A little issue with Costco car rental

[dougp26364]

not a big deal but a little annoying. When I reserve a car, I'm ordinarily a little early picking it up (if you're not early, you're late). Today I was picking up a weekend rental at Alamo and the charge wasn't correct. Because I was 20 minutes early, they tacked on a 1 hour charge to the rental. The guy at the counter told me third party rentals were pretty firm with drop off and pick up times.

It wasn't much, $13.50 for the additional hour. Over several contracts that amounts to a pretty good return for what I consider a sneak thief type move. They took the charge off when I pointed out they didn't have the vehicle ready anyway.

So, lesson learned. When renting from Alamo thru a third party, watch the clock and keep an eye on my wallet.

 

[klpca]

I had the same issue with Dollar last month. They "let" me pick up the car early, but changed the return time by the same amount of time.

But it paled in comparison to the sneaky trick where the woman at the counter added insurance even though I said that I didn't want it. She asked if I wanted insurance and when I said "no" she said, well then it will just be the minimum. I thought that she was warning me that we weren't getting coverage so I didn't respond. A half hour later I was checking the receipt because I thought that it was odd that they were collecting a "deposit", (which I did question at the counter), and noticed that we had insurance! We had to drive back to the airport to get it fixed and she had the gall to tell me that we would have to cancel the reservation, be charged for one day, and re-rent without the coverage at a higher rate. It took 10 minutes of arguing and then it was able to be miraculously reversed with two clicks of the mouse. Never again will I rent from Dollar. Honestly I think that they are all crooks, but this was particularly shady.

 

[Luanne]

I usually book the car rental for about the time our flight is due to arrive. That way I'm not picking it up early. But I did have an issue with Budget (through Costco) where they charged us more than the email confirmation I had received. I was able to provide them with my confirmation email and they did make the adjustment. You just need to be ever vigilant.

 

[rickandcindy23]

That is very annoying. If you bring it back 20 minutes early, the rental car company should call it even and not charge anything. That has never happened with our car rentals. Not ever.

 

[rfc0001]

I had similar issue with Alamo 2 weeks ago. I was early, so it said I owed an entire extra day since I was picking up at 3:00PM and dropping off at 4:00PM. This was on their self-checkin kiosk, so I just changed the return time to 3:00PM, knowing they actually have a grace period, and it returned to the correct charge.

On the flipside, my connecting flight to PHX was delayed 4 hours once, so we didn't make it to LAX until the next morning. I tried calling the rental car office directly (which was a chore in itself since they all route you to the main 800 #) to tell them we'd be delayed from 11PM to 2PM the next day and couldn't get through. The 800# tried to change it and said it would go up from $250 to $500 or something crazy, so i left it as it was and just showed up. Again, their kiosk system didn't skip a beat and gave me the same rate as I had originally booked - slightly higher since it was now 6 days instead of 7, so daily rate vs. weekly, but still a ton less than what they quoted over the phone. It was a life saver. Alamo's system seems to only care about the actual time of pickup vs. the dropoff time, so if you arrive early (as above) it might be an issue, but if you arrive late, it's not.

 

[Jimster]

As to the insurance, the counter agent makes a good commission of all insurance they sell so there is a big incentive for them to add it on. Therefore, always make sure if you want to decline insurance that it actually happens.

 

[Icc5]

I do three things when flying then car rental.
1) I always put in my flight
2) I watch/read carefully before signing
3) I use Autoslash after I put my information in with Costco.

 

[Luanne]

I do three things when flying then car rental.
1) I always put in my flight
2) I watch/read carefully before signing
3) I use Autoslash after I put my information in with Costco.

Good advice.

I always do #1, I try to remember to do #2, and recently I've started doing #3.

 

[Born2Travel]

This also happened to us at John Wayne about a year ago. I was so mad I said we'll just wait then...we were about 20 min early because our flight was early and I had given us a little extra time to collect luggage and get to the counter. So I just stood near the counter and glared at him the entire time. He finally called us over and said we could have the car but it took about 15 min. extra. If they want to play it like this, they should give a refund when it's returned early or in the case of Budget in Maui when we had to wait 2 hrs for them to come up with a car. We will always be late now if possible.

