Originally Posted by
darthbimmer
I've rented from Thrifty SLC a few times. I've never had an issue with Trip Saver being added to my bill but I have had a few other disagreements with how they run their operation. On my last two visits the folks at the counter asked lots of questions.
It started with insurance. The desk agent wanted the name of my insurance company and my policy number. I understand why a company that rents cars would be interested in this info, but this Thrifty office is the only place I remember being asked for it.
Next, they wanted to know where I'd be going. As in, names, addresses, and contact phone numbers of the places I'd be going. At that point I objected, stating it was personal information they had no rights to.
"Management requires us to ask," the person at the counter explained.
"Will Management refuse to let me sign this contract if I don't answer?" I asked.
"No."
"Then please let your management know that I, as a customer, object to being asked these prying questions."
The reason they run things differently is that Thrifty SLC is a franchise.
To effect change, telling a front-line CSR won't do anything (even if they were inclined to bring your complaint to management, it won't be taken seriously if relayed from an employee). Options to actually get what you want to say to the people who can change it:
- Call the office directly (number's on your rental contract) and ask to speak with the owner
- Write a letter to the local address on your rental contract (the address in SLC); address it to "Team Owner"
- Write a comment into Corporate using the feedback fomr; those are forwarded to upper management/owners at franchised locations, and corporate requires the franchise to respond
- Send a note into the executive office at DTG (now Hertz, I guess); an executive assistant will reach out directly to the franchise owner for a response
None of these will necessarily make the policies change, and corporate has limited say over how franchises actually run the nuts and bolts of their business (they can back-bill the franchise for erroneous, unsubstantiated charges, and a significant number of complaints can put the licensee's franchise rights at risk, but aside from image and compliance requirements, there isn't much actual oversight from corporate), but by using one of the above methods, you can at least ensure that the people who can change the policies will get your message.