Alamo: Crazy Long Rental Car Line in Downtown San Francisco
Aug 9, 2013, 12:59 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,746
Alamo: Crazy Long Rental Car Line in Downtown San Francisco
I drive by the Alamo Rental Car office in downtown San Francisco a few times a week. The line snakes around inside the office and then halfway down the block. Welcome to San Francisco, folks.
It appears that 90% of the line is foreign tourists - somehow I don't think the length of the line is disclosed to them when they sign up for their package tours. Alamo is clearly selling more than its capacity. And, since Alamo is not expecting repeat business, they do nothing to remediate the situation.
Here's a video I took yesterday: http://youtu.be/emOat4nTfJU
It appears that 90% of the line is foreign tourists - somehow I don't think the length of the line is disclosed to them when they sign up for their package tours. Alamo is clearly selling more than its capacity. And, since Alamo is not expecting repeat business, they do nothing to remediate the situation.
Here's a video I took yesterday: http://youtu.be/emOat4nTfJU
Aug 9, 2013, 1:11 pm
#2
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Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: San Francisco, CA
Programs: UA Plat/2MM [23-yr. 1K, now emeritus] clawing way back to WN-A List; MR LT Titanium; HY Whateverist.
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Please follow the thread to the appropriate rental car forum. Ocn Vw 1K, Moderator, TravelBuzz.
Aug 9, 2013, 2:47 pm
#3
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: New York suburbs
Posts: 4,210
Wow. But that's the corollary of having cheap rates: the crowds beat a stampede to your door. I would hope that the returns area is not so swamped. If someone returning a car has to wait in this line, they probably would be late and charged extra.
Aug 10, 2013, 9:14 am
#4
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: MUC
Posts: 15
This is not in the Bush st., right?
Aug 10, 2013, 2:23 pm
#5
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: London, UK
Posts: 281
Was this the "Union Street" branch of Alamo? That is a ridiculous queue!
Sep 25, 2014, 8:53 pm
#7
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: CLE
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Posts: 1,105
I just encountered this at the Alamo O'Farrell location last week. Just as I had resigned myself to joining the rear of this ridiculous line, an Alamo rep was walking the line checking ID's and thank god I had a U.S. driver's license and an alamo.com printout in hand. Everybody else within view had foreign passports and printouts from various foreign travel agencies. She whisked me inside to the front counter and I was out of there in less than 10 minutes. She told the British guy in front of me it was a 1.5 hour wait !!