justhere

I was looking to rent a minivan on Thursday, Nov 27 and returning on Monday, Dec 1. Went online and no minivans available from the location I wanted to rent from.

No big deal and I'm flexible on the days so I checked Friday, Nov 28 and return on Tue, Dec 2. Minivan is available for those days so presumably none are available on the 27th. Just out of curiosity I checked picking up on Wed, Nov 26 and returning on Sun, Nov 30 and a minivan was available.

So out of those three scenarios I can rent a minivan for 4 days as long as I don't pick it up on the 27th. It can't be an availability issue because I can rent it on the 26th. If it wasn't available on the 27th then how would I be able to rent for 4 days on the 26th?

I was thinking maybe they only want to rent minivans for a minimum number of days so I tried renting on the 27th and returning on Dec 2nd, 3rd, and 4th and still no availability.

I kept the rental and return time as noon every time I tried so it's not a time of day issue either. And yes it let me reserve the minivan on the 26th so it wasn't that it was showing available but would possibly error out if I tried to confirm.

So just curious if anyone knows or has thoughts on why this would happen.

BugsyPal

1. Just because the reservation system allows you to book a SUV that does not mean the National location will have one when you arrive.

2. Demand for SUVs on Thanksgiving from that location and in general for that matter must be light if you are able to book anything at all for the 26th. In the NYC/NJ metro area aside from perhaps airports National, Enterprise and most other car rental places are sold out/booked solid and not taking reservations on Wednesday. They have been so for months now.

Thing to always remember with National is that you are promised a vehicle, not always exactly of the same class reserved.

As for being able to reserve a minivan on the 26th but not the 27th it simply could be many persons are taking that class for the entire Thanksgiving holiday "weekend". That is reserving from Wednesday until Sunday or Monday. Thus while inventory will be high on the day before the holiday, if or once all those reservations are done National does not anticipate returns until after the 27th.

Unless things have changed National still basis daily inventory heavily against scheduled returns, especially for non-airport locations. If those returns do not happen is when the fun begins.

justhere

BugsyPal thanks for your thoughts.

I am renting from an airport location albeit a smaller airport. That said, I know that it's always possible they won't have what I booked when I arrived. However, that's not really what I'm asking.

Also, what you are saying about many people reserving that car class doesn't seem to be the issue. If it was, how could I reserve that car class on the 26th and keep it all weekend or reserve it on the 28th and keep it all weekend but I can't reserve it for the 27th and keep it all weekend?

BugsyPal

Normally all locations beef up inventory in advance of major holidays, especially the ecumenical ones such as Thanksgiving. Wednesday the 27th obviously is a big day with many reservations. Thursday is Turkey Day, how many persons are planning on arriving to pick up cars on that date? Not very many I shouldn't wonder thus inventory will be low because often everything went out on Wednesday. In fact around here most if not non-airport locations are closed on Thanksgiving Day.

Usually on Thanksgiving for airport locations things are what they are. Outside of customer returns nothing will increase inventory. Because you are using an airport location there probably will be many returns on Friday as persons head back home.

Friday the 27th is the day after Thanksgiving and returns should start coming in and or those returned late/overnight Thursday are put back into inventory. Not everyone has Friday off from work and or for other reasons are returning on that date. From Friday throughout the rest of the holiday weekend inventory will open up as vehicles are returned and or hikers begin moving things about.

Case in point cannot make a National reservation within NYC until Monday December 1st. All locations are sold out until then. This may change later in the week or over the weekend as vehicles are returned.

BugsyPal

Try booking any other class besides minivan for this location on the 27th and see what comes up. If you can book economy or compact but not minivan that tells me they are "sold out" of that class.

justhere

On the 27th there are 15 different car/truck/suv classes available. How can they be sold out of minivans on the 27th if I can rent one on the 26th and keep it until the 30th?

