Optimum
 

Last night on the Budget bus one of the other customers said he was an Optimum member, and he was treated like a king. Does anyone know what this status is, and how to get it?

I have no idea, but put in Budget and Optimum into google...

The guy complains about losing his status.

http://www.prea.com/pennlines/June2002.pdf

This sheds some light...

"Even value brand Budget has an upper-level tier for its most valuable corporate customers. Perfect Drive Optimum offers such benefits as being escorted from the airport gate to the rental car, says Krista Musur, Internet marketing manager. She adds that loyalty program members are the agency's most valuable customers, generally renting more often, but specifically renting more often through the company's Web site, its least-expensive distribution channel. But their value goes beyond profit. "They also tell us the most about the site and our business," she says. "We have a survey on our site. Perfect Drive customers give us feedback every day."

http://www.crmguru.com/content/featu...001_03_15.html

Though I still have no idea how one qualifies. Heck, I don't even understand the frequent renter point program with Budget. Though I did once get a pair of ski goggles from them.

I too would love to know how one qualifies. I have been renting from Budget for the past 2.5 years, every week. I just ran an expense report and saw that over this time I have spent $29,000 with them, basically 1k a month.

If I don't qualify I would like to know who does. Perhaps its time to move on to Hertz. I have enough golf clubs.

Ok, just got done talking with them.

Basically, Optimum (according to the Optimum person I talked with) is for corp accounts that spend a minimum of 100k per year. I guess they give this status to the head guy of the corporation. There would be no way for an individual person to spend that kind of money in a year (that's like $300 a day).

I asked her if they did any such thing with individuals who spend large dollars with Budget (i.e. like HErtiz and the Presiden't corner status) and she said nope, rather rudely.

So be it. Hertz here I come.

Optimum
 

I used to work in consulting, and rented from Budget weekly. Matter of factly, I think that I had Budget cars weekly for 3 consecutive years. One time, I rented an Explorer that had been rented by an Optimum member right before I had it. The previous renter left his Optimum pouch, which looked like a Gold envelope, in the Drivers pocket. I figured, what the heck... I will just use it for my documents. When I returned the car, you would have thought that the King of France himself had returned an Explorer. The counter guys asked me if I was Optimum club, and I obviously said YES, and they had the checkin guys drive me to the gate at the airport, in my car, and carry out my luggage for me! All of this just because I had this gold pouch. Well, be rest assured that I was now an Optimum member for as long as this Optimum member pouch looked as if it was in new condition.

I called Budget, wrote numerous letters, and even threatened to move business.... but could never get my own OPtimum club membership. It seems that it is designated for CEO's, and the people that set up the corporate accounts. Seems pretty ironic, considering that those people usually don't travel that much.