canyonwalker (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
canyonwalker) wrote2025-04-10 05:13 pm
canyonwalker) wrote2025-04-10 05:13 pm
Entry tags:
A Tale of Two Car Rental Experiences
Georgia Travelog #9
SAV Airport - Thursday, 10 Apr 2025, 9am
This morning I went back and tried it again. Renting a car at Savannah airport, that is. Recall that my attempt to rent a car there on Saturday was a complete clusterfuck. Well, I didn't try the same company again. The way Avis's operation was so awful, it struck me that awful is their normal. Plus, a slew of one-star reviews on Yelp, many citing wait times of multiple hours, solidified my impression that clusterfuckery is their SOP. Thus for this morning I reserved a rental car with Alamo instead.
Alamo was night-and-day better than Avis. I was a tad worried when the Alamo rental counter was closed and directed customers over to Enterprise, their parent company. There were a few people in front of me in line— vastly fewer than the 30 or so in line at Avis Saturday afternoon— and the agents were working the line quickly.
The moment of truth came when the agent had me sign the contract and handed me the paperwork. "Go out those doors," she said, motioning to the doors right next to us, "And hand your paperwork to the person at the first kiosk. They'll show you to your car."
TA-DA!
Now why is that so fucking hard for a major car rental agency to do? Avis, I'm talking to you.
Better yet, the car Alamo offered me— actually, my choice amongst three— seems pretty nice, a Mazda CX-50. I picked it because it's got heated seats, which should make the next 3 days of travel a lot easier on Hawk.
SAV Airport - Thursday, 10 Apr 2025, 9am
This morning I went back and tried it again. Renting a car at Savannah airport, that is. Recall that my attempt to rent a car there on Saturday was a complete clusterfuck. Well, I didn't try the same company again. The way Avis's operation was so awful, it struck me that awful is their normal. Plus, a slew of one-star reviews on Yelp, many citing wait times of multiple hours, solidified my impression that clusterfuckery is their SOP. Thus for this morning I reserved a rental car with Alamo instead.
Alamo was night-and-day better than Avis. I was a tad worried when the Alamo rental counter was closed and directed customers over to Enterprise, their parent company. There were a few people in front of me in line— vastly fewer than the 30 or so in line at Avis Saturday afternoon— and the agents were working the line quickly.
The moment of truth came when the agent had me sign the contract and handed me the paperwork. "Go out those doors," she said, motioning to the doors right next to us, "And hand your paperwork to the person at the first kiosk. They'll show you to your car."
TA-DA!
Now why is that so fucking hard for a major car rental agency to do? Avis, I'm talking to you.
Better yet, the car Alamo offered me— actually, my choice amongst three— seems pretty nice, a Mazda CX-50. I picked it because it's got heated seats, which should make the next 3 days of travel a lot easier on Hawk.