Dont rent from Alamo/National!!!!!

[wdwfan1]

I posted earlier and neglected to mention that we go directly to the garage whether we rent from National or Alamo.

 

[CarolMN]

...(snip)....The OP posted this libel (or is it slander) on multiple boards and makes their credibility questionable....(snip)....

I am neither the OP nor a troll and I do not agree with this statement. All it says to me is the poster is upset with the treatment received. Unhappy people tend to tell as many people as will listen about their bad experiences. That doens't make them a troll.

FWIW, I also have had a very bad experience with Alamo. Due to the way it was handled, I will never use them again. The bad experience was several years ago, but they lost me forever.

I also agree with those who posted that bad experiences can be had anywhere. For me, it's not that bad things happen, it's how the provider handles them. I will continue to patronize companies at which I had a bad experience, as long as the "recovery" is done correctly.

 

[n2mm]

I'm sorry that the OP had a bad experience, but that in no way would cause me not to use a particular company. I have used National and Alamo (mostly National) and even Dollar many times -- more than 50 rentals over the past 10 years and while most of them went smoothly, sometimes there were problems. Bad things happen sometimes and solutions are not always forthcoming. We had a bad situation with National 2 years ago when we went to drop off our car and the receipt was printed and was double and it took over 30 minutes to straighten out, which required loud voices and several levels of managers--and trying to straighten it out and not miss our flight home! Overall most of our experiences with National have been good and uneventful. We rented with Alamo 3 times last year and all went well with them too. We have shown up to the lots with no cars to choose from. We have been sent from National to Alamo to select a car and from Alamo to National. Bad things happen sometimes--I don't know too many companies that have a 100% customer satisfaction record. Hopefully the OP will write a letter to the company.

 

[CarolA]

If the OP was the ONLY person to post that Alamo had HORRID service then I would be inclined to go troll. But I don't think that's true. Alamo is KNOWN far and wide for bad service and LOW rates... folks complain but then they go with the cheapest. Me I won't book Alamo under any conditions. I will just pay cabs before I ever give them another penny!

 

[n2mm]

If the OP was the ONLY person to post that Alamo had HORRID service then I would be inclined to go troll. But I don't think that's true. Alamo is KNOWN far and wide for bad service and LOW rates... folks complain but then they go with the cheapest. Me I won't book Alamo under any conditions. I will just pay cabs before I ever give them another penny!

Just curious, was it established that the OP used Alamo?? The post says Alamo/National. Not sure which one they used, or which one they are referring to. Looks like they don't plan to use either one. Did I miss something?

 

[Disneyjosh229]

Just curious, was it established that the OP used Alamo?? The post says Alamo/National. Not sure which one they used, or which one they are referring to. Looks like they don't plan to use either one. Did I miss something?

Good point, I don't see it specified either.

 

[calena]

I posted earlier and neglected to mention that we go directly to the garage whether we rent from National or Alamo.

I have some Alamo credit vouchers (through Airmiles) - do you think I could use them at the garage or just through the main -long line - terminal? Thanks. Deb

 

[leanne11]

we always use dollar and i do get pushed into extra's but i whip out my ressie and say that is all i'm paying, they have pulled the old well, you can't fit all that luggage in your little car and i say then give me a free upgrade, sometimes they do, and if not i'm fine, i'll fit it in...

 

[djarhansen]

But, to be fair, it was our fault for leaving it in the car. They did not make me do that!


Oh- I agree with you 100% it was our fault for leaving it in the car. I dont even expect a refund or a replacement. I would just like to see if on the off chance it is still in the car. Being as they obviously don't clean the cars maybe it is still sitting on the floor. (Not holding my breath though). However the problem I have is, I called them 30 mins. after dropping the car off and asked to go back and get it and they told me no to wait until Mon. Had I been allowed to do that, then I would have my daughters MP3 player back. I am just beyond words at how poor their customer service is. When speaking to an employee on Mon. the 12th I asked for a manager to call me. Exactly 1 week later, I did finally get a return call. He apologized and said he would personally look into it and call me back as soon as possible. That was Mon. the 19th. Today is the 25th! I tried calling him back at the number he gave me and all I get is a recording saying "this mailbox is full" and then it disconnects the call. I am not expecting anything at this point from them, I am just venting. Even if they offered me a free rental, I dont want to ever use them again. I know nobody is perfect and everybody has bad days but I now have spoke to 5 different people and with the exception of 1 (his name was Frank) everybody is rude, unhelpful or clearly doesn't return calls in a timely fashion! Oh well....live and learn, right?

