Have a confirmed reservation, show up for the rental car.... no car.

[GON]

On a plane from Tampa to DCA/ Reagan. Turned in my rental car and walked past the rental counters in Tampa.

Saw something I had not seen before- lines all the way out on the the main rental corridor- for Avis. Have not seen that at Avis before. Hertz only had a couple of dozen in line. What a terrible way to start a vacation.

All the reasons to sign up for the rental car loyalty program and plug in your driver license and credit card information. After the first rental, you name is on "the board" and you pass the counter. If you pre-pay, you may not be able to skip the counter.... and you will get a ten plus minute sales pitch on all the extras you need with your rental.

I took pictures of the lines in Tampa, will post later when I land.

 

[c502cid]

Like GON, I travel for a living, do about 50-60 rentals a year. mostly with Hertz and National now. In my 23 years doing this, I only had one experience with no cars available having a reservation. It was with Budget then, so I walked over to National and got a car. Here is the best part, I was a supplier to Budget at the time doing a fleet deal on what they called their "VIP Pickup" special, and was meeting with Budget execs and Ford factory guys at the St Paul Ranger plant to discuss expanding the program.

I show up and one of the Budget VP's was walking in at the same time and sees my National rental. He rips me a new a55hole, loudly and in front of quite a few people, telling me I was out of the program and other key words of encouragement.

I let him get it all out and then explained to him what happened. He gets on the phone, verifies it, and thankfully was a stand up guy and apologized to me in front of the room of people. Strangely enough, I had Jags and other top of the line cars waiting for me at every rental for the balance of the program......

 

[GON]

Like GON, I travel for a living, do about 50-60 rentals a year. mostly with Hertz and National now. In my 23 years doing this, I only had one experience with no cars available having a reservation. It was with Budget then, so I walked over to National and got a car. Here is the best part, I was a supplier to Budget at the time doing a fleet deal on what they called their "VIP Pickup" special, and was meeting with Budget execs and Ford factory guys at the St Paul Ranger plant to discuss expanding the program.

I show up and one of the Budget VP's was walking in at the same time and sees my National rental. He rips me a new a55hole, loudly and in front of quite a few people, telling me I was out of the program and other key words of encouragement.

I let him get it all out and then explained to him what happened. He gets on the phone, verifies it, and thankfully was a stand up guy and apologized to me in front of the room of people. Strangely enough, I had Jags and other top of the line cars waiting for me at every rental for the balance of the program......

Great story CID, more to your story than you posted. The rental car companies have different coding for renters, sounds like you became a "VIP" in Budget's Customer Relationship Management system at a very high tier. The newest cars and best upgrades go to those top tier "VIPs". Yesterday I sat across the seat on a plane from the Chairman and CEO of one of America's oldest privately held companies. He has "Concierge Key" status on American Airlines. This is a invitation only status, and allows him very special perks. Generally reserved for the very top spenders, corporate travel planners, very senior corporate executives whos organizations have massive travel budgets, and politicians.

A few more comments about rental cars and related items:

If you rent any full size pickup truck, especially within 300 miles of a energy center, it will reek of smoke. Does not matter that all major rental car companies have policies against smoking. Also, cars in the southeast often have deep smoke residue. Cars least likely to have smoke residue are compact cars. All large rental trucks will also have deep smoke residue. Not only do organizations like Penske rent to people moving, they rent to moving companies and other industries. Smoke residue makes me gag, so I have to drive these vehicles with at least one window open.

Not all rental car locations are corporate. Avis for example, has franchise locations as some airports. A few that come to mind are Springfield, MO, Sioux Falls SD, and Anchorage AK. Franchise locations often operate on rules that vary from corporate locations.

Finally, I can tell what music genres will be playing when I turn on the radio based on the location I am renting from. It is a game I play and seem to be right the vast majority of times. The person the cleans and parks the car in the pickup space tunes the radio to his/ her liking. Different airports will have different genres- but any specific airport typically has the same genres (and I had to look up the word genres).

 

[c502cid]

Great story CID, more to your story than you posted. The rental car companies have different coding for renters, sounds like you became a "VIP" in Budget's Customer Relationship Management system at a very high tier. The newest cars and best upgrades go to those top tier "VIPs". Yesterday I sat across the seat on a plane from the Chairman and CEO of one of America's oldest privately held companies. He has "Concierge Key" status on American Airlines. This is a invitation only status, and allows him very special perks. Generally reserved for the very top spenders, corporate travel planners, very senior corporate executives whos organizations have massive travel budgets, and politicians.

