Alamo/National rental would not take my check (debit) card

[gdwriter]

I don't have any credit cards either, and when I went to Arizona in January, I had planned to rent a car. I looked up in advance the debit card policies for Avis and Hertz when I was comparison shopping. Had I not ended up using a friend's car for free (other than gas and a trip through the car wash), I would have brought printouts of said policy in case I ran into problems.

I don't blame you one bit for taking your business elsewhere. I would have done the same.

[gdwriter]

Originally Posted by dkozloski

They had to be anti-war, liberal, democrat, military haters.

[thebigjimsho]

Originally Posted by gdwriter

Hey, you have a cool dog. So you're not that bad...

[NOT ON MY WATCH]

Urb...that has happened to me several times - it sucks. I also don't own a credit card anymore (except for my Corporate AmEx). We paid off all our debt except for the house and of course the new 08 CTS. We haven't had a credit card in several years.

You'll run into problems at not just certain rental car agencies, but also certain hotels. Some places are flexible and other places aren't. Now I always call in advance to make sure there won't be a problem.

[gdwriter]

Originally Posted by thebigjimsho

Hey, you have a cool dog. So you're not that bad...

Thanks, Jim.

I'm just not seeing military-hating liberals lurking everywhere.

I grew up in Abilene, TX, a city of about 115,000 where the largest employer is Dyess AFB. City leaders and their Congressional representatives lobbied for a base on the site of a former WW II Army post back in the 50s. Ever since Dyess opened in 1955 or 56, the city has treated the military and the service personnel stationed there as highly valued members of the community. Abilene understands how vital Dyess is to the local economy.

A common story my parents heard from fellow military families was how they were looked down on in other cities, but were welcomed in Abilene.
Every year since 1965, the Chamber of Commerce has hosted the World's Largest BBQ for personnel and their families stationed at Dyess. It was something my family always attended.

Treating any customer as shabbily as National treated Urby is just stupid; in a locale like Florida that's heavily dependent on tourism and with a big military presence, it's even more so.

[dkozloski]

The last time I tried to rent fom Enterprise, I reserved a luxury car and they offered me a Hyundai sh!tbox. I never went back.

[I~LUV~Caddys8792]

Hey Urb...the woman working the counter....was she Iraqi?

[Spyder]

I use Hertz when I'm renting from local offices, whoever is cheapest when I travel. The locals know me and remember me because I always get the biggest fastest car they have because I don't fit in anything else...and they usually give it to me for the price of a mid-size. At one point they had a Hemi Charger R/T that I rented for two runs. One from Sacramento to Portland and one from Sacramento to John Day...which is NE Oregon. Good company to rent from, in my experience.

Enterprise has gotten some business from me in the past too, mostly because before I was old enough to rent cars, they'd do it for an extra ten bucks a day...and half the time they wouldn't even charge me that at the end...and I like the Magnum as a rental because it gets good mileage, does a hundred and twenty five in the middle of nowhere in NV (or so I've heard) and it has LOTS of room.

[urbanski]

Originally Posted by gdwriter

I don't blame you one bit for taking your business elsewhere. I would have done the same.

i kinda didnt have a choice

[urbanski]

speaking of alamo/national
we had stopped using them in las vegas after several times we had a "reservation" there, they had no cars!
twice we pulled up in the bus to an eerily empty lot, and a huge line. vowed them off....we have Budget fastbreak there now. no issues.

guys, i dont play the "military card" much, hell if ever....thats not me. but it was my last hope for a break. and they shit on me

[MauiV]

I think this has to do with most Credit Card companies policy for covering the insurance on rental cars. Your banks debit card may or may not have the same policy but most dont.

I have had this situation in the past and had to use a Visa/MC instead.

[Spyder]

Just booked three rental cars in three different cities in the next week for various job interviews and such...made sure to NOT use Alamo in any of them...Budget, I believe, is the one which was the best deal all the way around...and they say it'll be a G6. Hopefully all goes well...

[RightTurn]

Sorry, urby. Maybe you should get an AMEX just in case.

[hueterm]

Beat me to it...

[I~LUV~Caddys8792]

Yeah, with my dealer, to get a rental car, you MUST have a credit card, for the aforementioned reason.