Tuneman1984
May 26, 10, 12:02 am
So I decided to try Budget at YYZ after a so-so experience at Avis, who I had turned to after lousy experiences with National, who had gotten my business after a string of poor encounters with Thrifty.
I booked a Compact, which said on my reservation "Ford Focus or Similar". It was a couple of dollars more than Economy, which as a "Hyundai Accent or Similar". I like the Focus, and figured something that size would be a decent performer without being too big or harsh on fuel. Also Midsize was "Pontiac G6 or Similar".
I checked out the lot at T3 (where I landed) and only saw some Accents, a bunch of SUVs, and a few other larger cars. So I decided to go to Terminal 1 since with most agencies I've often found better selection there. I went to the T1 counter and was offered an Accent or Yaris. I told the agent that would be too small, so she offered me a Sebring convertible or a Challenger. Having never driven the Challenger, I went for that. She prints my contract, and my quoted price of $74.25 had ballooned to $262!! All I had changed was adding prepaid fuel. Apparently she wanted to charge me more for the Challenger, acting like I'd gotten the deal of the century because they apparently go out for $99/day normally.
I rejected that and selected the Yaris, the lesser of the two evils. I told her I had booked a Ford Focus or Similar, and she said "there are no Ford Focus anywhere in Toronto". However their website said Focus or Similar, and the economy car was "Accent or Similar". The Yaris is similar to an Accent; they compete in the same segment. I should know after 8+ years in the automotive business.
Also, I'm not one of those people who expects the example car to be the exact one I get, but I would've expecting in its place that I'd have gotten a Cobalt, Elantra, Sentra, etc. Moreover, their website says "...if you reserve in the intermediate car class, for example, we'll have an intermediate available for you – and if we don't we'll upgrade you to a larger vehicle at no extra charge." That didn't happen. She simply insisted that Compacts in Toronto are an Accent, Yaris, or Versa. I left unhappy in the Yaris and spent my drive up the 427 praying and with my foot welded to the floor.
I'd suggested that I would come back in the morning to speak to a manager, but with so little time on this trip I didn't bother. I figured I'd put my concerns into writing and see what they say. I figure it's high time that someone stand up to this garbage about telling the customer one thing online and then completely failing to deliver once I've arrived and can't get out of it (everybody else wanted $60+ per day for the long weekend). If they want to offer those cars as Compacts, that's absolutely fine, but tell me so when I book so that I can select the right car for my needs and get what I'm expecting.
I booked a Compact, which said on my reservation "Ford Focus or Similar". It was a couple of dollars more than Economy, which as a "Hyundai Accent or Similar". I like the Focus, and figured something that size would be a decent performer without being too big or harsh on fuel. Also Midsize was "Pontiac G6 or Similar".
I checked out the lot at T3 (where I landed) and only saw some Accents, a bunch of SUVs, and a few other larger cars. So I decided to go to Terminal 1 since with most agencies I've often found better selection there. I went to the T1 counter and was offered an Accent or Yaris. I told the agent that would be too small, so she offered me a Sebring convertible or a Challenger. Having never driven the Challenger, I went for that. She prints my contract, and my quoted price of $74.25 had ballooned to $262!! All I had changed was adding prepaid fuel. Apparently she wanted to charge me more for the Challenger, acting like I'd gotten the deal of the century because they apparently go out for $99/day normally.
I rejected that and selected the Yaris, the lesser of the two evils. I told her I had booked a Ford Focus or Similar, and she said "there are no Ford Focus anywhere in Toronto". However their website said Focus or Similar, and the economy car was "Accent or Similar". The Yaris is similar to an Accent; they compete in the same segment. I should know after 8+ years in the automotive business.
Also, I'm not one of those people who expects the example car to be the exact one I get, but I would've expecting in its place that I'd have gotten a Cobalt, Elantra, Sentra, etc. Moreover, their website says "...if you reserve in the intermediate car class, for example, we'll have an intermediate available for you – and if we don't we'll upgrade you to a larger vehicle at no extra charge." That didn't happen. She simply insisted that Compacts in Toronto are an Accent, Yaris, or Versa. I left unhappy in the Yaris and spent my drive up the 427 praying and with my foot welded to the floor.
I'd suggested that I would come back in the morning to speak to a manager, but with so little time on this trip I didn't bother. I figured I'd put my concerns into writing and see what they say. I figure it's high time that someone stand up to this garbage about telling the customer one thing online and then completely failing to deliver once I've arrived and can't get out of it (everybody else wanted $60+ per day for the long weekend). If they want to offer those cars as Compacts, that's absolutely fine, but tell me so when I book so that I can select the right car for my needs and get what I'm expecting.