What the hell?!

[eirias]

They turned our car off again.

I can't believe this is happening, and what's more, I'm starting to get very worried, because when we're in Southern Utah -- a trip for which we are leaving later this morning, providing, you know, they'll generously let us start the car -- we will have no way of contacting them short of begging a park ranger to let us use their phone. I am angry beyond words.

Suggestions? Who exactly does one go to to get them in major major trouble over this blatant safety violation? Is there an accrediting agency of some kind for car rental companies?

Comments

[vja2.livejournal.com]

Can you ask them for a refund? Perhaps rent a car from someone else? Can they give an explanation for the random-pressing-of-the-big-red-button?

[aatish2.livejournal.com]

I would begin by telling them that if this happens again you will be writing a complaint to the Better Business Bureau. (http://www.bbb.org/complaint.asp)

Also mention that you are going to be in a place where the loss of the car's ability to start is potentially life threatening. If you have an email addr for them, send them an email account of what has happened so that you have a written account of the incident. This way, if something goes badly wrong you also have legal recourse.

Doing a quick google search, I see you're not alone in your love for this car company.
(http://rss.epinions.com/rss/linkin_id-8003929/product-149113115524). You should point this out to them (say that this review appears on the second page of their google search and you will be adding a negative comment if they don't remedy their behavior).

Make sure you are talking to a manager or higher when you do this. That should put at least a basic fear of your wrath in them.

[feuervogel]

Skip the "if this happens again" part and call the BBB ASAP. And tell a manager type person.

[marphod.livejournal.com]

I'm with Akiko on this.

Why on earth would you say 'if it happens again'? Once is too often. Waiting for a third time to contact the BBB is ridiculous.

[trygve.livejournal.com]

Agreed. Demand a full refund, apology, new car from a reputable competitor of theirs, *and* report them to the BBB. If you end up still in this same car, stress the potentially life threatening nature of this mistake happening in a rural area where you are unable to communicate a need for help, and that their liability for your safety could go well beyond mere negligence if it happens again. (I don't know if that's the case, but sound lawyerly and threatening. =) And when you get home from your trip, write a letter to the highest levels of their company describing the absurd service and potential danger their employees put you in.

Because that is seriously fucked up.

[dmw7.livejournal.com]

That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Definitely call the BBB, and tell a manager at Advantage that you are doing so and why.

lame

[cognative.livejournal.com]

I'm fresh off several 'disapointments' with the airline industry. I'm all about raising hell in the case of rampant incompetance. I'd very calmly tell them that unless this car is free or nearly so, that you and everyone you ever meet will never rent from them. I'd ask for managers, or as high up as you can get.

If you were feeling sinster you might mention how interesting a local news story it would be if you got stuck in the middle of nowhere because they turned the car off.

I don't know about the BBB. Does that really work?

Re: lame

[ksledgemoore.livejournal.com]

I don't know about the BBB. Does that really work?

I contacted them once for Verizon, and it was literally the only thing that DID work with them. If most companies are as scared of BBB citations as Verizon is, then it will work very well. I had this incredibly awful experience with verizon that lasted like 5-6 months, but once I called BBB on them, they kissed my butt to make things better.

So, I recommend BBB and I recommend it NOW.

Re: lame

[trygve.livejournal.com]

I also *really* like the news story idea.

Re: lame

[eldan.livejournal.com]

My dad uses the "I'll tell the local papers" tactic from time to time, and it is often effective.

[rms10.livejournal.com]

I would definitely rent a car from someplace else and ask for a full refund. Call them up, and keep asking for supervisors until someone helps you out and gives you that full refund. And I like the suggestion of reminding them that they really don't want a news story about a couple stranded in Utah because their rental car company turned off their car!

Also, leave honest reviews for Advantage rental every place you possibly can.

p.s. Hey, wait a minute. You're technically an employee of a Big 10 school. Can't you get Emerald Club with National? As a grad student at Michigan, I've been able to do that.

[rms10.livejournal.com]

Also, WHAT THE FUCKING FUCK?!?!?!?

[trygve.livejournal.com]

Brilliant, Becky. =)

[marphod.livejournal.com]

Call your credit card company. Let them know what's going on, and see if they have an ombudsman or consumer advocate who can take this up for you (or, see if they're willing to put you in contact with their concierge service for their top-tier service, who can do the same).

And possibly call the WI (or Utah) department of Transportation, which appears to be the relevant licensing body. (not much on the website, but I found this: http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/drivers/plateguide/credentials/rental-id.htm)

Then, when you get home, write a nice letter to your credit card company refusing payment for the charge and why (non-delivery of services, among other things). CC the car rental place and the better business bureau.