I can understand how one could be available on the 28th as it could be one that is being returned late on the 27th or early on the 28th. But if they don't have any scheduled to be in their inventory on the 27th because they are all rented, then how am I able to rent one on the 26th and keep it through the 30th? Or to put it slightly differently, how can they let me reserve one unless they plan to have one available and if it's available, why can't I rent it on the 27th? If they don't plan on having one available and are letting me book but plan on moving me into a different class, then why not allow that same logic on the 27th?

BugsyPal

National never promises you will receive exactly what was reserved, only that they will get you a vehicle. The only way to make certain you will receive exactly a class wanted is to make a guaranteed reservation and sometimes that always does not work out. Otherwise despite what one has reserved you either take what is available and or they can find (by calling around to other local locations), or that is that.

Myself and others have stood at National counters or aisles with "confirmed" and or "guaranteed" reservations only to be told what we wanted was not available. That and or have seen others go through the same.

Wednesday the 26th/day before Thanksgiving is a huge travel/car rental day. Thanksgiving day itself normally is not but that can vary by location. It therefore makes sense for there to be availability on Wednesday, but Thursday is another story.

Yes, there may be a huge inventory for the 26th but National's system and or location manager is saying by the 27th the inventory of minivans will be depleted. Now it very well could be there will be minivans left over (no shows, last minute cancellations, returns), but the system is not going to reflect that until maybe Thursday. However you *could* always telephone the location directly and speak with counter staff or a manager to see if they are indeed sold out of minivans. In such instances you may not be able to make a reservation online or via telephone, but could do a "walk-up" by merely showing up (again if informed they do have minivans available) .

Keep in mind the longer you wait to make the reservation for the 26th greater chances that day will become sold out of minivans as well.

You can also try making a reservation on the 27th for another class of vehicle then upon arrival asking for a minivan if one is available.

It could also very well be this location is over booked for Wednesday and the supply of minivans is not as unlimited as you may think.

justhere

BugsyPal, perhaps I haven't been as clear as I could be. Let me rephrase some of this.

I don't care what vehicle I get (within reason ) and I know how National rolls. I've been EE for about 9 years. I also have already made my reservation and have a minivan reserved. Whether I end up with one or not remains to be seen.

My question was really this: National's system must have had a minivan in inventory for the 26th through the 30th as that's what I reserved. Not necessarily a physical minivan, I get that, but their reservation system must have seen availability as it allowed me to reserve one. Doesn't matter whether or not I end up with one.

That same reservation system also would have allowed me to reserve a minivan from the 28th through the 30th, Dec 1, or Dec 2. I could have booked any of that if I wanted. Again, doesn't matter whether I would have actually ended up with a minivan, just that their reservation system would have allowed it.

So from both of those situations, National's reservation was showing minivan availability for the 26th through Dec 2, which obviously includes the 27th. However, if I tried to make the reservation for pickup on the 27th every car class except minivan showed up.

One explanation might be that a minivan isn't available on the 27th but National didn't want me to look elsewhere so the reservation system essentially says "well, a car class isn't guaranteed so we'll let the customer make the reservation as the class they are selecting is available on the 26th, 28th, 29th, and 30th. Then if necessary we'll put him in a different vehicle on the 26th." However, I'm not sure the reservation system is that smart and if it is, why wouldn't it apply the same logic to a reservation starting on the 27th?

Hope that clarifies what I am getting at. Thanks again for trying to answer.

BugsyPal

Long story short only answer I can think of then is that on the 27th for some reason known only to National's system it "knows" there aren't minivans available. Maybe something is going on locally and the manager has indicated that class is "sold out" for the day.

However as you well know by now having been with National for many years, often their reservation system means less than a hill of beans. I can "force" a reservation for tomorrow (Wednesday) for here in NYC, but that does not mean I will get something.

Of course the most easy solution to all this is simply to telephone the location in question.

Have a good holiday.

Auto Enthusiast

It might be a minimum stay requirement for peak demand days. They prefer higher revenue from several consecutive days and to control demand.

BugsyPal

Even when a location is sold out you can often book a weekly or longer reservation. However two problems may arise. One will you actually get anything, and two if you don't keep the vehicle for the minimum one week will the rate jump from what others paid for daily.