Just two weeks ago, in a post about rental car upgrades, I mentioned how some car rental agencies will first try to upsell you. Then, if you decline the extra charge, they give you the higher-class car anyway, at no extra charge.
Well, it happened to me again. The scene of the crime: Dollar Rent-a-Car. San Antonio Airport. March 14.:
Agent: I see you’ve reserved a compact. We’ve got a 2-door Suzuki Forenza.
me: That’s fine, thanks.
Agent: The Forenza doesn’t have power windows, power locks, or power steering. For only $45 more for the duration of the rental, we can put you into a nice new Nissan Sentra, that’s a midsize.
me: (incredulously) The Forenza doesn’t have power steering?!!?
Agent: No, it doesn’t. We buy them with no options for $8000, that’s how we can rent them out so cheap.
me: (skeptically) But no power steering?? I’ll still take the compact, thanks.
Agent: You’re sure? It’s not much more for the Sentra!
me: I’m sure.
[type type type]
Fact Check, upon returning home:
1) The Suzuki Forenza doesn’t come in a 2-door.
2) All Suzuki Forenzas (sedans and wagons) come with power steering.
Here, have a review.
Back to the bamboozlement!
Agent: We recommend that everyone take our Loss Damage Waiver [I started tuning out for a bit here]… and we charge for loss of use, which your insurance doesn’t cover.
me: I know all about loss of use. I’m covered. I’m declining all coverage.
I love how the agent knows all about my personal auto insurance and the coverage provided by my Visa card. Nice.
After more typing, and some harrumphing by the agent, I get the contract, get on the shuttle bus, and get dropped off at my car…
A 2007 Nissan Sentra.
I looked around the lot, and how many Suzuki Forenzas — especially the mythical 2-door model without power steering — did I see? None.
On a previous post, commenter Jason wrote about attempts like this to upsell the customer when a free upgrade was pending. Jason said such practices were a fire-able offense at Alamo/National. Apparently not the case at Dollar…
In the end, I was fine receiving this upgrade, since it’s a decent ride with solid fuel economy. It’s not like they gave me a minivan.
But the outright lies that were told to me at the desk were atrocious.
Related:
- Reader mail: Why would I want to upgrade my rental car?
- Loss of use? Get lost.
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March 22nd, 2007 at 8:15 am
The practice is rife, worldwide.
I always decline, but frequently get a better car than I or my company has paid for.
Also, I find the list additional taxes and insurance wearing and would love to find an all-in package online such that nothing further is payable either on collection or return of the car.
March 26th, 2007 at 6:31 pm
Upselling, and selling quotas, are so not OK. The guy was no doubt under pressure from his boss, who was in turn under pressure from his or her boss, etc. to sell sell sell, customer satisfaction be damned. Or lose his job. The same short-sighted evil that plagued the late AOL and the moribund Jiffy Lube which effectively forced their employees to lie, trick, and deceive, to make “numbers,” or lose their jobs.
A clerk at the San Francisco airport in the late 1990s said, regarding the least expensive model, which I was inclined to rent, “Personally, I don’t think it’s a safe car.” WTF?!?!? I thought to myself, “Well, how can you in good conscience work for a company that rents out unsafe cars?” He worked for one of the big companies, I don’t remember which, I but I think it was/is “the green one” (National, maybe? — but not Enterprise) I strongly suspect his “opinion” had everything to do with trying to trick me into something pricier through use of literal scare tactics. Total sleaze. And I blame the company for promoting this kind of behavior with “numbers” pressure. Stoo-pid.
While I don’t rent cars very often, I have had good experiences so far with Enterprise, and have not been subjected to upsell pressure or tricks.
March 26th, 2007 at 6:38 pm
PS: Thanks, Mark, for reporting on this garbage. If it’s widespread in the car rental industry, it’s a scam. I hope you and others call more attention to it.
How about: You earn business (including repeat business and referrals) by providing value for money spent, and a good experience, with a resulting great reputation, vs. earning money (for the short term only) by upselling, games, tricking, gimmickry, manipulation, and outright lies.
Maybe somebody needs to record these car rental upselling interactions on tape.
March 26th, 2007 at 7:19 pm
Thanks, DB.
If anyone records their experience with upsells (or any other customer-service fun) at the car rental desk, I’ll post it.
August 20th, 2007 at 8:52 am
At Enterprise they do not tell you that there is a drop-off key box on their premises for after-hours returns.
December 11th, 2008 at 7:03 am
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