For a family ski vacation to Snowshoe, WV over Christmas, my wife and I flew into IAD and drove the 3+ hrs. The lodge had expressed that AWD/4WD would be desirable but that ground clearance and power would be required to navigate the drive.
I reserved a "Standard SUV - Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo or Similar" over a month in advance. When we arrived we were told they did not have any Standard SUV's available. The offered a downgrade for about 10% less than our reservation price or we could switch to a car. Because of our travel requirements a downgrade wasn't acceptable.
The only upgrade available was to a luxury SUV at more than double the cost ($60+/day more - they offered to throw in a free tank of gas). I took the position that I should not have to pay for receiving the next available vehicle if they failed to provide the reserved vehicle class.
The manager even argued that we didn't need an SUV because the weather (in DC) had been too warm for snow. I was fully aware that it was currently snowing in Snowshoe and if we didn't get going we were going to have to drive after dark.
Then the manager must have decided that lying is an acceptable solution to a problem.
He told us a Dodge Journey had just came in and that it was the same class vehicle AND was AWD. Never having heard of the Dodge Journey, I believed him and was glad to have AWD.
When we made the first steep turn in the mountains we knew we'd been lied to. It was obvious the Journey was smaller when we got in, but we were worried about time. What we discovered in the mountains was that this "SUV" only had a 4-cylinder engine and did not have AWD (front wheel only). The engine was so underpowered on the steep roads at altitude it was scary and getting up the drive to the lodge we were staying at was an adventure.
When did lying to a customer become acceptable over any other solution?