Other Car Rental Programs/Partners (ie. Alamo, Enterprise, Sixt) - Alamo On Line Registration a Joke

O :mad: n August 18th I completed my on line reservation following your website instructions allowing me to bypass the counter at SFO. On August 19th when I entered the rental car area I was assured to see your sign clearly stating Check In On Line By Pass the Counter. WOW I thought pointing at the sign and commenting to my wife we are almost out of here. I was glad to have spent the extra $20 for this service. I went to the parking lot showed my printed confirmation to the attendant who directed me to the car. Upon reaching the gate the attendant by the name of Mr Rude sat with his back to me reading for about one minute until I said "Hello There?". He turned and I handed him my on line registration that clearly stated BYPASS THE COUNTER. Mr Rude in all his rudeness said "No" that I had to go to the counter to check in. I unsuccessfully questioned this and was forced to go to the counter where I stood for in line for 15 minutes. There were only three agents with a line of people at least 10. At one point one of the agents while helping a customer had to answer a telephone call for which she spent the better part of 5 minutes on while ignoring the customer she was helping. Amazing! Anyway when I got my turn at the counter I showed her my printed paperwork explaining that I had checked in on line. The agent said that there was no need to come to the counter and I told her that Mr Rude had said "No" that I did not have the correct documentation. So she sent me back out but before leaving I asked her to telephone him to let me pass. When I got there I told him that I did not need to go to the counter. He said "No way" that I still did not have the correct paperwork, would not let me pass unless I had signed the contract. I explained that this was done on line. He had the customer service skills of a donkey. The phone rang and it was the counter agent. They discussed the situation for a long period of time. By this time a long line of cars were waiting behind me, 7 or 8. There was no other attendant in sight and I stated that I was not leaving the car to go back in. He argued with his colleague on the telephone insisting that I did not have the correct paperwork. All I could do is offer him what the Alamo site provide as the printout. Finally, Mr Rude won and made me wait while the official contract was printed not at his kiosk (his printer was broken) but back at the counter. He was replaced by another agent who asked me to wait just beyond the gate. There I sat and watched Mr Rude take his sweet time walking back to retrieve the contract while I waited another twenty minutes. I finally got out the car and asked the agent how long does it take to print a contract? But by then another agent arrived with the contract for me to sign.
At no time during this hellish experience was I offered an apology, a discount, a sorry sir by any one. Your level of service and Mr. Rude are deplorable. It took me more than an hour to get out of the Alamo parking area. Your site is misleading and your staff are improperly trained as they obviously disagree on procedures. I thought I could save time and money through Alamo but realize now that it was a mistake not to use Avis. Again I was never apologized to or offered any type of discount on this rental for my inconvenience. Alamo at SFO truly has an awful staff and service.
My rental period is just about over and I cannot wait to return the car and put all this behind me.

What a disaster. :mad:
I was contemplating using Alamo and saving a few dollars but I think, like you, I'll stick with one of the biggies who understands custormer service.

Good choice! I was through there yesterday on my way back home and had to stop and take a picture of the sign stating Registered On Line By Pass the Counter. Yeah sometimes it worth spending the extra bucks. I should have learrned from past experience when I booked a hotel on the outskirts of London. Travel to the city center was always a long one.

What a disaster. :mad:
I was contemplating using Alamo and saving a few dollars but I think, like you, I'll stick with one of the biggies who understands custormer service.

The first time I rented with Alamo this summer I used the online-check in and had a problem too. When I went outside to get into the car, I was told to go back inside to fill out paperwork. When I asked the clerk at the counter why I couldn’t just go out to the car with my printed confirmation and go, the clerk said I didn’t print out the right paperwork from the website. The clerk was pleasant about it, but I found it not only annoying and frustrating, but also hard to believe what she was telling me.

When I got home, I went back to the information online, and she was right… I messed up. I did not follow the directions. I have to admit the whole incident could have been avoided if I had taken the time to read and follow the instructions (which aren’t complicated, I just didn’t follow them). I decided the next time I would try again and see if it worked. If it didn’t, it wouldn’t be for lack of following directions :) . Everything went really smooth.

Since then, I only use Alamo. Now that I know what I am doing, this system is far better than the other car rental companies that make me join to have this type of service. It’s super easy; just print the paperwork and go. I am glad I learned from my mistake and took the time to read the “small print”. Besides, it’s hard to beat Alamo’s online rates.

The first time I rented with Alamo this summer I used the online-check in and had a problem too. When I went outside to get into the car, I was told to go back inside to fill out paperwork. When I asked the clerk at the counter why I couldn’t just go out to the car with my printed confirmation and go, the clerk said I didn’t print out the right paperwork from the website. The clerk was pleasant about it, but I found it not only annoying and frustrating, but also hard to believe what she was telling me.

When I got home, I went back to the information online, and she was right… I messed up. I did not follow the directions. I have to admit the whole incident could have been avoided if I had taken the time to read and follow the instructions (which aren’t complicated, I just didn’t follow them). I decided the next time I would try again and see if it worked. If it didn’t, it wouldn’t be for lack of following directions :) . Everything went really smooth.

Since then, I only use Alamo. Now that I know what I am doing, this system is far better than the other car rental companies that make me join to have this type of service. It’s super easy; just print the paperwork and go. I am glad I learned from my mistake and took the time to read the “small print”. Besides, it’s hard to beat Alamo’s online rates.
travelingfool, welcome to FlyerTalk. Your first post on FT was very nicely written (do you write professionally?) and supportive of Alamo. Contrary to most of the comments here about Alamo. So it is good to have some balance. You don't, by any chance, happen to work for Alamo? ;)

Thanks for the compliment! To answer your first question, yes... I do a lot of writing as part of my profession. And to your second question, No I do not work for Alamo, just wanted to let people know that sometimes a second chance is needed in order to get the real experience. I would do the same for any company.

I've used Alamo in the past with no problems, primarily when I travel to the Big Island in Hawaii... yes, they are cheaper, but then again the friendly people in Hawaii live in paradise...

I fully concur with the OP. It's quite funny that firms belonging to the same parent company are worlds apart. While National is (IMO) better than Avis and probably a notch behind Hertz, Alamo downright sucks. I was standing in the Emerald Club queue at ATL the other day and since there wasn't anyone near the Alamo helpdesk, the lady out there beckoned me to come over to her counter. During the next couple of minutes, I had the worst experience of my life. The person acted like a smart a*s and made me look like a first time renter (am an Exec. Elite). I eventually headed back to the National helpdesk where things were sorted out in less than a minute.