Making It Up As I Go Along #471

Vacation basically meant two blog posts in a three week period. But things should be more level again now that I’m back to Ottawa and work.

Budget Rent a Car is the Devil

Budget Rent a Car is the devil.

They are so bad that it’s hard to comprehend. Perhaps it’s all car rental companies. I’ve heard some say that Budget is actually the best of the lot. If so, I pray I never rent another car.

We spent more time at the car rental desk in Vancouver airport than it would take to fly there from Calgary. Hell, we likely could have crossed both BC and Alberta in our plane in the amount of time it took to leave Budget with a vehicle. We sat and stood there for an hour and a half.

It began looking pretty clear. “We have your reservation and have a nice Volvo that will be ready in a few minutes… it’s just getting washed.”

That car never appeared. I still don’t know where it is. Perhaps it was like the last sliver of a bar of soap… it just vanished in the scrubbing.

So we waited and waited some more. Until dad went to them and asked “where is this car?”

The answer came after about another twenty minutes. “Thanks for your patience, your car is ready, it’s in stall 9.”

Out we go with bags in tow… and to stall 9 we reach… and no Volvo is seen. Instead a boat of a North American car sits there. One which was offered in place of our Volvo some ten minutes earlier…. Which we declined at that time saying “we’ll wait for that Volvo.” Budget decided that we may not notice the switch. Maybe they thought ten extra minutes would cause our brains to dissolve. Maybe they just don’t care.

So we return the keys and signed contract, and say we don’t want this car. And still we wait.

A staff member walks the lots with my parents. And points out another Volvo… and SUV version that’s very nice.

Wanting to rid ourselves of the horror which is the Budget parking lot… and hoping to get on the move in time to reach the ferry terminal and actually make our reservation, we take it.

They proclaim how it’s the nicest car on the lot. They tell us we’ll have a good time in it. They don’t apologize for our long wait. And they don’t tell us that they’re charging us double in order to take this car.

No, Budget hides behind the printed contract. And yes I signed it. And had I read it I would have seen the cost we were being charged. But after a five and a half hour flight, followed by an hour and a half wait for a rental car… and with a ferry reservation getting ever closer… I just wanted to get on our way. So I signed my soul to the Budget Devil. I signed it thinking they were human. Thinking they were giving us a break for their incompetence. Thinking that our wasted time was being looked after by their upgrading us.

Little did I, or any other member of my family, know that our wasted time was a good excuse for them to double their fee.

Nobody working there said “We can offer you this one but it will cost more.” No, see that’s how humans would behave. And Budget is the Devil after all. They just said “Here’s a nice car… just sign here and you can go.”

So it wasn’t until we were two thirds through our trip when I saw what was done. I looked at my banking statement online… saw my credit card bill… and there was the car rental cost… doubled what we were originally quoted.

But what are you going to do? Two thirds through the vacation… days away from returning the car… and hundreds of kilometres away… we figured we’d wait and voice our displeasure in person.

On the way, we notice a few chips in the windshield. Off to Apple Autoglass and one is repaired while the other is said to be old… with the repair compound already filling the chip. There is no way it can be done again. So we figure it must have been there prior to our getting the car… a small chip I failed to see on the walk around.

Well Budget didn’t fail to see it. Within seconds of our return they encircle the mark with chalk and tell us we’ll have a $1000 damage deposit put on the credit card… to go along with the doubled we were charged in the first place.

And when we state our case regarding the cost of our rental, they basically accuse us of either (a) making up a story for a discount, or (b) being stupid.

“So you’re just saying you saw the amount it would cost but still just signed the contract?” “You did sign it right?” “If you the chip wasn’t on the windshield by way of your driving, why did you go to Apple?”

At no point did they show concern for our wait when we got the car. At no time did they believe we weren’t vocally told of the upgrade in price.

Instead they said “You signed, you’re charged.” And “By the way, we may charge you to replace this windshield as well.” But they couldn’t be sure on that last point. Because the experts who actually know the difference between a new chip and a previously repaired one were no longer in on that day. They would call us with a definite answer in the morning.

Only they didn’t do that either. No call at all… but we had to pop by their again anyway because we had left some items behind.

And that’s the only positive I can give for Budget. They didn’t take or sell off our shirt, hat and camera. The items were there waiting for us. But the matter of the windshield was still not known.

For even the experts they spoke of the day before couldn’t be sure of the chip. They’d have to send it to their glass expert… and if they find it’s a matter to charge us for, we’ll find out in about 5 days. If not, a 2 day wait is expected.

The people on CSI solve murders in an hour. The guy at Apple Auto Glass could tell us in minutes. Budget need the better part of a week to let us know.

And here it is, two days later… and still no word on the windshield. And no reasonable course of argument if they come back with an outlandish repair fee.

Mom said it, and it’s true, we would have been better off buying a car in Vancouver, driving it around for the few weeks, and then selling it ourselves. That’s the type of cost we’re talking about with the Budget shenanigans.

My hope is to never again rent a car. It’s just not worth the aggravation. But if ever I do, I can assure you it won’t be from Budget. After all, I’ve only got the one soul… and thanks to this go ‘round with them, it’s already spoken for.


THURSDAY…
--- Creston for a walk around the wildlife reserve. Some rain off and on all day but we don’t get too wet. The evening is spent around the house playing Yahtzee.

FRIDAY…
--- Golf with Duff. First real test on my shoulder since I hurt it and it does pretty well. Rusty though… but my back nine is six strokes better than the front… so heading in the right direction.
--- Supper after golf and a few new shirts bought. Some games after we get back.

SATURDAY...
--- A market in the morning then off to New Denver in the afternoon. Hang around by the water and mountains by the Valhalla Store (where a shirt, hat, and shorts are bought) and have a little lunch near there too.
--- Supper at home and an evening of games. I win Yatzhee. Lose badly in Pit.

SUNDAY…
--- Hiking. Up trying to reach Unnecessary Ridge. But after two hours of uphill hiking, Duff, Edena and I stop about twenty minutes short. Take in the view, have a sandwich, and head back down again. Snow along the trail near the top… that’s how high we are. And the legs are gone at the end. Duff could have kept going… but Edena and I would have needed helicopters if we continued higher.
--- Supper at the Colander. I am the first person in the family who doesn’t order the special (over a good 10 year period). Lasagna was A1.

MONDAY…
--- Off to Nacusp by way of a picnic in New Denver. The hot springs await at Halcyon. The cabin is a tight squeeze but it’s a good time.

TUESDAY…
--- After a morning plunge back in the hot springs, we head to Kaslo for lunch and a little shopping before heading back to Castlegar through Nelson. Would have stopped at Nelson but the rain is crazy and we push through instead.
--- Chinese food supper and some games in the evening.

WEDNESDAY…
--- Running around day. Nelson in the morning with mom, dad, and Fraser… some shopping and lunch there. A little shopping follows back in Castlegar and then we hit Trail to buy a Smoke Eaters jersey. Off to Rossland to end the day with an ice cream and home again to Castlegar for supper.
--- Some packing after supper and a game of cards.

THURSDAY…
--- Long drive back to Vancouver. Budget rent a car is a horrible organization. We will never deal with them again. And the GPS tries to send us the wrong way… but the airport hotel is great and a supper at Duff’s parent’s house is nice.

FRIDAY…
--- Flying back east. Watch a movie and a documentary on the plane… pick up some groceries when I get back and unpack. Time to catch up on the PVR.

SATURDAY…
--- Physio… and find a flat tire on the car on the way home. Put some air in at the gas station and we’ll see from there.
--- Some TV the rest of the day.