I had a negative experience last week with a car rental firm that I have dealt with faithfully for many years. If not resolved, this experience will cost the company my business. The issues arose because I believe the company in question has too much focus on upselling by their front line personnel at the expense of serving the interests of the customer. This is a cautionary tale for all service providers who engage their field service teams in business development.
I rented a car at the airport in Denver. As the clerk processed my rental, she advised me that she had a Chevy Cruze available. There was no mention that there would be an extra charge for the vehicle and I initialled and signed the various parts of the form as I have done so many times before.
When I returned the vehicle three days later, the total was higher than I had expected it to be. (The confirmation I receive when reserving the vehicle gives the estimated total costs.) When I looked closely, the receipt indicated that I had paid an additional “upgrade fee”. It wasn’t a lot of money in the scheme of things but there was a principle at stake. Read more ›
