Were you turned away?

[ICan'tWait]

I'm just curious how many people on these boards have not been able to use an "iffy" car rental code that they had reserved? What happened? What did you do?

 

[bavaria]

I have not been turned away but many many times Alamo and National have asked for proof of validity. This includes while I have been EE member and not using the counter. I have often had to get out and open the trunk to get my passport. One night they closed the booth and made the 10 or so cars get out of line behind me and go to another booth. Once I had my ID I had to back up and get back into the new line.

I also had National once deny use of an online coupon and even after talking to the manager on return they charged me full rate. I did call customer service and they eventually honoured the rate.

Most of those experiences were at MCO. I rent a car almost every week, as a point of reference.

 

[Lewisc]

Alamo (PHX) not only asked to see my COSTCO card by swiped it to capture my membership number.

Posters seem to have been able to use codes they know they're not entitled to use. This could change at any time.

 

[bavaria]

And since we just discussed this on another thread...

The experiences of others (including me) don't mean that it is an absolute. 99 people may not have their ID or validity checked, and 1 person may. You may end up having the same experience as the 99, or the 1.

Also, rental car companies are really struggling now. They are not just raising rates, they are increasing enforcement. Enforcing the use of discounts is one way to minimize losses. What happened to people in 2008 and 2007 really doesn't mean that it will happen in 2009 - we may well see more stringent enforcement in 2009 due to the dire situation of the rental car companies.

 

[tlens]

While I don't rent nearly as often as Bavaria, I do tend to rent enough. I have never once been asked for veification the code was legitimate. I don't use the iffy codes though. eg: I won't use a BJ's code if I don't have a membership.

I tend to be a little paranoid though due to a bad experience once and reserve cars at more than one location at MCO.

 

[BrerRabbit_fan]

We used an iffy code at PHX (Portland). It was 1am and we got turned away when we couldn't prove we deserved it. Good thing we had another reservation.

 

[ICan'tWait]

The experiences of others (including me) don't mean that it is an absolute. 99 people may not have their ID or validity checked, and 1 person may. You may end up having the same experience as the 99, or the 1.

I'm just curious about people's stories, what happened, etc.

 

[bavaria]

oh, I know - I'm just cautioning anyone reading. You'll get a variety of responses.

I must have a far more suspicious face than tlens, I suppose. But I do get checked very frequently!