"Oh, sir, since you're paying with a debit card, we have to run a credit check on you."
Wonderful.
"I'm sorry, sir, but your credit check was refused. You can't rent a car with us."
WHAT??!!
"I paid for this rental nearly three weeks ago. It's paid for. I've spoken with customer service to confirm and re-confirm the terms of this trip. At some point along the line, do you think someone could have informed me that I might be denied based on a credit check?"
"I'm sorry, sir. That's just the policy."
"So, now that I've planned, budgeted, reserved, paid for, and bypassed all other alternative forms of travel for this trip... Now that I have to be in Reno, 1750 miles away, in two days, you tell me I'm denied. I know it's not your fault, but don't you think that's a bad business practice?"
So we contacted multiple car rental agencies and found similar issues. I know, let's take our car to the shop, see if we can fix what needs to be fixed, and take it to Reno. The brakes are a bit spongy and there's a vacuum leak. We drove our happy selves over to an auto mechanic's shop where we explained our situation. They happily wrote our car up and wheeled it into the garage.A little while later, a charming man came in and said, "Now, you know they can get started looking at it. But they're gonna stop at noon and take an hour lunch, so you're gonna be stuck sitting here until after one o'clock."
Wonderful.
So we sat there and watched as a large number of people sat around a table smoking cigarettes and eating, until we finally decided to walk down the street to Purple Burrito for some lunch (Pregnant women know how to tell you when they're hungry.).
When we got back, the gentleman to whom we had spoken gave us an estimate for the repairs. OUCH! The car needs a new master cylinder, front disks and pads. $464.00. Not an option today.
He was short-handed, and was having to deal with angry customers who couldn't understand how their cars couldn't be finished immediately when they had gone to all the trouble of bringing them in first thing in the morning. All the while, Howard was trying to explain why he couldn't fix an engine that had a three-inch hole in the side from a thrown rod to a family who spoke only what sounded like Chinese. The sign language was entertaining, but I was focused on getting on the road.
Ah, Howard. So observant and thorough. So thorough, in fact, that he discovered why the first mechanic had quoted me $464.00. Because he hadn't looked at the rear brakes!
Two blown brake cylinders and pads all around. A new master cylinder and front discs. The system needs to be flushed as well, but that's an afterthought. So Howard, in his thoroughness, quotes me a price of $872.17, but then says he can give me a $50 coupon for the front and rear brakes, making it a hundred dollars less.
I like Howard. I will go back to Howard. I would recommend Howard's services. I simply can't pay Howard today.
So, back to the house to rethink our options. I will not miss this graduation. Last minute flights are astronomical, so that's out. I'll figure this out. Tomorrow I'll be blogging from somewhere around Albuquerque!
By the way: Avis is NOT my friend.
Why didn't you just pay with a credit card to begin with? Payment for a car rental with a credit card automatically provides accident insurance, and you could have avoided the issue altogether. Although I suppose if your credit wasn't good enough for a car rental, then it may not be good enough for a credit card either. Perhaps a better guess would be that you don't believe in making purchases on credit. To each their own.
ReplyDeleteLegitimate questions. Actually, you guessed correctly. I have chosen not to purchase things on credit. I see it as enslaving oneself by using money that is not in one's possession. What I purchase, I pay for. And I don't see the logic in paying interest rates. I believe credit cards and the mentality that often comes with them are the major source of problems in our economy. That, along with other, more spiritual reasons, has led me to not have credit cards. As for the poor credit rating, that was a surprise. Having been quite careful about purchases and bill payments, I was surprised to have been declined.
ReplyDeleteMy post wasn't meant as a way of complaining about the credit rating, but to point out the absurdity of the method with which it was done. To collect funds from a person, and then decline them three weeks later on the basis of information they could have run at the time of the original agreement is ridiculous. By that time, all other forms of travel have been ruled out or have become astronomically expensive. And THEN they wanted to charge me a $100 cancellation fee. Nice.
How did I guess? :o) I can understand your point of view. However, the responsible use of credit cards can be extremely beneficial in building an excellent credit score. My husband and I use our credit cards often, but we always pay the balance in full each month. Sometimes an unexpected expense comes our way. We pay with our credit card. If we can't pay the balance in full, we take advantage of a balance transfer offer, allowing us to pay over the course of 12-18 months (interest-free). When my husband could not find a job, and we felt strapped, we did this. We also receive $400+/year from rewards earned by using our cards. I believe credit cards usage is perfectly fine if done responsibly. And there's no doubt that responsible use of credit cards is a credit rating booster. My credit history is less than four years, but my score is much better than a large majority of the people I know (old & young).
ReplyDeleteI do agree that the way the situation was handled was ridiculous; had I not been curious about the questions I asked I would not have commented at all. I'm not accusing you of complaining (and if you did, I certainly wouldn't care).