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Disappointed in Costco (Car rental)

A

am1

TUG Member
Joined
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Messages
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This weekend I was looking to rent a car today for 8 days. I did some searches and tried costco as it has been talked about on here. I like that it stays away from scam rental car companies. I wanted to rent a mustang convertible as it is not much more than the cheapest car.

Costco travel advertises:

Become a Costco Member
If you're not a Costco member, become a member today.
Become a Costco MemberButton

I went to purchase a membership then I am told that it takes up to 48 hours to get the membership number.

A call to costco travel was no help as they do not deal with it. Transferred to Alamo who said I would need to provide the member number no exceptions. Price quoted over the phone was a little more than online (I was made aware of that a little while ago from a thread on here). Called costco customer service and we are 45 minutes into a call going no where. The supervisor said that costco dropped the ball advertising become a member today and they are looking to streamline things but no one wants to pick up the ball and run with it.

Very poor customer service from where I am standing and not what I would expect from Costco. Searching online it looks like the travel department has lots of complaints where they just leave the customer to deal with the issues on their own. So far that is not my issue with costco and I wish I could have a great experience but Costco does not even want my business.
 
Yes, the wait to sign up, or renew, can be frustrating. I don't understand either why it takes so long. I was the one who posted about my experience with trying to book a car rental while I was waiting for my account renewal.

However, once you do have a valid Costco account the experience is worth it.
 
However said:
It maybe but for someone who does not live near a costco I am not sure it is worth the hassle. I would like to use costco travel and maybe visit a few times away when I am in an area with a costco but if this is how they want to treat a new customer why bother. I make a point to avoid renting cars from the scam companies to avoid having problems.
Click to expand...
 
I ran into the same issue about 2 years ago -- I wanted to become a Costco member to purchase a TV, but it would take a couple of days for my membership to become active. Their only "solution" was to visit a Costco in person and they can give you an instantaneous membership.

So if they can activate a membership instantaneously at their stores, why can't they do it online? Sad to hear nothing has been done on this front in two years.

Kurt
 
Costco is exceptional for car prices, but if you have a Chase credit card, like Ink Plus or Ink Bold, or some of the others I cannot remember 'cause I don't have them, you can try the rates through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal. I have gotten some great rates that way. But they do offer lots of different car companies, not just the few Costco has.

We also have the insurance through American Express/ Costco. This keeps us from having hassles with the companies saying we did damage. They can deal with the insurance.
 
MULTIZ321 said:
Hi am,

Have you tried www.autoslash.com?


It's worth checking out if you haven't.


Richard
Click to expand...

Just be aware with autoslash that they don't always include the extra driver for free. The quotes I've been getting are charging $13/day for an extra driver. Also, currently I do have an autoslash request out there for the Big Island and Costco is still less.

We did use autoslash for San Diego a few months back and were pleased. We had no issue with the extra driver fee since it doesn't apply in California.
 
The easy immediate solution is to get one of your friends/family with a costco account to create a Costco Travel account online using their number, and then you can use that to rent the car in your name.
 
am1 said:
It maybe but for someone who does not live near a costco I am not sure it is worth the hassle. I would like to use costco travel and maybe visit a few times away when I am in an area with a costco but if this is how they want to treat a new customer why bother. I make a point to avoid renting cars from the scam companies to avoid having problems.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure why you are lumping Costco car rentals with scam companies. Or maybe you're not and it's just the way I'm reading it.

We currently don't have a Costco really close like we did in California (we're an hour away) but it's still worth it to us.

I'm not sure I'd get the Costco membership just for the car rentals, unless I was renting a car a lot during the year.
 
I think you expect too much. In fact, in this Internet "everything is instant" Age, I think many/most of us do. We've gotten very used to "I want it NOW, I expect it NOW," etc. I'm not calling you out specifically here, because I've felt the same at times. Used to be, back in the dark ages, a two day wait wasn't much.

So, my advice? If you aren't travelling tomorrow, join Costco, relax, have a cup of coffee, and wait the two days. If you decide that it isn't worth it, you can get a refund later.

I hadn't been a member of Costco for years, and rejoined simply to get a good price on a computer. They had what I wanted much cheaper than anybody else, plus I got a rebate. If I didn't have a Costco within a half hour (or so) from home, I don't think I would have joined, although they do have many items that you can purchase and have shipped to you.

