6 Confessions Of An Alamo Car Rental Agent

[palmage]

"I'm not among the best sales agents but believe it or not, the better ones make six figures. Even some part-timers are earning six figures or close to it."

I've never seen a rental car agent that looks like they made 100K.......
I've never seen a rental car agent that looks like they made 20K......

 

[tigfan]

If it's anything like a competitor for which my brother worked, it's not so much as a ploy as a lack of planning. It's sometimes just too hard to know for sure who is going to return which car to what branch and when, so unless there somebody stresses a dire need for a particular vehicle, they just don't bother.

Even as an employee, my brother could not get the particular class we needed one busy weekend. We ended up driving 1/2 hour away to a branch whose manager was driving one, and the crew cleaned it up and gave it to us.

That makes sense. It's like that Seinfeld episode...

"You're great at MAKING the reservation. It's KEEPING the reservation that you need to improve." :lol:

 

[miles1]

3. TO ALL YOU DEEKERS
First of all, you wonder how this family can fully enjoy its vacation. They are staying in a cheap motel far from the theme parks. The couple's freedom to roam the theme parks with the kids and the strollers is limited. The kids are too young to have future memories of this trip anyway. You even wonder how this cheap couple is going to eat while on vacation. Are they going to smuggle peanut butter and jelly sandwiches into the theme parks to avoid paying the high priced foods there or are they just going to go hungry? Here's a suggestion to those of you that fit this customer profile, leave the kids at home! Leave them with grandma or Aunt Betty and enjoy your vacation! Let your husband drive the SUV he'd like or treat yourselves to a convertible! Wander the theme parks freely and enjoy greater intimacy in a nicer hotel located closer to the parks. You'll enjoy your vacation more and you will help me feed my family!

Perhaps when the person that wrote this grows up and has a family, they may find that this is the only way that some hard-working folks can afford a vacation like WDW. Further, any parent that would leave their kids at home for a WDW vacation on a regular basis seems a little selfish to me. Seeing my kids have fun is half the reason for going there.

Its not surprising that this came from Alamo. I've never had a positive experience with them and find their tactics on a par with snake oil salesmen. I stopped using them long ago because of this. Its a shame that our British visitors often have dealings with Alamo as their first consumer experience in the U.S.; it probably sours many of them on visiting here again.

Anyway, enough of my rant. Thanks for the eye-opener Rob.

 

[mousermerf]

I've browsed this topic a few times.. and i must say.. what a disgusting human being.

And wow.. taking their job a bit seriously, no?

I'm finally old enough (as of today) to not pay the crazy under-25 fees (why i always booked Enterprise because they're not a total ripoff for it) and it looks like even without the fees i'll be sticking with Enterprise.

 

[mkt]

Merf... err, actually, Enterprise is just as bad in some ways. Personally, I prefer Avis

 

[Erika]

That makes sense. It's like that Seinfeld episode...

"You're great at MAKING the reservation. It's KEEPING the reservation that you need to improve." :lol:

:lol: Great reference

Perhaps when the person that wrote this grows up and has a family, they may find that this is the only way that some hard-working folks can afford a vacation like WDW.

Again, I say

 

[JLW11Hi]

3. TO ALL YOU DEEKERS
First of all, you wonder how this family can fully enjoy its vacation. They are staying in a cheap motel far from the theme parks. The couple's freedom to roam the theme parks with the kids and the strollers is limited. The kids are too young to have future memories of this trip anyway. You even wonder how this cheap couple is going to eat while on vacation. Are they going to smuggle peanut butter and jelly sandwiches into the theme parks to avoid paying the high priced foods there or are they just going to go hungry? Here's a suggestion to those of you that fit this customer profile, leave the kids at home! Leave them with grandma or Aunt Betty and enjoy your vacation! Let your husband drive the SUV he'd like or treat yourselves to a convertible! Wander the theme parks freely and enjoy greater intimacy in a nicer hotel located closer to the parks. You'll enjoy your vacation more and you will help me feed my family!

Hmm, maybe they are staying at a better resort nearer to Disney than you think, as well as eating at nicer places in the parks because they feel better not having wasted money on some frivilous extras on their rental car?

 

[Phonedave]

I remember the first time at WDW with my kids (and then wife)

The agent tried so hard to convince me that the luggage I had would not fit into the car I choose. You really need a minivan he told me.

Um - thats interesting, because somehow I got the luggage (and wife and kids) to the airport I left from in the same sized car. My luggage didn't expand on the plane.

The key being the kids SAT in the car seats, as opposed to putting them in the trunk

-dave

 

[disney4life2008]

If you have a VISA CARD.. I urge you to utilize their CDW coverage. I have State Farm already but I had no idea that Visa card members received CDW coverage if they decline it at the agent. I am a worry wort so this saves me hundreds of dollars!! You have to use your visa card to make the reservation and thats that.

 

[gembob]

As a 'Brit' they ain't gonna get what they expect from me!!! Though I think Virgin are now with Dollar but I am sure they are all the same!!

 

[gembob]

Its a shame that our British visitors often have dealings with Alamo as their first consumer experience in the U.S.; it probably sours many of them on visiting here again.

THB we (as a nation) do not like to displease people, do not like to send food back if there is something wrong, do not like to say no, do like to queue so all in all, we probably don't notice they are trying to rip us off most of the time!!!!

 

[slappy magoo]

Swell thread re-animation (IT'S ALIVE!).

I know it's not exactly on par with, say, ethnic jokes, but I'm kind of shocked how prejudiced the agent is towards people he can't seduce into upgrades. Don't get me wrong, I've done the retail sales thing, so I know some agents are really good at embodying the Type-A mover-and-shaker personality, where if a customer settles for less than the best, then YOU didn't do your job. But really, some people scale back on the rental car in order to afford other vacation perks, and the mentality that says people who only want an economy car are huddling 12-to-a-room in a Motel 8, setting newspaper on fire for warmth, keeping government cheese on ice for breakfast, it's all ridiculous. As good a sales rep as this guy MIGHT be, he'd peobably do even better were he not so obviously disdainful of his customer base.

 

[ErickainPA]

I'm a proud Deeker too. I actually just booked with a 20% discount and free upgrade and get this, it's now about $4 cheaper than it was 2 weeks ago when I booked, so I cancelled and rebooked.

 

[DznyGrlSD]

Deeker here :wave:

I always rent from Alamo, have never had a problem with their service and NEVER get any upgrades.

 

[gembob]

I'm a proud Deeker too. I actually just booked with a 20% discount and free upgrade and get this, it's now about $4 cheaper than it was 2 weeks ago when I booked, so I cancelled and rebooked.

LOL excellant!!!

 

[SAV]

Proud "Deeker" too. Like many have said. If you do your homework, use your coupons/codes, you don't need their upgrade. I am able to go to WDW yearly because I am able to do it on a budget. No reason to waste it on an upgrade to a car that will be driven to the hotel...Sit overnight...Driven to the park...Sit all day...driven back to the hotel. And PB& J sammiches are just fine for lunch. As long as I am happy, who cares what an $8 rental agent thinks.

And since I am a Schmoozer, I will always ask them if they want to give me a free upgrade to a larger car. I always go in there nice and always come out with a larger car. Heck, I will always ask anyone for a free upgrade or a discount on anything. Hotel rooms, free dessert, free breakfast at the hotel.

 

[Main Street USA]

..and people wonder why I want to do everything online and skip the counter. It's employees like this that think they have it figured out that have no business EVER speaking to a customer.

PS - GREAT avatar, SAV! They look insanely happy...and they have GREAT taste in rides.