what to do if car size sold out?

[welovespacemoutain]

We booked a minivan through Budget - which we need to have in order to fit DD's wheelchair and our luggage. I just checked to see if I could get a better deal and they are sold out of minivans for our date. In theory, I have one reserved - but do I have any recourse if they just say "sorry were out" when we show up and take a smaller car. (we are arriving at 10 pm). A full size SUV would be a lot more $$. I've tried to get a backup at alamo or national just in case - they are out too. Advice would be appreciated! Thanks!

 

[Orlando Vic]

We booked a minivan through Budget - which we need to have in order to fit DD's wheelchair and our luggage. I just checked to see if I could get a better deal and they are sold out of minivans for our date. In theory, I have one reserved - but do I have any recourse if they just say "sorry were out" when we show up and take a smaller car. (we are arriving at 10 pm). A full size SUV would be a lot more $$. I've tried to get a backup at alamo or national just in case - they are out too. Advice would be appreciated! Thanks!

If you have reserved a given size, Budget is obligated to give you that size or upgrade you to a larger one at no cost to you.

If you have tried Alamo and National with no luck, try some others too.

 

[iheartdisney]

We booked a minivan through Budget - which we need to have in order to fit DD's wheelchair and our luggage. I just checked to see if I could get a better deal and they are sold out of minivans for our date. In theory, I have one reserved - but do I have any recourse if they just say "sorry were out" when we show up and take a smaller car. (we are arriving at 10 pm). A full size SUV would be a lot more $$. I've tried to get a backup at alamo or national just in case - they are out too. Advice would be appreciated! Thanks!

I am not a career traveler, but twice they were out of the size we had reserved. I was bumped up, not down when they were out of our size. And we didn't have to pay the difference.

 

[Greysword]

Since you have a wheelchair, getting into and out of a minivan will be much easier than using a full-sized SUV. You may want to call the Orlando desk ahead of time and let them know why you need a minivan, so they can be more certain to have one available.

Good luck!

 

[jlewisinsyr]

You will probably have no issues. You are traveling to a hot tourist market where "multiple" held rentals are more of a problem then others, with a greater percentage of no-shows then other locations.

In the rare case they are out, they should upgrade you without any issues to the next class (ie. SUV). They may try to "offer" you a paid upgrade immediately, but don't accept it, because they may just be trying to get some additional cash for an upgrade they're going to have to give anyway.

 

[welovespacemoutain]

Thanks for the input. We are flying into Clearwater, not Orlando, so that limits the options and inventory a little bit. Plus we arrive on Thursday - smack in the middle of Spring Break/Easter. Good to know they have to give me a bigger car (if they have one.....)

 

[duffy]

They may offer to put you in a bigger car...for only a few dollars each day more. This is usually code for "we are out of the size you booked, and have plenty of bigger ones. We don't want to just GIVE you the bigger one when we can convince you to pay for it."

Just say, "no thanks, we don't want the bigger one," and you may find yourself upgraded to the bigger one anyway for free. If they're out of your size, they'd rather you pay for a bigger one than be forced to give it to you at the cheaper price, because they're out of your size.

 

[pooch]

They may offer to put you in a bigger car...for only a few dollars each day more. This is usually code for "we are out of the size you booked, and have plenty of bigger ones. We don't want to just GIVE you the bigger one when we can convince you to pay for it."

Just say, "no thanks, we don't want the bigger one," and you may find yourself upgraded to the bigger one anyway for free. If they're out of your size, they'd rather you pay for a bigger one than be forced to give it to you at the cheaper price, because they're out of your size.

That's what happened to DH & I at Tampa Int'l in January. Thrifty clerk kept pushing the "deal" of upgrading to a higher class. I kept politely refusing &, oh look, got the bigger car anyway, just didn't have to pay for it!!! If they are out of the price class you reserved, they must upgrade you at no cost.

Actually, this also happened to us on our first Disney trip in 1984. We decided not to fight the crowds at the Alamo counter & sat enjoying the sunshine until the crowds were gone. We had rented a compact & got a fully loaded Camaro instead!!!!

 

[gduvall]

We once flew into Orlando on Thanksgiving evening and had a full size car reserved. We landed around 6:00pm and they had nothing but a intermediate. Even though our luggage wouldn't fit, there was nothing we could do, they had nothing to upgrade us too. It was take a intermediate or nothing. Plus the intermediate had just been returned, so it had just come in. This was before Magical Express and that wouldn't have worked anyway because we were driving to Lakeland to see my parents before Disney. Would be very costly to get a taxi.

Does anyone remember the Seinfeld episode about the rental car. He had a reservation, but they don't actually reserve a actual car for you. It was very true for our experience.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

We were offer an upgrade and also offered the option to bring the upgraded car back the next day to exchange it for the class we were booked in. We just kept the upgrade.

 

[duffy]

We once flew into Orlando on Thanksgiving evening and had a full size car reserved. We landed around 6:00pm and they had nothing but a intermediate. Even though our luggage wouldn't fit, there was nothing we could do, they had nothing to upgrade us too. It was take a intermediate or nothing. Plus the intermediate had just been returned, so it had just come in. This was before Magical Express and that wouldn't have worked anyway because we were driving to Lakeland to see my parents before Disney. Would be very costly to get a taxi.

Does anyone remember the Seinfeld episode about the rental car. He had a reservation, but they don't actually reserve a actual car for you. It was very true for our experience.

You should have been refunded the difference between what you paid and what you were forced into accepting.

 

[gduvall]

You should have been refunded the difference between what you paid and what you were forced into accepting.

We were, but the difference was less than 10-20 dollars. The cost wasn't the actual problem. It was fitting 2 adults, 2 kids, with 4 suitcases and carry ons. Back set was very full, including trunk.

 

[duffy]

We were, but the difference was less than 10-20 dollars. The cost wasn't the actual problem. It was fitting 2 adults, 2 kids, with 4 suitcases and carry ons. Back set was very full, including trunk.

Ah. I see. Well, I guess you were out of luck.

 

[DISNEYNY]

You will probably have no issues. You are traveling to a hot tourist market where "multiple" held rentals are more of a problem then others, with a greater percentage of no-shows then other locations.

In the rare case they are out, they should upgrade you without any issues to the next class (ie. SUV). They may try to "offer" you a paid upgrade immediately, but don't accept it, because they may just be trying to get some additional cash for an upgrade they're going to have to give anyway.

I was wondering about no shows. I have read about people making multiple bookings. So you rent cars at multiple companys & just don't show up - there are no penalties for this? They don't charge you anything like a hotel would?