Advice to customers who EXPECT a certain make/model of car

[digilight]

My mother in law works in northern california and flys down once a month now (her work pays the expenses for it including rental car) she used to make the trip twice a month. She has always rented from the same place near the airport and they almost always upgrade her. Its actually kind of rare for her not to show up in a town car or a chrysler 300 or something similar. If they don't offer her an upgrade it doesn't bother her in the least. And its the manager of the location who does the upgrading for her. Its simply because over the last almost 8 years she's rented from them somewhere in the neighborhood of 150-200 times and is a very easy customer to deal with. And I'm sure dealing with a bajillion asshats renting cars (most of whom have traveled by plane) they love having a easy one in the mix after some of the fucktards.

Hell her car this past weekend was a dodge charger.

[Emrld]

I am rather similar in that what I expect is a clean functioning vehicle . . .This current time is due to being in an accident and so I have to rent what fits into the price limit they will pay. I know that you have a job to do . . .but honestly if someone has just been in a car wreck . . .they most likely don't want to think about spending more money just to have a vehicle closer to what they normally drive.
Also, please make sure that the car is fully good to go . . .my current is blinking negative milage due to it had an oil change but something wasn't reset correctly . . . and gosh the only way to change cars is to pay a fee . . .cause they don't have anything else to offer me at the moment . . .
Just a little from the other side of the counter.

[Geek King]

As a non-driver, I basically have to say "Does make/model *really* matter that much?" (Rhetorical, as I know people can be class A pricks) As long as it isn't prone to explosions, then it should all be good, no?

Well, sometimes it does matter. I am pretty tall (6' 4"). In some cars I can not sit fully upright without wedging my head against the roof, even with the driver's seat adjusted down. In others, like my mother's old Toyota Turcell, I can't move my legs freely enough to work the clutch. I have already made my peace with the fact that I will never drive a sports car.

I do have dreams of driving an older muscle car someday, though. A Barracuda or a Shelby Cobra would do nicely, thanks.

[protege]

It could have been worse. After my Tempo was destroyed, I had a few rental cars until I got the Tercel. First one I had was a Pontiac sedan of some sort. Not a bad car, but dangerous--the passenger seat wouldn't stay put! You'd gently brake, and watch the seat coming forward That didn't last long.

Since "E company" sometimes sold their cars after a few years, I actually thought about buying one of their cars. So we rented a few..since the insurance company was paying for it. After the Pontiac, came an Escort wagon, and then a little Festiva. That didn't last long--on the way home, I hit a pothole...which promptly tossed the car into the next lane That got replaced with a Nissan Sentra. Nice car, but there was no way I could afford it. Anyway, I found the Tercel a few days later.

As long as the car runs, I don't really care. However, if I'm paying for a full-size car, and I get a Festiva, I'm going to be pissed.

[wolfie]

If I want a Corvette, and I get a Dodge Neon, I'd be pretty freaking pissed off.

Back before the Focus came out, anyone who reserved a Mustang should have been perfectly happy getting an Escort (or vice versa). After all, if "Escort" and "Mustang" being used interchangeably were good enough for the 8th Air Force, it should be good enough for an individual.

[Andara Bledin]

As a non-driver, I basically have to say "Does make/model *really* matter that much?" (Rhetorical, as I know people can be class A pricks) As long as it isn't prone to explosions, then it should all be good, no?

It can be. I do the rental thing for my annual trips up to San Jose (I'm near Los Angeles), and some cars are just more comfortable for long trips than others.

We've had a PT Cruiser more than once, but the last couple of times we used one, it wasn't that comfortable for me to drive. The most recent rental, however, was a Dodge Caliber, and I adored that car! I'd totally buy one, if I could.

When the idiot in the Ford Exploder (love that name) took out my beloved Volvo, the first rental was a Ford Mustang convertable. It was a dog. Got a Mazda for the next week, and I was really impressed with the interior. There were storage places, everywhere!

^-.-^

[Hon'ya-chan]

So instead of being mad at the ones who stand behind the counter, or instead of calling and yelling at the reservation agent in another state who doesn't know your situation, consider the ACTUAL person who HAS the vehicle you want and didn't return it on the day THEY said or to the location THEY said they would.

Where is that image macro I had.....

Of course, has anyone asked you if you had the Shelby Mustangs??

[wanderingjoe72]

If I want a Corvette, and I get a Dodge Neon, I'd be pretty freaking pissed off. But I don't expect that happens.

Usually doesn't, because when you are renting an exotic, you are renting a specific car (and paying for it).

We have a rental agency here in town that rents Prowlers, Vettes and Porsches. Fun, but I am secure enough to drive around in my Saturn.

[auntiem]

I feel your pain, I also get people complaining that they can't specify Color! It is pretty sad that I have to say "you do realize that convertable in Hawaii will most likely be white?" to avoid them calling me from the rental counter.

[smileyeagle1021]

Do people wreck cars often?

you would be surprised... When i worked for national i was averaging 3 or 4 damage reports a day... granted most of it was minor stuff that wasn't going to be fixed anyway (door dings and the like), but at least twice a week there would be damage that would force us to remove cars from the fleet to be repaired/replaced... about once or twice a month we'd also have employees wreck cars (most common was cars bumping in the car wash).

Back on topic, the people who really irritated me were the people who were upset because they reserved a "cadilac or similar" and they got an infiniti.... guess what people, I drive a nissan versa, my car before that was a suzuki... so no, i don't know the difference between a cadi and an infiniti, both of them are a hell of a lot more than i can afford so as far as i'm concerned they're both really nice.