A few more comments about rental cars and related items:

If you rent any full size pickup truck, especially within 300 miles of a energy center, it will reek of smoke. Does not matter that all major rental car companies have policies against smoking. Also, cars in the southeast often have deep smoke residue. Cars least likely to have smoke residue are compact cars. All large rental trucks will also have deep smoke residue. Not only do organizations like Penske rent to people moving, they rent to moving companies and other industries. Smoke residue makes me gag, so I have to drive these vehicles with at least one window open.

Not all rental car locations are corporate. Avis for example, has franchise locations as some airports. A few that come to mind are Springfield, MO, Sioux Falls SD, and Anchorage AK. Franchise locations often operate on rules that vary from corporate locations.

Finally, I can tell what music genres will be playing when I turn on the radio based on the location I am renting from. It is a game I play and seem to be right the vast majority of times. The person the cleans and parks the car in the pickup space tunes the radio to his/ her liking. Different airports will have different genres- but any specific airport typically has the same genres (and I had to look up the word genres).

When I was doing a lot of international travel I was both Concierge Key with AA and Global Services with United. Now I'm just Exec Plat with AA and 1K with United, but both airlines treat me very well to this day. The rental car companies are hit and miss, but having top status with both Hertz and National helps get the better cars. You are right about Hertz, that company is sure on its last legs. One thing for sure, traveling for a living sure is a mess in the current environment. I'm about to start up my international travel again, I just can't wait. .

Travel safe Brother

 

[98_SNAKE_EATER]

 

[40w8]

I learned that you just pay for worst vehicle you can stand. You'll get something better anyway.

 

[ecotourist]

I've heard of large meetings of federal government employees where they got a package with every room at the federal per diem rate. And some of the rooms included multi-room suites.

I used to work for the federal government. We were not allowed to stay at the really good hotels. There was a published list of the permissible hotels and the government rate. Where to stay came down to picking the best option from the permissible list. I can assure you there were no multi-room suites.

 

[y_p_w]

I used to work for the federal government. We were not allowed to stay at the really good hotels. There was a published list of the permissible hotels and the government rate. Where to stay came down to picking the best option from the permissible list. I can assure you there were no multi-room suites.

This was notorious. They went with an outside event planner and accepted a lot of gifts. These were standard business hotels, so I suspect they would have been considered acceptable, but perhaps not accepting the suites, and especially not the gifts.

TIGTA criticizes the IRS on conference overspending

In the latest in a series of bad news days for the IRS, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) issued a report Tuesday on the IRS’s wasteful spending on conferences (TIGTA, Review of the August 2010 Small Business/Self-Employed Division’s Conference in Anaheim, California...

www.journalofaccountancy.com

The conference in Anaheim involved 2,609 SB/SE managers and executives at Sheraton, Marriott, and Hilton hotels and reportedly cost $4.1 million (the IRS was unable to establish exactly how much it cost). Despite the availability within the IRS of event planners, the SB/SE division used two outside event planners who received commissions from the hotels of $133,000, which were based on the number of rooms the IRS used.​

​

TIGTA also found that the IRS could have negotiated lower rates had it not accepted other benefits from the hotels including suite upgrades, two of which were presidential suites that cost between $1,500 and $3,500 per night that were provided to SB/SE division executives for $135 per night. Other benefits included free cocktails and promotional gifts, such as logoed brief bags, engraved pens, picture frames, and clocks.​

 

[ecotourist]

This was notorious. They went with an outside event planner and accepted a lot of gifts. These were standard business hotels, so I suspect they would have been considered acceptable, but perhaps not accepting the suites, and especially not the gifts.

​

In another phase of my life I organized a conference/meeting. As the organizer, I had to personally guarantee that so many rooms would be rented for so many nights and that the food bill would come to a certain number of dollars. I had something like $15,000 in personal liability should there be a storm (say) and no-one be able to get to the conference.

I got a suite for the same price as everyone paid for their rooms but my suite then became the venue for the Saturday night event - pre-dinner drinks, after dinner drinks, finger food, and cards and chat until late. And I got to provide the finger food. I had a number of bottles of wine and the guests brought enough of their own beverages that I about broke even on that score.

There were no gifts. I paid the same amount for food and drink as everyone else. And getting the suite was not an advantage.

 

[y_p_w]

In another phase of my life I organized a conference/meeting. As the organizer, I had to personally guarantee that so many rooms would be rented for so many nights and that the food bill would come to a certain number of dollars. I had something like $15,000 in personal liability should there be a storm (say) and no-one be able to get to the conference.

I got a suite for the same price as everyone paid for their rooms but my suite then became the venue for the Saturday night event - pre-dinner drinks, after dinner drinks, finger food, and cards and chat until late. And I got to provide the finger food. I had a number of bottles of wine and the guests brought enough of their own beverages that I about broke even on that score.

