Disappointed in Costco (Car rental)

[am1]

Kirkland is a Costco store brand. I don't know of any other company that sells that brand. Which store is this?

Certainly Costco can be beaten on some things here and there if you work at it. But pound for pound, I doubt the consistent pricing and quality merchandise holds up with the ease of shopping at a Costco warehouse. Also, Costco is a warehouse club, meant for buying in bulk sizes. They aren't trying to compete with the local grocery store.



Just the fact that they tried to help you out is an example of their good intentions. As I said previously, the car rentals are handled by the vendor companies, not Costco. All Costco gets is a discounted rate for you on the rental. If you deal direct with the vendor, the rates will likely not be the same, because of the lower rates Costco gets on their contract.

Give them a try for a future trip, and see if they don't convince you to stick around. They are a good company that saves the rest of us a lot of money.

Dave

Costco should be able to beat the small grocers all the time as they sell in bulk. I do agree that pound for pound costco is better. The same can be said for walmart. Not everything is cheaper then every other store but overall it is.

I like the costco store format as everything is in the same place. Very few times items are not in stock.

I guess I expected better then waiting on hold for 20 minutes during a 45 minute phone call just to be told that there is nothing they can do. Costco could not call Costco travel to just process my reservation at the discounted price? The truth is costco spent more in expense for this issue then 1) my membership or b) my discount on the car rental. At this point they do not get a cut of the amount I paid and I may or may not sign up for a membership now or in the future.

I expect that a lot of companies take advantage of me and everyone else and there is very little we can do but

As an owner/operator of a business I do everything I can to get much more complex issues resolved.

 

[Luanne]

Yes that is why costco had the best prices but by trying to go through them it create a lot of hassle. If they do not want my business then that is their loss. I will see what happens.

The only "hassle" you had was in trying to book with them without having a valid account.

 

[am1]

The only "hassle" you had was in trying to book with them without having a valid account.

That and in how they dealt with the issue afterwards. What a company does about resolving an issue says more about them then anything. Lots of Costco travel complaints online. But until it happens personally they are brushed off. This is the same for all big businesses.

 

[DaveNV]

I guess I expected better then waiting on hold for 20 minutes during a 45 minute phone call just to be told that there is nothing they can do. Costco could not call Costco travel to just process my reservation at the discounted price? The truth is costco spent more in expense for this issue then 1) my membership or b) my discount on the car rental. At this point they do not get a cut of the amount I paid and I may or may not sign up for a membership now or in the future.

I expect that a lot of companies take advantage of me and everyone else and there is very little we can do but

As an owner/operator of a business I do everything I can to get much more complex issues resolved.

I think the point you are not understanding here is you were dealing with three different organizations. Costco Membership, Costco Travel, and the car Rental Companies. They are not related to each other other than by corporate name.

I suspect the reason you were kept on Hold for so long was while they were trying to expedite things for you, so you can then try and rent the car you wanted. They were unable to do so. You are right that they got nothing for the effort today, but you are giving them zero credit for at least TRYING to make it right. Your situation was unusual, and you are dismissing it out of hand as if it was nothing. It wasn't. They did what they could, and I don't doubt for a moment that if they COULD have done something for you they WOULD have. That's the way Costco does business. Just about every other company I know of would have said, "Sorry, there's nothing we can do," and hung up the phone.

Sometimes you have to accept that things just happen. In this case it was not to your advantage. But ask anyone who has ever had an issue with a product they bought at Costco, sometimes even YEARS later, and ask how well Costco satisfied the member. My spouse is a Refund Cashier at Costco. I have heard hundreds of stories over the years about how Costco has stepped up to make it right, even if they KNOW the member was the one in the wrong. (One example: A man brought back a rusted-out generator NINE YEARS after he bought it. It was obvious the generator had been used and abused till it was falling apart. He demanded a full refund on his purchase. And guess what? The Warehouse Manager realized the man was a good customer, and they gave him his refund. It was outrageous that the man felt he deserved anything. But Costco stepped up, in the name of good business practices, and refunded his purchase. And guess what he did? He turned right around and bought a new generator - for more money - at Costco.)

