| On my second visit to El Paso , I decided to save a few bucks and go with a cheap rental car , and did I get what I paid for ! 6 weeks prior I made the same trip and had no problems at all, booked it all on Orbitz and was on my way . Arrived at the Advantage counter , nice girl asked for my name and credit card , did I want to upgrade ? Did I want to pre pay for gas ? Did I want extra mileage , do I know I can't take the car to Mexico , do I know I need to fill the gas tank and write down the mileage , do I want the extra coverage in case of an accident ? NO , NO , NO , and no , I answered to all her questions ..I made sure I said NO to everything except the car itself . When I was handed the car rental document to sign , the amount at the bottom was high and I asked if that was for the deposit they require and would that drop off after I return the car ? Yes she said , that what the extra amount is . OK , I am on my way ! Upon returning the car 5 days later , I get gas , I write down the mileage and I pull into the car rental return lot where I got the car . There is a guy stading there , but he doesn't acknowledge me , so I wait ... then he starts waving his arms for me to pull into a spot still blocked by the another car .Who IS this guy ? I pull up as much as I can and the guy starts inspecting the car , pulling up the windsheild wipers , running his hands over the tires and hood , checking the windsheild ,like I just came in from a hailstorm or something , still hasn't said a word to me . I gather all my stuff from the front seat area, open the door and say " HI " The guy looks at me and says " did you put gas in it ? " " Yes , and I wrote down the mileage on the back of the receipt " , I say . He looks at me , and says " Get your belongings out of the car and check in inside " ... UH ok , I grab all my stuff and head in . At the counter a young guy checks me in , asks me if I want to pay with the same credit card I checked in with ? Sure , I say , then he hands me the final bill and I see the SAME large amount at the bottom .. I ask " whats this for ? " He says " Oh thats the extra insurance " . I said " NO I declined the extra insurance , so go ahead and take that off please " .. He says " Uh , I can't , I have to call my manager " OK .. Well, in comes grumpy a** from outside , counter guy tells him what I am disputing and he says " Did you sign this paper ? " I say " I signed the rental agreement " He slams the paper on the counter and says " Is this your signature ? " ... I pick it up and look at it and say" I think so , if this is the rental agreement I signed after I declined all the offers that were made to me , and if I signed for something that wasn't disclosed to me , that's stealing , I know my rights and responsibilities , and I know my car insurnace and AAA cover anything I need , so WHY would I have signed for something i didn't NEED or want " He then RIPS the papers out of my hand and says " IS this your signature on this LEGAL document , thats highlighted ? "Hmmm wasn't highlighted before ... At this point I am scared and I need to get to my flight , so I tell him thanks for stealing $100 from me and I am calling my credit card company to dispute this charge . I don't want to make a big freaking scene and am starting to cry so I leave , with all my paperwork . I get home , and calmly call the Advatage customer service number , surely this is a mistake and they can fix it ? Right ? NOPE , they give less of a crap than the jerk that is supposedly the manager . They ask if I want to file a complaint , but if I signed the paperwork , then I have to pay . There is no manager or supervisor I can speak to , but they gave me a number for the " office " in El Paso . I call the number she gave me , and ask the person who answers the phone where they are located ? Why , in the El Paso Airport ! And as the guy continues to speak I recognize his voice as the counter guy .WTF ? NO one I can talk to ? I filed a complaint with the BBB and in their response , the Advantage person said " Some consumers know how to use the system , and complain to get something back " AND "If something would've happened to the car she wouldn't be complaining ,I wish I could do this with my car insurance , ' I didn't have any accidents , so reimburse me ' " what an A-hole ! NO means no , and I said no when I checked in ! SO thats where this stands , I filed a complaint with the BBB and it is still being investigated . Its not even the stupid $100 , its the point that I said no , they still charged me, treated me like a criminal , and now they are being complete jerks .Its MY money ! |
