I picked up a National rental at DEN and drove it down to Colorado Springs. While returning north, the check engine light came on. I had a meeting in the southern suburbs and couldn't drive all the way to DEN and back to exchange it.

I called National's "roadside assistance" number to ask about exchanging the rental at an Enterprise location. I was connected to an offshore call center agent. I explained the vehicle had a check engine light and I wanted to exchange it at an Enterprise location. After moments of confusion, in barely comprehensible English, he said that I could exchange a National rental at an Enterprise location, but that the roadside assistance center had to set it up in advance.

I told him I was closest to Highlands Ranch and asked him to set up the exchange at the Enterprise there. He asked where I was stopped, clearly unable to understand me and unable to reconcile what I was saying with his script. I told him I was still moving and repeated that I was closest to Highlands Ranch.

He replied, "You are in Whitehorse, Canada?"

At this point I decided to just hang up and soldier on to my meeting and take the risk that the vehicle would function until I returned that night at DEN. But before I hung up, I had to ask the agent where he was located. "Are you in India or somewhere else?" He mumbled nervously and then hung up on me.

If National wants to charge the highest rates in the country, their customer service agents should all be in America. This experience taught me I cannot rely one bit on them if something goes wrong.