If you choose not to shop at Costco, that is certainly your prerogative. But I think to judge them poorly after one over the top issue is a bit unfair. But you need to do what makes you feel comfortable.

Dave

 

[Chrispee]

There's no way they'll be able to discount your car rental after the fact, but if you continue on with your complaint I'll bet they'll give you a costco gift card to placate you.

 

[Ken555]

The only "hassle" you had was in trying to book with them without having a valid account.

Yup. Can't please everyone.


Sent from my iPad

 

[winger]

Costco is awesome

Been with them (Price Club before the buyout/merge) for decades...great customer service. Try getting anything close to this at Walmart :ignore:

 

[Luanne]

Costco just dropped another $40 (since yesterday) for our two week rental on the Big Island in April.

 

[am1]

There's no way they'll be able to discount your car rental after the fact, but if you continue on with your complaint I'll bet they'll give you a costco gift card to placate you.

You were right and no need to complain just asked a costco travel supervisor what we could do. There was no investigation into what the difference was. Just took me at my word, which thankfully is as good as gold.

Alamo said the code (not a membership number) could not be added after the car was picked up. Understandable but it is bad business to treat people like that you has your $35 000 piece of property.

Costco membership over the phone said that if there was anything they could do they would do it. Even stated that if I called them they could have got the membership number yesterday but I spoke with costco online services. Sorry I did not know the what departments could do what and apparently people who work in the departments do not know either.

Today over chat with costco travel they gave me the codes what I would need without issue.

As far as Costco accepting a 9 year old rusted generator back that just means the prices are higher then they could be. Not sure I would have bothered selling him a new one.

 

[frank808]

The reason costco does not beat the small grocers "sale prices" because costco does not sell "loss leaders". It is products the store sells at under purchase price. This will entice the customer to come in. What the store hopes is that the customer will buy other items that does generate a profit.
To whoever is interested, costco generates most of its profits from membership fees. The cost of goods plus a small markup generally (10-15%)basically covers the shipping and overhead (such as administrative expenses, payroll, utilities etc.).

 

[Sloane S]

The reason costco does not beat the small grocers "sale prices" because costco does not sell "loss leaders". It is products the store sells at under purchase price. This will entice the customer to come in.

The rotisserie chickens are certainly a loss leader. They price them at $4.99 and put them at the back of the store so you have to go all the way through to get them. The same holds true for the $1.50 hot dog and a drink.

Here's a fairly interesting article on the pricing.

 

[geekette]

That and in how they dealt with the issue afterwards. What a company does about resolving an issue says more about them then anything. Lots of Costco travel complaints online. But until it happens personally they are brushed off. This is the same for all big businesses.

The customer isn't always right, like in this case. They tried to bend rules for you but apparently could not break rules for your special request.

<<The issue was not resolved so I do not see where the good customer service comes from. Is it that difficult to provide a dummy member number for this? >>

Please note that there are a lot of systems that will never accept dummy data so this is another area that your expectations are simply off. Test data goes in test systems, not production system simply because you demand it.

I'm not sure why you would expect immediate accommodation of your beyond the bounds urgent request. I'd rather you not stay a Costco member as you will be expensive to maintain.

 

[am1]

The customer isn't always right, like in this case. They tried to bend rules for you but apparently could not break rules for your special request.

<<The issue was not resolved so I do not see where the good customer service comes from. Is it that difficult to provide a dummy member number for this? >>

Please note that there are a lot of systems that will never accept dummy data so this is another area that your expectations are simply off. Test data goes in test systems, not production system simply because you demand it.

I'm not sure why you would expect immediate accommodation of your beyond the bounds urgent request. I'd rather you not stay a Costco member as you will be expensive to maintain.

