chuck1

I am a Dollar Express customer who rented a full size car from Dollar at the Vancouver Airport.

We drove with a child to Whistler. On the way there, it was no problem.

On our return to the Vancouver Airport, there was a snowstorm. Our car, along with several others, couldn't make it up a hill. Our vehicle, along with several others, had to be pushed to the side of the highway. We had to wait for the police and tow trucks to arrive to pull us part of the way down where the snow changed to rain. The police informed me my car was outfitted with "summer" tires.

I was charged $205 for this service. Additionally, it took us 9 hours to get back to YVR instead of 2-3.

When I returned the car to the airport, the agent told me I should have bought the upgrade to snow tires. I explained this had never been offered to me. He went on to say he always asked his renters where they were going and when Whistler was mentioned he suggested snow tires. I explained this upgrade was never offered to me and I just assumed they would rent a car with suitable tires at an airport where one would assume a large proportion of their renters would be going to one of North America's largest ski areas.

In any case, I faxed all this information to customer service in Tulsa along with the invoice from the tow company requesting reimbursement or rental vouchers for the value of the tow fee.

About a month later, I got a call from them saying they had spoken to the location and both they and corporate customer relations were denying compensation in either cash or rental vouchers. I was told that offering snow tire upgrades is up to the individual agent at time of rental and is not a requirement. She told me this is generally an additional source of compensation for the agent and is their choice whether they choose to present that at time of rental and frequently won't bother Dollar Express customers who have a contract pre-printed.

Do I have any other recourse? Can I call someone in management at corporate headquarters or call my credit card company?

Thank you for any advice.