There were no gifts. I paid the same amount for food and drink as everyone else. And getting the suite was not an advantage.

I'm surprised that the IRS conference slate of gifts didn't include tickets to Disneyland. That might have made it worse.

 

[PandaBear]

This was notorious. They went with an outside event planner and accepted a lot of gifts. These were standard business hotels, so I suspect they would have been considered acceptable, but perhaps not accepting the suites, and especially not the gifts.

TIGTA criticizes the IRS on conference overspending

In the latest in a series of bad news days for the IRS, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) issued a report Tuesday on the IRS’s wasteful spending on conferences (TIGTA, Review of the August 2010 Small Business/Self-Employed Division’s Conference in Anaheim, California...

www.journalofaccountancy.com

The conference in Anaheim involved 2,609 SB/SE managers and executives at Sheraton, Marriott, and Hilton hotels and reportedly cost $4.1 million (the IRS was unable to establish exactly how much it cost). Despite the availability within the IRS of event planners, the SB/SE division used two outside event planners who received commissions from the hotels of $133,000, which were based on the number of rooms the IRS used.​

​

TIGTA also found that the IRS could have negotiated lower rates had it not accepted other benefits from the hotels including suite upgrades, two of which were presidential suites that cost between $1,500 and $3,500 per night that were provided to SB/SE division executives for $135 per night. Other benefits included free cocktails and promotional gifts, such as logoed brief bags, engraved pens, picture frames, and clocks.​

Even in private sector these rules are really only used when they want to kick someone out of an office. Most of the time they are ignored.

Say I used to work for a company that has no meal acceptable policy. Well then what happen is during business trip you just didn't file anything for a few of the meals and / or you just say it was a cheap meal you pay out of pocket instead of filing paperwork (I am eating McDonalds).

Some even have ridiculous policy like "please pick these hotel on the approved list, the typical going rate per night is $50" when none of them are near the office or they are $350 a night. Whatever, I just ask for approval and they always get overrode.

Conference is pretty much useless, I do not know why so many people are still going other than sales guys. Didn't we hear a few years ago that some conference were charging $28 per 16oz of coffee catered to the site and there is no 2nd source? I think after the pandemic people are really starting to look at what the heck are we doing for real.

 

[PandaBear]

I'm surprised that the IRS conference slate of gifts didn't include tickets to Disneyland. That might have made it worse.

I think most places have "no tickets allowed" written in their policies already, I remember one police got fired because he tweeted a selfie with a sponsor to a ball game.

I have heard a few years ago that some bribe are done by paying for someone's family member's health insurance or life insurance plan. Of course something like this can be pretty hard to track due to privacy reason. Anyhow, these kind of corruptions are typically small fish compare to the real big ones and speaking about those would likely get this locked.

 

[y_p_w]

Even in private sector these rules are really only used when they want to kick someone out of an office. Most of the time they are ignored.

Say I used to work for a company that has no meal acceptable policy. Well then what happen is during business trip you just didn't file anything for a few of the meals and / or you just say it was a cheap meal you pay out of pocket instead of filing paperwork (I am eating McDonalds).

Some even have ridiculous policy like "please pick these hotel on the approved list, the typical going rate per night is $50" when none of them are near the office or they are $350 a night. Whatever, I just ask for approval and they always get overrode.

Conference is pretty much useless, I do not know why so many people are still going other than sales guys. Didn't we hear a few years ago that some conference were charging $28 per 16oz of coffee catered to the site and there is no 2nd source? I think after the pandemic people are really starting to look at what the heck are we doing for real.

We used to go to COMDEX as junior engineers with no purchase authority. The major Strip hotels had to be booked for an entire week at rack rates. I remember one coworker said that a CUSTOMER paid for tickets to a show. I’ve heard of sales personnel paying for entertainment, but not customers.

Some events made it crazy in San Francisco. There was controversy over the Fairmont charging a punitive $30 for taking too long at breakfast during the J.P. Morgan healthcare conference. That was on top of $26 food prices.

With big conference in SF, Fairmont to charge extra $30 if you take too long to finish breakfast

Breakfast at the Fairmont Hotel wasn't cheap to begin with: Eggs benedict with home fries...

www.sfgate.com

 

[Cujet]

Just watched the financial news last night. Rental car costs have more than doubled in the last 6 months.

 

[Jarlaxle]

I worked, very briefly, for a rental car company over 30 years ago. Back then, we always overbooked because you'd always have some no shows. Sometimes, you'd have someone show up with a reservation for a small or medium sized car, and we'd have to give them a free upgrade to a luxury car because all the others had been rented out. Every great once in a while, you would run out of cars, but you'd usually have rental returns coming in and (hopefully) the customer would wait for a bit to have a return prepped for them. If all else failed, you'd call another branch in the area and have them bring one of their cars over. For the most part, the system worked well.