Then they should not advertise become a member today after I went through the search process for the car rental.

Yesterday there was no problem giving me the code through costco travel chat. The member services rep said that if spoke with them before renting the car they would have been able to accommodate me.

Not sure why you think I will be expensive to maintain. I do expect good customer service and quality products.

Surely I am not the first person that has faced this issue.

 

[Passepartout]

Not sure why you think I will be expensive to maintain. I do expect good customer service and quality products.

Surely I am not the first person that has faced this issue.

Had you been a member at the outset, you'd have found excellent customer service, and Costco products are second to none. (imo)

Yes, I'm sure that other non-members have gotten their noses out of joint because they were not given the service that members have come to expect.

Jim

 

[Fern Modena]

Why shouldn't they advertise that you can become a member today? You most certainly can, as long as you go to a club to do so. It wasn't a false claim. They didn't claim that you could become a member if you applied online to do so.In fact, when I go to www.costco.com it specifically states that your member number will be emailed to you after 48 hours, You must be looking at a different opening page.

You have poor expectations. I can't imagine that you would expect that the rental company could add a discount code number after you rented and picked up your car. I also can't imagine that you would feel that Costco should rebate you the difference when you did not plan far enough ahead to use their service. Whether they did or did not state that you could become a member in a day, one day is not a decent amount of time to plan ahead if you want to use a previously untainted discount.

This is, of course, JMHO, but it appears to be in line with many of the above posters.

Fern

Then they should not advertise become a member today after I went through the search process for the car rental.

Yesterday there was no problem giving me the code through costco travel chat. The member services rep said that if spoke with them before renting the car they would have been able to accommodate me.

Not sure why you think I will be expensive to maintain. I do expect good customer service and quality products.

Surely I am not the first person that has faced this issue.

 

[frank808]

The rotisserie chickens are certainly a loss leader. They price them at $4.99 and put them at the back of the store so you have to go all the way through to get them. The same holds true for the $1.50 hot dog and a drink.

Here's a fairly interesting article on the pricing.

Here is another article. http://www.cbsnews.com/media/12-things-about-costco-that-may-surprise-you/2/

I don't believe costco makes much money on the chicken but they sure as heck aren't making more than a few cents.
Now with gasoline costco might lose money from time to time but overall they do profit from it annually.
I have been a stockholder since 1991 and have been a costco believer since.

 

[rickandcindy23]

Costco just dropped another $40 (since yesterday) for our two week rental on the Big Island in April.

Yes! I just got $305 total for 2 weeks on Kauai for April. I got a full-sized car but would rather have an SUV for Mom to sit higher in the backseat. She is 87 and short so loves that higher backseat. I am sure a deal will follow on a different car, but at least I have something reserved. If nothing else comes available, I guess mom will be sitting on a pillow for our drives on Kauai.

I am so glad I check about every-other-day. We have five or six rentals ahead of us now. Our membership saves enough on car rentals alone to be worthy of the small price we pay.

 

[LisaRex]

am1, FYI Costco used to allow folks to browse freely in their travel section without requiring a membership #. However, it became the worst kept secret in the travel industry that non-members could book a rental car with no risk because the rental car companies never asked to see the Costco card. Even if they pressured the companies to start checking cards, it would open up a can of worms because legitimate Costco members might forget to bring their cards, plus many rental car companies now allow customers to bypass the counter altogether. So checking the card ex post facto wasn't going to work long term. As a result (?), Costco Travel tightened up the website so that now you have to enter your number before you can even browse.

While I understand their motive, I personally think that closing the website to anyone but members is too far-reaching. While they are frustrating people who never had any intention of becoming regular customers (like yourself?), either because of lack of interest or distance to the nearest store, they might also be frustrating people who MIGHT become sustaining members after getting a taste of their travel discounts/perks. (Rental car rates are legendary here, but their other perks are nothing to sneeze at, either. You often will find the lowest hotel price PLUS perks such as double view upgrades and free breakfast, especially if you're an Executive member.)