Fern

am1 said:
This weekend I was looking to rent a car today for 8 days. I did some searches and tried costco as it has been talked about on here. I like that it stays away from scam rental car companies. I wanted to rent a mustang convertible as it is not much more than the cheapest car.

Costco travel advertises:

Become a Costco Member
If you're not a Costco member, become a member today.
Become a Costco MemberButton

I went to purchase a membership then I am told that it takes up to 48 hours to get the membership number.

A call to costco travel was no help as they do not deal with it. Transferred to Alamo who said I would need to provide the member number no exceptions. Price quoted over the phone was a little more than online (I was made aware of that a little while ago from a thread on here). Called costco customer service and we are 45 minutes into a call going no where. The supervisor said that costco dropped the ball advertising become a member today and they are looking to streamline things but no one wants to pick up the ball and run with it.

Very poor customer service from where I am standing and not what I would expect from Costco. Searching online it looks like the travel department has lots of complaints where they just leave the customer to deal with the issues on their own. So far that is not my issue with costco and I wish I could have a great experience but Costco does not even want my business.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
I've been a Costco member for over 20 years. But I've never used them to rent a car. Coincidentally I booked a rental car through Costco just now, as this thread was started. I compared a few options and Costco had the best deal. So I can't complain.

I agree with Fern that you should just sit back and wait til the membership goes through. Just relax, you're bargain is coming :)
 
Regarding having to go in store to set up an account - I see this as a good thing, only in store computers can add records to the member database. There is risk of hacking when you add a connection from the internet to the member database, look how many companies don't make member data secure enough.
 
Luanne said:
Just be aware with autoslash that they don't always include the extra driver for free. The quotes I've been getting are charging $13/day for an extra driver. Also, currently I do have an autoslash request out there for the Big Island and Costco is still less.

We did use autoslash for San Diego a few months back and were pleased. We had no issue with the extra driver fee since it doesn't apply in California.
Click to expand...

Autoslash was only offering sixt and payless as options.

The car rental was for today hence the urgency. I rented the car and will get the membership and see if I can get the price adjusted.

It it not that I expect things instantly but when it states "become a member today" I expect that to actually be the case. The next morning I also expect that something like this cab easily be worked around.

I do expect a business to care about the customer service that they provide.
 
If you do actually become a Costco member and go to their warehouse, you will get excellent customer service. I don't know of many businesses where I can return something without a receipt 10 months later and get a refund, no questions asked. That, to me, is worth the wait.

But it is frustrating when you needed it TODAY and it didn't work out for you, I get that.

Most folks know SOMEBODY who is a Costco member. And that person could definitely rent for you, so that might be a workaround for next time.
 
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.
 
Luanne said:
I'm not sure why you are lumping Costco car rentals with scam companies. Or maybe you're not and it's just the way I'm reading it.
Click to expand...

Not a scam but I do not want to have to deal with either of these hassles when traveling and renting a car. I want to know my car will be there, not be forced to purchase more insurance then I need, not blamed for someone elses damage and not have an issue making the reservation.
 
am1, I know you're disappointed, but I think your expectations of instant gratification from this experience are not reasonable. Costco's best car rental rates are rarely "today." If you wanted a specialized vehicle and knew you wanted it, you should have joined prior to this.

Costco Travel is a subset of the company, and the contracted car rental companies provide the service to Costco. Nowhere I've seen on the Costco Travel pages does it say "join today and then rent a car today." It says as a member you can rent a car, but when you try to make the reservation it asks for your membership number. If you don't have one, you'll have to get one. If it takes two days to do it online, then it takes two days. The huge savings will make it worthwhile. It is what it is, and nobody is doing you any sort of disservice.

The fact that they tried to work with you shows excellent customer service, in my opinion. If they didn't care, or were really disinterested in serving you, they would have ended the call long before they did.

As others have said, get the membership, and give Costco a chance to impress you. Chances are the very first purchase you make will more than cover the membership cost. But after that, if you are dissatisfied for any reason, you can still get a 100% refund of your entire membership fee at ANY time during the year. Even on the last day before it expires.

Where I live, I save more on Costco gas in a few months than I'd spend for the membership fee for the entire year. Add in the savings on purchases made while I'm traveling to other cities, and it's a win-win. :)

Dave
 
This makes it seem like a car can be rented the same day as joining.

