this to cramp your youthful style, dude ñ it s a rule of my boss. This also means that no, you can t rent that fancy car for your senior prom, but your mom can (you still can t drive it, though ñ sorry)
9. Regarding coupons/discounts ñ you generally have to bring the specific coupon with you when you pick up your card. Saying houston hotel I work for AT T doesn t cut it ñ sorry. If that were the case, ALL of my customers would work for AT T. If you *do* work for a company that has a discount with a rental agency, it is best that you make your reservation through houston hotel your company, not in person, if you want that discount. If you re using a coupon, please read it carefully. houston hotel Some require a minimum rental period. Others require a certain class of car. I can t give you what your coupon doesn t provide for.
10. Regarding insurance on rental vehicles. I am required to advise you that insurance is available (loss damage waiver, additional liability policy, etc.). You are NOT required to take the insurance. HOWEVER ñ you must be aware of what your credit card or personal auto insurance does or does not cover. I cannot tell you this ñ don t say I have Allstate houston hotel ñ what do they cover? houston hotel I haven t a clue ñ sorry. I can say that, generally speaking, your auto policy/credit card does NOT cover rental trucks, and in a lot of cases, this includes SUVs and minivans. It s your responsibility to find out ñ not mine.
11. When you do make a reservation online, whatever rate you requested is the rate that my system processes. I do not choose the rate you did when you asked for unlimited mileage or a car seat or a GPS or asked to take the insurances available on a rental. Sometimes I can amend these items, but it can possibly affect your rate for the negative.
12. At my station, if you want to rent a car for someone and you aren t here in person, you will have to fax me front and back of your credit houston hotel card, front and back of your driver s license and a signed statement authorizing the use of your card for this rental. Additionally, the person for whom you re renting will be considered a secondary driver and a $25/day fee will apply.
13. Regarding debit cards: when you rent, depending on the type/length of rental, our system is going to get anywhere from a $200 to a $400 authorization on your card. This means $200 $400 is going to be *frozen* on your debit card until you return the vehicle and your transaction is closed out. At least 2 times a week, this conversation transpires:
@ Rectilinear houston hotel Propagation : Numbers change all the time and nobody ever bothers to let companies know. I always ask for the phone number at my work because most times if I read it to them and ask them to confirm, they don t listen and say yes before I even finish.
I m an insurance adjuster and I ve never seen an auto policy not cover a minivan or a SUV in rental coverage. So unless someone got their auto insurance from Joe s Cheapie Auto Insurance , that s bunk.
Also, if I rent a vehice online, it s not my job to call you to check up to make sure your company has done its job. This reminds me of the old you can take the reservation, but you don t know how to hold the reservation bit from Seinfeld. houston hotel Expecting you to do your job isn t an unreasonable expectation.
Blackadar some credit card coverages DO explicitly exclude minivans, SUVs, cars over a certain dollar value, etc. I don t think he was referring to primary auto coverage, just the credit card coverage (which would be all that someone that didn t own a car would likely have).
I guess Budget has their own insurance houston hotel division because they are so large as a company? Their insurance company has not so much even phoned me or my claims handler, two weeks later. When my claims handler calls them she gets voicemails over and over again. A receptionist gave her a case number and that s it. They have not reimbursed me my $500 deductible or paid my out of pocket rental car cost. My insurance company cut me a check for the $10,000 repairs to my car (minus my deductible, which the other party should pay) and will then go after them to reimburse the $10K, because otherwise I could not even start the repairs and it s been two freakin weeks.
When my husband was hit by someone with a regular (non-rental) car two years ago, the other driver s insurance had a check to him in two days. I cannot believe houston hotel it s been two weeks and they won t even call us back.
@ Snarkysnake : Actually, calling an attorney for a property damage accident can be a big mistake unless you negotiate a flat fee up front. I ve seen people lose 30% of their property damage houston hotel settlement that they would have gotten anyway.
I compromised! Yesterday I left a message with a secretary at Budget s insurance division that I *would* be calling an attorney shortly. Mysteriously, I got a phone call 15 minutes later from a claims handler for the first time in two weeks. She said she just got the claim on her desk and would be happy to help.
Funny how my insurance handled everything within 48 hours but theirs takes two weeks to even get the paperwork on their desk? They said there was some problem with the driver of the rental car being evasive in providing houston hotel information to them, however, a phone call to me or at least my insurance company to let them know they were working on it would have been nice!
Looks like the lady who hit me declined houston hotel Budget s rental insurance, but had no insurance of her own. At least it appears that way because she refuses houston hotel to fax or mail anyone her insurance info and it s two weeks later, and she is being evasive. Budget said their uninsured motorist insurance would cover the damage if she had none of her own. What an idiot that woman is, driving with no insurance! It would have cost her five bucks to get the rental insurance!
@ Blackadar : Not to state the obvious, and not to interfere with an insurance adjuster being a dickhead (which houston hotel is surely houston hotel the natural order of things), but I believe the OP s suggestion to call and confirm an online reservation was intended to help customers make sure they re getting what they ask for, not to put the onus on them it s not your *fault* if they didn t do their job ( they being the chain and not the OP, contrary to your dickheadedness), but if you NEED the reservation it makes more sense to call and check than hold your breath and hope.
This is what we call useful practical advice , not the excuse-making or offensive snark you seem to think you re responding to. While many companies houston hotel in this world often don t do their jobs correctly (*coughINSURANCEADJUSTERScough*), I for one am grateful when a front-line, low-level employee of one of those companies is willing to give me, as a potential houston hotel customer, tips for making sure I get the service I need in spite of them.
Wow, Really??? Not sure that was dickheadedness at all. The state of customer care has gone to hell. For what fucking reason would you book online then call in to confirm that what you just confirmed online is in fact true? Don t get me wrong, houston hotel I m no insurance adjuster fan boy, most insurance works out to organized crime as far as I m concerned, but scheduling and then calling to check again is INSANE.
@ Blackadar : It is worth noting that most auto insurance plans that you have (or rental insurance that you may get with your personal Credit Card) do NOT cover accidents houston hotel on rental cars that you may rent for work.
I used to work for a small company, and t