 

[n2mm]

Who did you rent from? Alamo or National

 

[djarhansen]

Its also possible that OP is lying but whether that is true or not there is no way to prove it so you throw it and see if it sticks. The OP posted this libel (or is it slander) on multiple boards and makes their credibility questionable.

I stated that this happens to everyone - I was trying to be nice. This was before I realized OP is a troll. (see def of internet troll below)

I have rented from National and Alamo since 1977 and a Emerald Club member. I HAVE NEVER HAD A PROBLEM. Got a hassle twice at gate at MCO. First time about a coupon and I had to pay higher rate but they credited it and apologized after an e-mail. Second time (last June) the clerk did not know how to process a credit card- I didnt complain or post here about it. These are the things that happen. If you get a dirty car YOU RETURN IT!. No A/C - YOU RETURN IT. If you leave something in the car you say OOPS- MY BAD and hope you get it back.

There is no way for National/Alamo to give away your car and I am still waiting to hear how that was done.

------------------------
from http://curezone.com/forums/troll.asp

An "Internet troll" or "Forum Troll" is a person who posts outrageous message to bait people to answer. Forum Troll delights in sowing ******* on the forums. A troll is someone who inspires flaming rhetoric, someone who is purposely provoking and pulling people into flaming discussion. Flaming discussions usually end with name calling and a flame war.
---------------------------

WOW....where to begin. Believe me or not, I dont care. I was actually just trying to help/warn others from getting the same treatment as I did.

Yes, I know nobody is perfect and mistakes are made. That would hold water if I had been dealing with just 1 person in general from NATIONAL however my experience with several different people has not been pleasant. Just my opinion. Again, you can do whatever you want. As for being a "troll" I wasn't even going to respond back to these forums b/c my vacation is done, again I just wanted to warn others. The only reason I did come back and check them is b/c somebody sent me a private message. You can do a search of my screen name and view all my previous post ever made. All of which were questions or pleasant comments. Before you start defining people as "trolls" maybe you should do some research or better yet realize these boards are to help one another. Take what you read as advise and either use it or don't.

Just to clarify, we booked our reservation with NATIONAL. When we got to the airport and tried to retrieve our car at the self-check computers our reservation could not be found. Being as there was NOT A SINGLE person behind the desk to help us, I walked over to the Alamo desk. The lady explained that they are owned by the same company so she could look up our reservation. Being as we have a common last name, they gave our min-van away to another family with the same last name several hours earlier. I wasn't mad, no big deal. Just give me another car and let me on my way.

Reason why we didn't return the car when we realized it was dirty the next day is b/c we were leaving for a Disney cruise. After getting the car we drove straight to cape Canaveral (keep in mind it was very late at night,being as our flight was delayed). It was the next morning when we saw how gross the car really was. I didn't have time to drive back to Orlando. Nor did I care. The car got us to the boat. That’s all I wanted. Had that been the end of our adventure with them, I wouldn't even think twice about it. Maybe the kid who cleans the cars was feeling lazy that day. We all do sometimes, who cares? My point with my whole post is the HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE. At this point, I dont want anything from them. I am hoping (not holding my breath) that whoever rented the car after us is a honest person and will turn in my daughters MP3 player. Obviously, once again they didn't do a good job of cleaning the car before renting it or they would have found the MP3 player. Either that, or 1 of the employees has a new MP3 player.

Again, do what you want. I am not going to loose any sleep over it. Every car company has it faults, I was just sharing my experience with National/Alamo.

 

[DISNEYDUET]

We always rent from Alamo and National but on a prev. trip we went with Avis. Never, Ever again!! The car was filthy and had lots of scratches and dings. When we went to return it they tried to charge us for the dings! Luckly I had take a picture of the vehicle in the parking garage and showed the manager when we returned it. We would have taken another car but it was the last one in our rental class. I guess in the end it could happen to anyone at any agency.

 

[djarhansen]

I am neither the OP nor a troll and I do not agree with this statement. All it says to me is the poster is upset with the treatment received. Unhappy people tend to tell as many people as will listen about their bad experiences. That doens't make them a troll.