I ended up working a major holiday. We had 20 rentals on the books for the day and maybe 10 cars on the lot. My boss said there would be no problem - nobody showed up on holidays. Ha! I think just about every one of them showed. Most had reserved a luxury car - I had primarily economy cars. I was offering 50% off the going rate just to keep customers from killing me (and it actually worked - everybody loves a deal!).

I moved on to greener pastures soon afterwards.

PS: Be nice to your rental agent. We always had a couple of cars that were on their last legs, and we kept their keys in a specific area. If you were a jerk for no reason, you'd be handed a set of those keys.

I might not mind...what kind of a deal can I get? I fondly recall some of the...UNUSUAL...stuff that I got at Rent-A-Wreck.

 

[Jarlaxle]

The key is to wait when no car is available. I waited over three hours in Houston last month. It's life. Cars come and go all day long. Pre-pay means nothing. I rent four cars per week. My "status" often helps in bad times, but not always.

Enterprise is one of the more predictable rental car companies. I avoid them, but they have always supplied a car. I avoid Enterprise because they are super frugal with how they spec their cars, and the before and after pickup inspection is a time killer for me. Enterprise almost exclusively uses college grads from lower four tier institutions as their customer service reps. The recruit them with the title "management trainee". This allows enterprise to work them day and night and avoid paying overtime. A few of them will make it to mid level Enterprise managers. Most will not and leave in under 12 months. Enterprise has some of the more intelligent customer service reps in the car rental business.

The companies one should ALWAYS avoid is Hertz, Dollar, Thrifty, Fox, and ACE. ALWAYS... I warned you

I have done quite well with Hertz. Unfortunately, the local Enterprise place is very poorly-run.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Hertz/ Dollar/ Thrifty all the same organization. They are in bankruptcy. The Hertz of today is not the Hertz of yesterday.

I am on a plane right now, when I land I will post multiple pictures of Hertz lots and people waiting. I only have two on my notebook that I am posting now. Beyond scary. My organization sometimes books Hertz for me. I take a picture of the Hertz waiting line, empty lot. Next I use my Avis app and my name is on the board with a car space to go to.

Hertz is ugly at this time, real ugly. I have a stack of unrequested vouchers from Hertz giving to me for free for them not being able to deliver. These vouchers give me free rentals on Hertz. I just use them for scrap paper. I won't take a Hertz rental at this time even for free. I value my time.

View attachment 57278View attachment 57279

You need to make clear the ENORMOUS difference between renting a car and renting a car at an airport.

 

[Jarlaxle]

You have to wait, and wait, ad wait for the a car to be available.

One example, and I am sure many like it " Enterprise agency refused to issue a refund because I “walked away” from the reservation." Fortunately, I had used the same card to pay for the second car reservation, so the Chase agent could see what happened on my account. All was eventually resolved, but only after contacting a manager at the Enterprise corporate office to explain the double reservation and waive the first charge.

So you may get a refund, after a lot of phone calls and emails. Days, weeks, months......... Or may never get a refund because you walked away- even though no cars were available.

If they don't refund it immediately, I will simply call my credit card company and dispute the charge. I'll win.

Common misconception about rental cars is that making a reservation means a vehicle will be set aside for you. In reality, a reservation guarantees the advertised rate, but not that a vehicle will be available for you to rent. Surprisingly, this is true even of prepaid reservations, and while prepaying should give your priority over someone who hasn’t paid, it still may not guarantee availability. Rental car companies can overextend their fleets with impunity, since they don’t have the same obligation as airlines to compensate passengers for overbooking. The end result is that there’s little reason to pay in advance.

Here is a recent picture I took of people waiting at Hertz, for three, four, five hours for a car. Some of them pre-paid. Made no difference. What a horrible start to a vacation/ trip. Nobody is giving a pre-payer there money back on the spot, maybe after a huge fight after the fact. Also included is a copy of the typical voucher they pass out after a few hours if waiting.

Just one reason I will not fly.

 

[Jarlaxle]

That can be done. Likely weeks to months to get a resolution. Your word against someone else word. And the someone else is not going to respond, will be a computer operator in a call center.

Naah...it will be resolved in a day or two-a week, tops.

 

[Jarlaxle]

I don't think I've seen pickups at U-Haul, but I have seen the E150 vans, and of course the box trucks . It could depend on location, though

Even the box trucks could still be cheaper than a rental car

SOme have pickups (Silverados around here, usually). They also have vans...for 2 people, a 10' truck (SRW GMC) isn't any bigger than a cargo van or pickup.