Also, I'd write AAA (which rates rental companies). Probably JD Power & associated (which also does ratings). And your state (and the Utah state) attorneys general.

[trygve.livejournal.com]

These are also very good ideas.

Seriously, don't leave a single avenue unexplored in responding to this, it is beyond absurd, even before you factor in the potential risk of danger they're forcing on you.

[trygve.livejournal.com]

Liz tells me that contacting an attorney general directly isn't likely to have any effect, but that the DoJ will have a Consumer Protection division that it would be absolutely appropriate to contact.

[marphod.livejournal.com]

Oh, and call your car insurance company.

(and, if you got insurance through the rental company (Why?), call their help line as well.)

Someone increasing risk for an insurance company's client is probably a bad thing.

[roamin-umpire.livejournal.com]

When you call your attorney general, I might suggest trying the early morning. Why, you ask? Funny story...

About a year ago, a friend of mine who works as a clerk at a small law firm needed some information from the AG's office. She ended up calling a few times, left messages, even talked to a person once who said they'd get back to her - but it never happened. One day she calls at like 7:00 am hoping to get somebody different. She did and explains her situation. The man on the other end says, "Well, this is Eliot Spitzer (the AG). I'm going to make sure this is taken care of right away. If you have any further problems, or if you need anything else from my office, here's the direct line to my desk." Last Christmas, he (or more likely, a staffer) sent her a Christmas card.

So call, and call early. Who knows - you could end up on the governor's Christmas card list. :)

[drspiff.livejournal.com]

It's all been said. Just wanted to add a word of moral support.

[tiurin.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I really like the news story idea.

[trygve.livejournal.com]

Also, keep us posted. Let us know you've arrived safe. Let us know what action you take, and what kind of resolution you get.

Good luck! I hope the rest of your trip is at least enjoyable!

[nein09.livejournal.com]

nothing to say but I hope you get some good results from whatever you've decided to do. I'm definitely never going to rent from them, for any reason!

[razberriswirl.livejournal.com]

And you could leave the car running until you get back to Salt Lake City. :p

[darlox.livejournal.com]

Ok... view from a frequent traveller.

Rental cars are a commodity. They can be had anywhere. Price parity is even worse than with the airline industry. So when you find one that is substantially cheaper, or substantially more expensive than everyone else in the pack, generally that's for one of two reasons: They're either positioning themselves as a "Luxury" provider, with perks the others don't have. Or, they're going after the market segment they can screw the most.

Example: Rent-to-own furniture. It's so much cheaper than just going and buying furniture! But they lock you into a contract where, in the end, you end up paying 3 times the cost of the furniture would have been to begin with. When you fall behind on payments, they come and repossess it, spend $20 to steam-clean it, and then start the process with someone else, pocketing the money with virtually no degradation in their ability to re-sell the item.

Car rental is the same way. Firms like Advantage usually show up as being cheaper than all their competition. But then they whack you with fees for this, fees for that, that were buried in the fine print and not included in your quote... they find little dime-sized dings on the hood, that you missed when you checked the car out, and whack you for $500 as a "damage settlement." They're going after the low-income folks who they can, literally, nickel and dime to death.

One of the dangers of that business, is that's also the market segment most likely to not return the vehicle on time, or to try and take it out of the country, etc... So they equip them with GPS units and remote disablement devices. It's most likely that your car wasn't disabled BY them, so much as you were out of cellular range long enough that the car could not check-in with its base station, and it disabled itself, believing that it was somewhere it should not be, or that the remote check-in system had been disabled, and the car was sitting on a chop-shop lot. (Or in Southern Utah, possibly you parked in a canyon or something where it couldn't get GPS fix...) Either way, dead-man switches in rental cars are a controversial issue, and the vast majority of companies do not use them for this very reason.

Sucks that you've gotten caught up in this. But let's just say that responsible travelers on vacation aren't Advantage's target demographic. Folks that none of the other companies will rent to tend to be their demographic...

Read them the riot act when you get phone signal! At very least you'll probably get your car for free. But since you seemed to be asking "how could this happen", I figured I'd answer. Advantage has a horrible rep in the business travel world, and nobody who has any option rents from them more than once!!

Hope things improve for you!

[thekat03.livejournal.com]

oh, so *that* is how someone accidentally remotely turns off the same car twice while being rented out to the same person. i was sitting here thinking, "did they put that big red button right next to the coffee machine or something?"

good luck, eirias!