Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!mit-eddie!think!harvard!seismo!brl-adm!brl-smoke!ron From: ron@brl-smoke.ARPA (Ron Natalie ) Newsgroups: net.consumers Subject: Re: Rental car ripoff Message-ID: <1794@brl-smoke.ARPA> Date: Fri, 14-Mar-86 00:08:43 EST Article-I.D.: brl-smok.1794 Posted: Fri Mar 14 00:08:43 1986 Date-Received: Sun, 16-Mar-86 09:24:40 EST References: <1628@decwrl.DEC.COM> Organization: Ballistic Research Lab (BRL) Lines: 39 > In the past year, I have had several occasions to rent cars for both > business and personal use, and I'd like to share my experiences with > the net. If you believe that all rent a car companies are alike, perhaps > this will change you mind. A study was recently conducted that a person is likely to tell 30 other people about bad experiences with a car but less than ten people about good experiences. My experiences however were a bit different. > 1) Dollar Rent A Car should be avoided like the plague. > > 2) National Rent A Car has consistently offered me the best rates and the > best service. I have the exact opposite reactions. I used National for about three years on business because my secretary kept arranging it, and I thought that it must be lower bidder and that I couldn't recommend a different one (well fortunately I was wrong). We had three cars that died, including one rented in Baltimore that didn't even make it off the lot. In addition, I was kept waiting over an hour in Philadelphia late one night. In addition, National in Denver refused rent me a car on my Government orders because I wasn't 25. This was hogwash, their contract with Uncle Sam does not permit such a restriction. The same trip I switched over to Dollar. I also have used Dollar in Dallas, Los Angeles, Portland, and probably a few other cities with good or exceptional service. However, I too, have been victimized by the Boston Logan Dollar Agency. Twice, they have not had cars for me approaching anything like I had reserved. Once, they had nothing at all. The episode that concluded my ever using them was when I had specificaly reserved a Camaro-like car (anything small but not microscopic) and I preferred to rent one of the two Corvettes that they had (this time I was not travelling for the Government). After telling me they had the Corvette ready, and getting on the bus, I got to their sattelite lot to find that the only vehicles they had were some boat like Olds. I was now stuck out in the middle of the parking lot and had to slosh over to Hertz on foot to rent a T-bird. To add insult to injury, I got some stupid letter later saying how happy they were to have served me on my recent trip to Boston. Pfooey.