FWIW, I also have had a very bad experience with Alamo. Due to the way it was handled, I will never use them again. The bad experience was several years ago, but they lost me forever.

I also agree with those who posted that bad experiences can be had anywhere. For me, it's not that bad things happen, it's how the provider handles them. I will continue to patronize companies at which I had a bad experience, as long as the "recovery" is done correctly.

Thanks Carol!

 

[TDC Nala]

If I didn't rent from places that got at least one bad review on this board, I'd never rent from anybody. Crap happens.

I had one bad experience with National and it's not enough to stop me but I'll be cautious with them from now on.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Oh- I agree with you 100% it was our fault for leaving it in the car. I dont even expect a refund or a replacement. I would just like to see if on the off chance it is still in the car. Being as they obviously don't clean the cars maybe it is still sitting on the floor. However the problem I have is, I called them 30 mins. after dropping the car off and asked to go back and get it and they told me no to wait until Mon. Had I been allowed to do that

Again, it's not obvious that they don't clean their cars; it's simply obvious they did not first clean a car for which you'd already waited an hour before renting it to you. As for going back to the car? Unless somebody from the car rental agency was standing with you at the airport physically preventing you from going back to the garage, there was nothing other than a telephone request actually preventing you from going back and looking at/for/in the car.

Its also possible that OP is lying but whether that is true or not

It's possible, but it's FAR more likely that each person posting here is telling the truth about having different experiences with the same agency (or similar experiences with different agencies).

 

[keishashadow]

Hate to break it to you, ALL rental car agencies overbook; expect people who aren't using prepaid or guaranteed (via membership QS, EA) to cancel.

We've had it happen in mid-size SUV category with alamo/national where they parked pt cruisers on the aisle . We took it, but requested a refund when we got home.

Most times only a few vehicles have been on the aisle(s) when we arrive; typically 1:30 p.m. or so in afternoon...picked clean.

As I was told before Presidents day one year: "...be glad you got anything..."

customer service?

 

[manning]

We always rent from Alamo and National but on a prev. trip we went with Avis. Never, Ever again!! The car was filthy and had lots of scratches and dings. When we went to return it they tried to charge us for the dings! Luckly I had take a picture of the vehicle in the parking garage and showed the manager when we returned it. We would have taken another car but it was the last one in our rental class. I guess in the end it could happen to anyone at any agency.

I saw a problem with Avis once. The guy complaining didn't even get out of the lot. When asked why he wanted a different car he handed them the steering wheel. It came off when he shifted into drive.

 

[bavaria]

If I didn't rent from places that got at least one bad review on this board, I'd never rent from anybody. Crap happens.

EXACTLY. I too have had poor experiences with National, but their customer service department resolved the issues quickly and efficiently.

I tend to disregard angry posts of 'I'll never use XYZ again! ' since chances are that when XYZ has some very low rates, that poster WILL use them again. (I usually stick to Hertz, but if National was offering cars at $10 a day I would probably try them again)

In this case, I am even less likely to place credence to a post which doesn't just say 'I'll never use XYZ again', but TELLS everyone else that they should not use XYZ again, and is posted in multiple locations.

I also tend to disregard posts which go overboard on hyperbole such as

Being as they obviously don't clean the cars

.

OP, I'm sorry that you had a bad experience, but your post does not make me any more inclined to avoid these rental agencies.

 

[bavaria]

In this case, I am even less likely to place credence to a post which doesn't just say 'I'll never use XYZ again', but TELLS everyone else that they should not use XYZ again, and is posted in multiple locations

I've now run into this same thread, posted by the same poster, on no less than SIX different boards here.

 

[kjs1976]

We continue to rent from Alamo because QS has been very easy and speedy to use and we've never had issues with the car itself.

We were warned on this board they'd try to sell us more insurance b/4 we knew about QS and they did, but we declined to a grumpy employee. A supposed non-English speaking employee overcharged us when we dropped off our cars last June....when we went to check it out at the counter, she suddenly couldn't speak English to us, although she just had when we had her check out our cars. We got the problem resolved quickly to her error, but if I didn't double check it (charged us for extra gas and not my parents when we had just gassed up and followed each other to the airport) we would have had to pay the extra amount.

We continue to get the best deals, watch our backs, and know that if we have that printed confirmation in hand, we're good to go.