Recently I travelled to the states to see some companies and do some business. Seem as though some of the places we went to see were in remote areas we had to rent a car. The first place we went to was Sandpoint. We had to rent a car at the Spokane airport and return it there. Even though there were rental companies based in Sandpoint we could not rent in Spolane and drop off in Sandpoint at all. The weekly rental did not sound bad at $220. Per week.
When we collect the rental car at Enterprise I was asked if I want the the fuel included or the insurance upgraded etc. I was never given a price and as I was tired from travelling (we had spent 36 hours travelling already) I said yes.
When I returned the car I was charged $750. When I queried this I was told actually it was cheaper than I had agreed on collection. When I scrutinized the invoice I found I had been charged $500 in options. As I said to their customer services person who just through the paper work in my face "well done on swindling a client who trusted them out of 3 x more money then we had originally agreed to spend". I should have slept in the car and forgone the hotel which cost less than the car rental did.
And do you think they said anything back. No I got a looking of surprise, like that on the face of a rapist who was shocked that it was not consentual. Boy and they did not even use lube.
At the next town, Seattle, we survived without a car but our last company we had to see was 45 mins outside Seattle. After doing a search online for a comparison of a taxi fare to and back from the company I found that renting a car appeared to be much cheaper at $31 a day. I did not even try Enterprise this time even though they were next to our hotel
When I collected the car once again they tried to make me take addon after addon, even tried to sell me insurance for the possibilty of locking keys in the car for $5, we did not even have a mobile phone that worked in the states.
When I got the invoice this time I was surprised to see a charge of $48. When I queried this they told me it was a compulsory fuel charge for a full tank. I told them we hardly used any fuel and they said no they always charge that no matter how much fuel is used.
Are all rental companies serial rapists? This is mad. In South Africa there was a time that they were also like this then it seemed to die down. I honestly cannot believe there is any industry in any country that is this driven to pillage their clients like this. Not since the Vikings raided have so many been so raped and pillaged.
If I am ever in the states again I will do everything my power to not use Alamo or Enterprise and make sure that if we need to rent a car I say no thanks. I may be cheaper to by an old clanger and abandon it On the side of the road. I saw a few for $200 for sale perhaps I can abondon it in a rental car lot ;)
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