 

[maddog497]

We had an experience where the other couple missed their fight and we were sharing a car that was billed in their name. Enterprise would in no way allow us to get the car on their behalf, even after the couple calling Enterprise to try and add us. Although I think they could have that want the issue.

The issue was that we ended up renting a car on own for 1 day as the other couple good only get to Florida that day via Orlando and we had landed in Tampa.

We paid an absorbanted amount for one day rental and then went and picked up the other couple later that day after checking in at Westgate.

The next day we returned the 1 day rental to get the car in their name for the remainder of the week. They had called Enterprise the day before to inform them that they missed their fight and would be picking up the car 1 day later. The CSR stated he would change the reservation to reflect the change and there would be no issues with picking it up then.

When we went to get the car they were informed the rental agreement had now change from 7 days to 6 and as such they needed to pay for an additional 100 bucks! Because we needed the car we paid it with the intention of complaining later.

They called and emailed their complaint but never got any satisfaction.

Sent from my XT1635-02 using Tapatalk

 

[Luanne]

They called and emailed their complaint but never got any satisfaction.

Sent from my XT1635-02 using Tapatalk

I've found letter writing to be very satisfactory. Nothing like a hard copy, that is sent to the rental location, the corporate location, and if they have it, a Customer Service department. Be very specific about the issue, and WHAT YOU WANT. If they want a credit of the difference between the 6 day and the 7 day rental, then ask for that.

I once had an issue with Hilton San Francisco Union Square. I wrote a letter. I basically asked for a $40 credit. I got not only the credit, but a free night at that hotel to use whenever I wanted. I have remained a loyal customer of Hilton, and that particular hotel due to their goodwill.

 

[dougp26364]

I need to add a couple of items:

1. This was a local rental we picked up to drive to Denver. I prefer to rent a car when I'll be driving 1,000 miles total vs putting the miles on our personal cars

2. The first car they brought up for us was damaged and they couldn't rent it out.

3. The car we ended up with had an expired temporary tag. They had the permanent tag but, had to find a wrench to put it on the car

In the end I drove off 30 minutes after my scheduled pick up time and Alamo discounted the rental by 1 day (3 day weekend rental).

All in all a rather odd set of circumstances for a simple rental

 

[isisdave]

I am pretty sure that some car rental locations are franchises, or somehow subject to a lot more local control or pressure. That's why I don't think saying "I'll never rent from xxx again" is effective, because the problem is location 123 at xxx, or even agent QQQ at location 123, and you'll have the same problem with a random agent at a random location of some other brand. Which brings up this observation:

When I last reserved a car for Maui with Autoslash, they set me up with Payless. An hour later, they sent an automated message saying "Payless always tries to upsell you and can be difficult to work with; we're going to try others for you." At the time, the others were much higher rates, but as the data approached they all converged.

Well, at Maui, Avis, Budget, and Payless are all the same outfit in the same building, using the same computers.

I know that when you pick up a car early, the return time is usually adjusted to the same hour on the scheduled day. Often this isn't a problem, but in the US the hourly rate is usually 1/3 the daily rate, which also isn't bad if it gets you a little breathing room on either end. I would expect that the agent could extend the return an hour for free, but probably doesn't know how to do that. It can certainly be done at return.

 

[rfc0001]

I need to add a couple of items:

1. This was a local rental we picked up to drive to Denver. I prefer to rent a car when I'll be driving 1,000 miles total vs putting the miles on our personal cars

2. The first car they brought up for us was damaged and they couldn't rent it out.

3. The car we ended up with had an expired temporary tag. They had the permanent tag but, had to find a wrench to put it on the car

In the end I drove off 30 minutes after my scheduled pick up time and Alamo discounted the rental by 1 day (3 day weekend rental).

