alm5150
Sep 7, 08, 8:36 pm
So I usually rent from Hertz, but their rates in Denver for the Labor Day week were really high. I decided to try out Dollar, thier rate was half of what Hertz was charging for the same class car. I signed up with their Express program in preparation for the rental.
First thing, the bus driver nicely tried to help me with my bag. Instead of using the hand wheels to slide it out of the bus, he slid it on it's side across the non-slip mat. My bag now has a 1 in hole in it.
My name wasn't on the board. They weren't sure why. It might have been because they didn't have the car class I reserved in stock. I reserved months in advance and showed up within 1 minute of my scheduled arrival time. The agent indicated they had a lot of walkins due to the holiday. Ummm...I had a reservation; they didn't. The agent was going to "upgrade" me to an SUV or van with only a slightly higher charge. I said I didn't need an SUV, since I was travelling alone and did not want to pay for all the extra gas or the "upgrade". He started making wise comments about the full size taking as much gas as SUV.
I ended up with a Dodge Avenger, a class smaller than what I had reserved. The agent wasn't willing to discount the rate since I had already used the AMEX promotion. After much discussion, he marked that I could bring the car back empty.
The car is filthy. There are 5 salted pumpkin seeds in the cup holders, there is one on the dash in front of the instruments. The car mat is spotless, until I move it slighty...more nuts and seeds. I say the heck with it and drive off, Dollar is a madhouse at this point. As I drive into the afternoon sun, I realized the windshield has been smeared. I can't see a thing. I got to my hotel and they helped me clean it. The rag was black when we were done. I went to drive to dinner and the tire pressure sensor went off. Called roadside assistance and they said something about altitude setting it off, but check the level anyway. Tires required 32 psi, the 2 front tires were down to 19 psi.
I returned the car today, and scheduled extra time for the return because I was sure Dollar would drop the ball again. Just a feeling. As I get there, the return agent is arguing with a guy returning an SUV that has a sensor light going off. The agent is indicating that since the guy did not mark the sensor on his "damage" sheet before leaving, he must be the cause of the "sensor damage". They walked into the main building, back out, back in...looking for a manager as far as I can tell. I had to walk in to get the guy to let me return the vehicle. He was nice enough, but it took me over 30 minutes to turn in my car.
Lesson learned, pay the extra cash I guess (although Hertz gets me with the windshield smear everytime).
First thing, the bus driver nicely tried to help me with my bag. Instead of using the hand wheels to slide it out of the bus, he slid it on it's side across the non-slip mat. My bag now has a 1 in hole in it.
My name wasn't on the board. They weren't sure why. It might have been because they didn't have the car class I reserved in stock. I reserved months in advance and showed up within 1 minute of my scheduled arrival time. The agent indicated they had a lot of walkins due to the holiday. Ummm...I had a reservation; they didn't. The agent was going to "upgrade" me to an SUV or van with only a slightly higher charge. I said I didn't need an SUV, since I was travelling alone and did not want to pay for all the extra gas or the "upgrade". He started making wise comments about the full size taking as much gas as SUV.
I ended up with a Dodge Avenger, a class smaller than what I had reserved. The agent wasn't willing to discount the rate since I had already used the AMEX promotion. After much discussion, he marked that I could bring the car back empty.
The car is filthy. There are 5 salted pumpkin seeds in the cup holders, there is one on the dash in front of the instruments. The car mat is spotless, until I move it slighty...more nuts and seeds. I say the heck with it and drive off, Dollar is a madhouse at this point. As I drive into the afternoon sun, I realized the windshield has been smeared. I can't see a thing. I got to my hotel and they helped me clean it. The rag was black when we were done. I went to drive to dinner and the tire pressure sensor went off. Called roadside assistance and they said something about altitude setting it off, but check the level anyway. Tires required 32 psi, the 2 front tires were down to 19 psi.
I returned the car today, and scheduled extra time for the return because I was sure Dollar would drop the ball again. Just a feeling. As I get there, the return agent is arguing with a guy returning an SUV that has a sensor light going off. The agent is indicating that since the guy did not mark the sensor on his "damage" sheet before leaving, he must be the cause of the "sensor damage". They walked into the main building, back out, back in...looking for a manager as far as I can tell. I had to walk in to get the guy to let me return the vehicle. He was nice enough, but it took me over 30 minutes to turn in my car.
Lesson learned, pay the extra cash I guess (although Hertz gets me with the windshield smear everytime).