However, that wouldn't address another problem that we've hit upon in this thread. And that is the loophole where people who don't really have an interest in shopping at a Costco store open a membership just to get the one-time travel perk, then immediately cancel it and get a full refund on the membership fee. Why would they want to make it easier for someone to do this? In that light, making a person go to their nearest store or wait two days actually makes sense. After all, if your nearest store is 150 miles away, there's very little chance that you'll keep your membership.

I wonder if a win-win solution would be for Costco to open up their travel website and simply require a membership number to book. And then also offer a lower priced non-refundable "web-only" membership for folks who live x miles outside of a store's radius, so that they can enjoy and "instantly" take advantage of travel perks.

 

[Luanne]

As a result (?), Costco Travel tightened up the website so that now you have to enter your number before you can even browse.

Not true. You can browse the website and even select the car rental you want. But then you get to the screen that requires your membership id.

I wonder if a win-win solution would be for Costco to open up their travel website and simply require a membership number to book.

This is what is done currently.

 

[suzanne]

Opening your account online MIGHT require 2 days to be sure the credit card your using to pay for the membership clears your card company. Also if you knew you were traveling why would you wait until 1 or 2 days prior to your trip to reserve a rental car if you wanted a specific type of car?

I have been a Costco member for several years and never have had an issue with their customer service. I have rented cars from them online several times over the years without any problems.

Suzanne

 

[Bill4728]

Sorry that you did not have a good experience with Costco. I would say give them another chance.

Before I became a member of Costco, I did not think I would shop there other than to get bathroom tissue and paper kitchen towels. Those were all that I bought the first 2 times I shopped at Costco after I became a member. These days when I load up my trolley (shopping cart), I often joke that I have become a true Costco customer.

Their rental car prices are still the best whenever I do price comparison.

Odd that you bought tissue and other paper products They are rated as the worst thing to buy at costco. That is because they are so often on sale at other stores.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/5-things-not-to-buy-at-costco-and-sams-club-2014-10-08

 

[Luanne]

Odd that you bought tissue and other paper products They are rated as the worst thing to buy at costco. That is because they are so often on sale at other stores.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/5-things-not-to-buy-at-costco-and-sams-club-2014-10-08

Not so odd. We always buy toilet paper, Kleenex and paper towels at Costco. It's easier that watching, and waiting, for the sales elsewhere. Plus not all of us have read the article you pointed to and would know this.

Okay, checked the article. Here is what it actually says (the emphasis was added by me):

"Paper goods — everything from toilet paper to facial tissues — can sometimes be found cheaper at Target or Wal-Mart[where I would personally never shop] says Konrad; Ong adds that sometimes paper items (even paper plates and napkins) can even be found cheaper at the grocery store, that is, if you look out for the coupons that the stores put into the weekly circulars and combine them with sales."

 

[Ty1on]

Odd that you bought tissue and other paper products They are rated as the worst thing to buy at costco. That is because they are so often on sale at other stores.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/5-things-not-to-buy-at-costco-and-sams-club-2014-10-08

We always buy paper goods at Costco. Cost aside, it's nice not having to worry about TP for months.

 

[LisaRex]

This is what is done currently.

Hey, you're right! I must have been thinking about Entertainment.com.

 

[am1]

Why shouldn't they advertise that you can become a member today? You most certainly can, as long as you go to a club to do so. It wasn't a false claim. They didn't claim that you could become a member if you applied online to do so.In fact, when I go to www.costco.com it specifically states that your member number will be emailed to you after 48 hours, You must be looking at a different opening page.

Fern

Below where it says become a costco member today it has a link to sign up.



I only decided on the type or car when I saw the low price. Before then I was searching for cars and flying in and out of 4 different airports. Booking the last minute flight meant limited availability but I still got a very good price on a usually expensive route. Inbound flight was more than half empty.