All in all a rather odd set of circumstances for a simple rental

Car rentals are like hotels - you always wonder how on earth literally hundreds of people before you rented the same car, but they didn't once stop to fix damage, perform maintenance, change plates, etc. The first minivan we chose at Alamo in Cali the doors didn't lock, which I only found out because I left my laptop bag in the trunk and locked it with the keyfob so I could go tell my wife inside something, and when I came back somone else was getting in the car (Without the key). I told them I already had my bag in there, and sure enough the one sliding door would still open (even after manually locking it from the inside). The air conditioning didn't work in a second car. A couple others smelled like smoke. All of these issues should have been proactively addressed. On my last trip, Alamo didn't have a minivan we book 10+ months in advance, so we got a full size SUV. The oil dummy light was on the entire time (and this is one of those that actually senses the particulates in the oil, so doesn't go off until 10,000 miles -- whereas a heavily used rental should be changed at max at 5,000 miles. Our second rental (a minivan) would have a loud audible buzz (like a buzzer alarm on a dryer) on the sliding door whenever we unlocked or locked the doors (which happens automatically at 15mph, so you start to drive, and *bzzzzzz*. Scared my daughter to death the first time, then the giggled every time. Long story short, I think your circumstances are about par for the course

 

[Barbara]

I do three things when flying then car rental.
1) I always put in my flight
2) I watch/read carefully before signing
3) I use Autoslash after I put my information in with Costco.

First, what is "Autoslash"?
Second I need advice on a 5 week Costco auto rental that was booked several months prior to the mid July pick up date. We need to add a couple of days to the reservation but see only the option to cancel current reservation and make a new on that would cost about $500 additional. Rates have increased quite a bit since we first booked. What is the best way to keep the cost at our original lower price while adding a couple of days?

 

[Luanne]

First, what is "Autoslash"?
Second I need advice on a 5 week Costco auto rental that was booked several months prior to the mid July pick up date. We need to add a couple of days to the reservation but see only the option to cancel current reservation and make a new on that would cost about $500 additional. Rates have increased quite a bit since we first booked. What is the best way to keep the cost at our original lower price while adding a couple of days?

Autoslash is another website where you can rent a car. There are two ways to use it. Either have them do a search for you, or enter the information from a rental you already have to see if they can find you a better price. There was a thread about Autoslash that you might want to read. Lots of good information.

http://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?threads/how-does-auto-slash-work.256619/

 

[Icc5]

First, what is "Autoslash"?
Second I need advice on a 5 week Costco auto rental that was booked several months prior to the mid July pick up date. We need to add a couple of days to the reservation but see only the option to cancel current reservation and make a new on that would cost about $500 additional. Rates have increased quite a bit since we first booked. What is the best way to keep the cost at our original lower price while adding a couple of days?

Barbara, Autoslash is really helpful to deal with. Email them and ask your question. Please then post what they suggest you do.
Bart

 

[jwalk03]

I rented a car from Economy Car Rental in Orlando this year, because they offered the cheapest price on Kayak when I searched- what a FREAKING mistake!!

The airport shuttle took forever, and by the time it would come there were more people waiting then it had seats. Took us almost an hour just to get from the airport to the lot because we had to wait so long on the shuttle. Then you get to the lot and there is a line out the door of people waiting at the counter.

Once we finally got through that line I was told that I either had to buy their insurance (which was more than the daily rental cost!) or I had to leave a $1000 deposit!! And I provided them with our regular car insurance car- but apparently if there is any type of damage they will not file a claim with your insurance they just automatically keep your $1000 deposit- even if the damage is $100. All just a way to twist your arm into buying their outrageously priced insurance!!!

After all that there was yet ANOTHER line of people waiting to get their cars brought out to them. It was over 3 hours from the time we landed before we were finally on the road in our rental. NEVER EVER AGAIN will I rent from such a slimy company, regardless of how cheap their price is!

 

[dougp26364]

I rented a car from Economy Car Rental in Orlando this year, because they offered the cheapest price on Kayak when I searched- what a FREAKING mistake!!

The airport shuttle took forever, and by the time it would come there were more people waiting then it had seats. Took us almost an hour just to get from the airport to the lot because we had to wait so long on the shuttle. Then you get to the lot and there is a line out the door of people waiting at the counter.

Once we finally got through that line I was told that I either had to buy their insurance (which was more than the daily rental cost!) or I had to leave a $1000 deposit!! And I provided them with our regular car insurance car- but apparently if there is any type of damage they will not file a claim with your insurance they just automatically keep your $1000 deposit- even if the damage is $100. All just a way to twist your arm into buying their outrageously priced insurance!!!

