Dollar tries to pull a fast one again ...

[skeezixspud]

We just got back on Wednesday, and I wanted to let everyone know that Dollar is still trying to bait-and-switch customers when they are running low on cars. Though Dollar has done this forever, this was the first time it happened to me since joining Fastlane, so I thought I would put out an advisory about being careful not to fall for this at MCO.

The switch usually happens to passengers who arrive at night, when the number of cars available is normally lower than in the morning. Most business travellers will take compact cars because their companies mandate it, so those go first. The normal rule of the industry is that if the class of car you reserved is not available, you will be upgraded to the next largest vehicle that is available, at no charge. Dollar follows this rule, but does not like to do so. If they are out of the class you reserved, they will try very hard to talk you into "upgrading" to a larger class of car, usually for slightly under $10/day add'l. If they can get you to agree to this and accept the additional charge before they assign you the vehicle, they will be able to charge you extra for the class of car that you would have been assigned anyway. (Note that they will NOT tell you there are no cars available in your class before giving you the pitch; in fact, they won't say so at all.)

It has been my experience that if I am arriving late, I can almost always get an intermediate or larger car for the price of a compact, though I never will count on it and book a class of car that is smaller than I am willing to accept. (In Orlando, it is even possible to check availability for onsite rentals before going to the counter.) The moral is, don't trust them if they push you hard to take a "discounted upgrade" at night; they are probably out of smaller cars, especially if the clerk seems to be looking at a lot of computer screens before he repeats the offer.

I refused their $7/day "discounted upgrade" to a full-size and ended up with an Intrepid anyway. The clerk would not say out loud that he had given me a larger car than reserved; the giveaway was the amount that was on the invoice for the pre-paid gasoline option; the # of gallons was too high for a compact car. Base price for and 8-day weekly rental: $124.99, slightly over $200 with taxes and fuel.

 

[DeeP]

When you say arriving late, how late do you mean? I will be arriving at MCO around 5:30 PM mid week and have a compact car booked through Dollar. It is for a business trip and my employer will definitely not pay higher than what I already have reserved.
Thanks!

 

[bicker]

Actually, I believe "bait and switch" is when the offer one thing and then give you something else -- DIFFERENT from what they offered.

 

[Eeyore1954]

I would agree with Bicker ... this is not necessarily "bait & switch" -- it's more a matter of taking more reservations for each class of car than they will have on hand (supply vs. demand).

Skeezixspud is correct. If the car you reserved (compact or whatever) is not available, the company must provide you with a car for the price/rate quoted on your reservation. Usually this is the next class up.

For the 5:30 p.m. mid-week arrival, you may luck out. Some vacation packages push a mid-week departure and return, so the company may be getting cars back just in time for your arrival. If they don't have one available, they could ask you to wait. I've considered a 15 - 30 min. (30 min. max) wait somewhat reasonable on a business trip; otherwise, I ask for the manager and get another car at the same rate.

I've ended up in a Jeep Grand Cherokee, Lincoln Town Car, etc. on a mid-size car rate. Not always, but it happens enough.

 

[skeezixspud]

... I just could not think of a catchy term to describe what it really is! Essentially, they are failing to deliver what they promised for the agreed-upon price, and they are attempting to get out of giving you what they are obligated to give under those circumstances, which is a no-charge upgrade. I suppose I see it as something of a mirror-image of a bait & switch tactic.

Personally, I would consider anything after 8 pm to be late. At rush hour on a weekday, they will probably be cycling over cars returned by business travellers who left in the 3pm-6pm window. However, as I said, if you are using one of the 4 onsite rental companies at MCO, and you want to take the time to do so, you can walk across the street to the garage and check the stock for yourself before you go to the counter.

 

[bicker]

Originally posted by skeezixspud
... I just could not think of a catchy term to describe what it really is!

Hehe... sometimes it is okay just to say things as they are. Catchy terms tend to confuse things, especially if they're not precisely what is meant.

Essentially, they are failing to deliver what they promised for the agreed-upon price,

Are they? I believe if you read the fine print, they reserve the right to substitute one model for another of comparable or greater value.

That's an important thing to keep in mind: Technically, when you book a minivan, they could give you a luxury car instead, even though it has fewer seats. They probably wouldn't do that, and you'd have right to be upset, but again, legally, they could do that.

 

[CarolA]

Dollar is not alone in this practice. I have had it pulled on me at National and Hertz. Since in both cases I was traveling for business I said no, give me the car class I ordered. Almost every time I have gotten a "free upgrade". This is not the same as the few times they have offered me a deal on a luxury and/or convertible. In those cases when I turned it down I either got what I reserved or one car size up. Personally, the $10 a day upgrade is WAY too high. On my corporate rate there is just a few dollar difference between the midsize and the luxury.

 

[Eeyore1954]

With car rental companies keep in mind they make their profit on such things as "upgrades", insurance sales (another rip-off) and pre-paid gas sales. Most of the customer service reps will politely "push" those items, but a firm, steady "No, thanks!" is usually all that's needed.

If they do not have a car in the class I reserved, I simply ask them what they currently have available that they will offer me. I avoid using the term "upgrade" like the plague. As soon as you say the word, the $$ light up in their eyes and they assume you asked and they can charge for it.

Most of the national companies will usually bump you to the next car class if they have nothing available in the class you reserved.

If the rep doesn't seem willing to do this, ask for the manager on duty. In some cases I got a new rep who didn't know the drill or in one case he was having a "bad hair day."

 

[skeezixspud]

I would respect that, but they are trying to to manipulate me into allowing them to circumvent that promise.

I don't say "upgrade" either (my usual word is "substitute") but I don't like being held at the counter for longer than necessary while they attempt to pitch the same extra charge 3 more times after being told point-blank that I am holding them to the price on the printed quote.

I will always go with the better price if the difference is over 5%. However, my preferred company is National, and this is a big reason why. They have never failed to cheerfully give me a larger model, and they seem to have the sense to realize that they win points by giving the impression that they are doing it happily. When it happens at National, the usual thing they say is, "Good news, we are all out of compacts, so I can let you have something nicer." They then usually give me a choice of 2 different models of intermediate or full-size. Same situation, much better way to handle it. They win in the long run, because when the price is comparable, I'm going to go with the company that is more pleasant to deal with.

 

[bicker]

Originally posted by skeezixspud
I would respect that, but they are trying to to manipulate me into allowing them to circumvent that promise.

Sorry, no. As far as I can tell, they never said that they wouldn't provide you with a vehicle of comparable or greater value for the price you were quoted. They'd never do that since it would be a very costly PR nightmare for any company that tried something like that.

 

[bicker]

Originally posted by skeezixspud
When it happens at National, the usual thing they say is, "Good news, we are all out of compacts, so I can let you have something nicer." They then usually give me a choice of 2 different models of intermediate or full-size. Same situation, much better way to handle it. They win in the long run, because when the price is comparable, I'm going to go with the company that is more pleasant to deal with.

That's you, and I work the same way. I suspect, though, that enough people would take the "upgrade" rather than hold out for the rate they were quoted, to make it a profitable customer-interaction policy for most of the major rental car companies.

 

[NancyIL]

The same thing happened to us when we rented from Alamo in San Diego a few years ago. We reserved a minivan - thinking we would get a Chevy Venture. They said we could "upgrade" to a Chevy Astro for only $6 more per day. We don't like Astros, and it was a 2-week rental, so we declined. When we got to our assigned vehicle, lo and behold...it was the Astro! My DH went back in to ask about the Chevy Venture - only to be told that they hadn't had those minivans in several months!