Reservation with Alamo AND National and you don't cancel one?

[wcduke]

Hi. I've read multiple times here on the Disboards about people who have a car rental reservation with Alamo AND National for the same rental time period. The posters say they just use one of these reservations when they get to the rental car area and just ignore the other one.

If you only use one reservation and do not show up for the other one and do not even cancel the other one, won't you still be charged for the unused reservation? If you don't cancel, aren't you obligated to still pay for the no show?

What am I missing? How come you don't have to pay for the no show?

Thanks!

 

[keishashadow]

A very good question.

A better one is why don't people have the courtesy to cancel multiple reservations as the date nears?

I'm sure the rental companies have algorithms as to no-shows & pricing but it strikes me that having a larger pool of unreserved cars (via cancelled reservations) would cause rates to drop across the board.

If they have a CC on file with the reservation you'd think they 'could' charge some sort of no-show cancellation fee. I haven't read thru the master rental agreements, not sure if they have un-exercised options as to penalties other than pre-paid rentals.

 

[Lewisc]

Most of the agencies, for most rentals, for most vehicle categories don't have a no show fee.

Some offer a prepaid rate

 

[bumbershoot]

What am I missing? How come you don't have to pay for the no show?

Thanks!

Because perhaps there's nothing in the basic agreement that sets a no-show fee.


when I go look up "cancel" on National, I see info about a "guaranteed reservation". It says they CAN charge you, but who knows if they ever do. And what's a "guaranteed reservation"? They capitalize the two words, which means it's a thing with a definition, not just A reservation.


That said, are you sure that when you read of this happening, the people aren't actually cancelling? Might just be part of the story that's not interesting or important, and so it's not mentioned.

 

[Lewisc]

Guaranteed reservations might apply to a vehicle classes with relatively few cars, maybe a large van or premium car. It might also apply to times of extreme demand, maybe the Superbowl. I understand you'll be told when you make the reservation.

Projecting no-shows is something the rental agencies have learned to live with. That said I'm surprised agencies under common ownership haven't started to purge reservations made by the same customer, for the same dates with different agencies.

 

[wcduke]

Because perhaps there's nothing in the basic agreement that sets a no-show fee.


when I go look up "cancel" on National, I see info about a "guaranteed reservation". It says they CAN charge you, but who knows if they ever do. And what's a "guaranteed reservation"? They capitalize the two words, which means it's a thing with a definition, not just A reservation.


That said, are you sure that when you read of this happening, the people aren't actually cancelling? Might just be part of the story that's not interesting or important, and so it's not mentioned.

I am almost certain what most people are doing is that they are not cancelling one at all. For example, one poster sited that when they got to the airport, they did not like what they saw on the aisle at National with their reservation, so then they went over to Alamo and used that reservation instead. Or vice versa.

I just assumed that if you were a no-show, they would charge you. But I guess I'm wrong.