I want to address this with National Customer Service and so I will omit the airport in question (for now). But I am hoping for some advice on the best channels to get results.

I was supposed to meet my girlfriend for a long weekend this past Friday but while she was already at the location, the snowstorm prevented me from joining. She then had to pick up the rental herself.

My GF does not do well with confrontation and this agent pushed her to the max, jacking up the rental by over $200 for a 2 day rental (to over $300).

Sequence of events:

- GF had mistakenly booked corporate rate which was $39. Website shows normal weekend rate at this location for her car type at $44.95. Agent used her "judgement" to say that without the corporate rate it would now be $85/day (!!)

- Agent had upsold her to a midsize SUV for $15 more on the original rate and so after she put in the new rate, she now was paying $100 a day on the weekend for a Rav4. GF does not travel often on her own, did not know how completely usurious this was.

- Agent then starts in on insurance. Tells her she needs total coverage at $33 a day. She at this point calls me to ask if this is true. I tell her that her credit card (I have the same one) provides LDW/CDW and since she has no car insurance of her own, it will be primary. But I tell her she needs to buy liability ($12.95/day). I hear agent telling her she is wrong. Tell GF to put agent on phone. I talk to agent and tell her all this. She insists that without personal car insurance, the credit card CDW won't kick in. I tell her she's wrong. I even call Citibank and confirm I am right. Indeed, it is secondary but if you do not have your own, it is primary (at least on the card we have). After I hang up, she convinces my GF that I am wrong and GF reluctantly agrees to pay for total coverage since she assumes that the person working at the car rental place knows the rules. (She didn't.)

- Agent then sold her the $10 for roadside assistance. I can't really say National is wrong here as they are peddling the product and my GF accepted, but again, it was pushed hard as a necessity as if cars break down constantly and so she'd better be prepared.

-Also, she was using a free day on one of these two days, but of course the agent didn't tell her that the $15 upsell fee wouldn't come off the free day.

So:

Original quoted rate including free day: $55

After all usurious upcharges, rerating, unecessary insurances, etc. and still including the free day (it was over $310 otherwise): $230

I want her refunded at a minimum the difference between the normal weekend rate for the car she reserved and what this agent rerated her to and the difference between the liability only insurance and this total garbage she was sold. That will be over $100. The other $50 or so was not National's direct fault so I see no reason to request the rest of the differences refunded. I'd also like the agent be officially reprimanded.

What does FT think?