Become a Costco Member
If you're not a Costco member, become a member today.
Become a Costco MemberButton

I only booked the flight last night after finding out the price of the car rental. I was looking at flying into and out of 4 cities. I ended up flying into one and will be flying out of another that is very close by. Be able to get a nice car at a great price from a good car rental company pushed me into the flights I booked.

I do belong to a warehouse club that sells kirkland and member selection products. That is where most of my grocery/ baby and cleaning supplies are spent. In a lot of places Costco can be beat without having to shop in bulk using sales and price matches but they do have great products.

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?


BMWguynw said:
am1, I know you're disappointed, but I think your expectations of instant gratification from this experience are not reasonable. Costco's best car rental rates are rarely "today." If you wanted a specialized vehicle and knew you wanted it, you should have joined prior to this.

Costco Travel is a subset of the company, and the contracted car rental companies provide the service to Costco. Nowhere I've seen on the Costco Travel pages does it say "join today and then rent a car today." It says as a member you can rent a car, but when you try to make the reservation it asks for your membership number. If you don't have one, you'll have to get one. If it takes two days to do it online, then it takes two days. The huge savings will make it worthwhile. It is what it is, and nobody is doing you any sort of disservice.

The fact that they tried to work with you shows excellent customer service, in my opinion. If they didn't care, or were really disinterested in serving you, they would have ended the call long before they did.

As others have said, get the membership, and give Costco a chance to impress you. Chances are the very first purchase you make will more than cover the membership cost. But after that, if you are dissatisfied for any reason, you can still get a 100% refund of your entire membership fee at ANY time during the year. Even on the last day before it expires.

Where I live, I save more on Costco gas in a few months than I'd spend for the membership fee for the entire year. Add in the savings on purchases made while I'm traveling to other cities, and it's a win-win. :)

Dave
Click to expand...
 
am1 said:
I do belong to a warehouse club that sells kirkland and member selection products. That is where most of my grocery/ baby and cleaning supplies are spent. In a lot of places Costco can be beat without having to shop in bulk using sales and price matches but they do have great products.
Click to expand...

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.

am1 said:
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?
Click to expand...

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
 
Your expectations are unrealistic.

As for the "become a member today" statement, it's obviously designed to simply encourage visitors to join. The link goes to the membership page which has details on becoming a member in which it states unequivocally that it may take up to two business days. I agree the verbiage on the travel login page could be better, but you shouldn't have been confused for more than a few minutes while reading the details of the membership level you selected. I don't see any validity for a serious complaint...or the necessity to start a thread just to complain about Costco's great car rental rates (see the thread title) when your issue is much more simple.


Sent from my iPad
 
autoslash

am1 said:
Autoslash was only offering sixt and payless as options.

The car rental was for today hence the urgency. I rented the car and will get the membership and see if I can get the price adjusted.

It it not that I expect things instantly but when it states "become a member today" I expect that to actually be the case. The next morning I also expect that something like this cab easily be worked around.

I do expect a business to care about the customer service that they provide.
Click to expand...

Not true. Autoslash will offer you other rental companies if you ask them. Look at my post under the member lounge on the same point.
 
am1 said:
Not a scam but I do not want to have to deal with either of these hassles when traveling and renting a car. I want to know my car will be there, not be forced to purchase more insurance then I need, not blamed for someone elses damage and not have an issue making the reservation.
Click to expand...

Costco only books with the major companies, so no scams. Your car should be there. I've been offered extra insurance, but never been forced into it.
 
am1 said:
The car rental was for today hence the urgency. I rented the car and will get the membership and see if I can get the price adjusted.
Click to expand...


I would be shocked if you were successful with this request. And, based on your past posts, you'll likely unjustifiably blame Costco for this "failure", too.


Sent from my iPad
 
No I am willing to see what happens as well if I got that route. I do not mind giving companies second chances when I think they will want to earn my business back. It was a simple issue for costco to deal with and even one of their own supervisors said they dropped the ball with their words on the costco travel website.

Ken555 said:
I would be shocked if you were successful with this request. And, based on your past posts, you'll likely unjustifiably blame Costco for this "failure", too.


Sent from my iPad
Click to expand...
 
Luanne said:
Costco only books with the major companies, so no scams. Your car should be there. I've been offered extra insurance, but never been forced into it.
Click to expand...

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.
 
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