After all that there was yet ANOTHER line of people waiting to get their cars brought out to them. It was over 3 hours from the time we landed before we were finally on the road in our rental. NEVER EVER AGAIN will I rent from such a slimy company, regardless of how cheap their price is!

Which reminds me of another story and a bit of advice.

We normally rent with Thrifty/Dollar because of Thrifty's Blue Chip program. Ordinarily they have all your information and the car is ready and waiting for you when you get there. You skip the line, go to the booth by the cars and they have your car up front ready to go.

One year we rented a car using the option called Wild Car. It's an option were they choose the car but guarantee at least a compact. What a mistake that turned out to be. Instead of having our car ready, we were put in a long line and had to wait for whatever car came out that was cleaned next. Took us over an hour to get our car.

We won't ever make that mistake again. I'll always choose the car class I want regardless of the savings offered. Most locations won't have the problem we had in Las Vegas but, why take a chance. I prefer to just walk in, get my car and go.

 

[MichaelColey]

When making a car rental, you're almost always charged for whole days (and sometimes rounded up to a week if the weekly rate is lower than X days). Whether you're making a reservation for 3 days and 3 hours or 3 days and 23 hours, it's still a "4 day" charge. The only exception might be if 1 or 2 hours past a day.

Because of this, I almost always make my reservation with an earlier pickup time and a later return time than I actually need. That way if things change (flights change, I standby for an earlier flight, or if my return flight is delayed), I'm already covered. They never mind if you pick up late or return early.

For example, if I'm planning on flying in Monday at 10am and my return flight is Friday at 3pm, I'll probably make my reservation for 8am Monday through 8pm Friday. A 4 day and 5 hour reservation (10am Mon - 3pm Fri) will almost always price out the same as a 4 day and 12 hour reservation (8am Mon - 8pm Fri).

 

[MichaelColey]

Second I need advice on a 5 week Costco auto rental that was booked several months prior to the mid July pick up date. We need to add a couple of days to the reservation but see only the option to cancel current reservation and make a new on that would cost about $500 additional. Rates have increased quite a bit since we first booked. What is the best way to keep the cost at our original lower price while adding a couple of days?

While it's not convenient, I've had several times when it actually made more sense to return a vehicle to the airport and get another one (separate rental).

 

[IngridN]

... ...
Second I need advice on a 5 week Costco auto rental that was booked several months prior to the mid July pick up date. We need to add a couple of days to the reservation but see only the option to cancel current reservation and make a new on that would cost about $500 additional. Rates have increased quite a bit since we first booked. What is the best way to keep the cost at our original lower price while adding a couple of days?

We ran into the same situation 2 mos. ago. Rented a Budget car through Costco, but had to stay an extra week due to unexpected death in family. Neither Costco nor Budget would extend our ressie. We made another ressie directly with Budget for the following week. We did not have to return the first car which would have entailed a 4 hour round trip to airport. We did not get the Costco discount for the 2nd rental. For us it was worth not having the 4 hr. drive to change cars.

 

[isisdave]

At a small in-city location of a big company (don't remember which) last year, I tried to pick up a car two hours early and was told "it hasn't been returned yet, come back at (time of your reservation)" ... so that can happen. I spent two hours hoping that the previous renter wouldn't be late.

So we're here in Ireland, and I reserved a car through Budget on Kayak. Immediately after that I got an email from Kayak saying "thanks, your reservation has been given to and will be serviced by Budget, and your reservation number is xxxxxxx." This was 4 days before the pickup date.

The small, in-city office didn't have it. They called someone, who also couldn't see it. I could see it on Kayak and on budget.ie, but they couldn't on their system, and budget.com gave a weird error message, not the "reservation not found" one you'd expect. They hand-entered it (after 5 more calls) with the same deal, but it all took an hour, and they couldn't override all the "fees" so it's costing €50 more than it should for a week.

I'm not sure what the message is here: call to verify? don't use Kayak/Budget combo? Don't be in a hurry?

Anyway, I emailed both Kayak and Budget, and they both said, without investigating, it was the other guy's fault.