I'm in rental car hell

"BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather" (bugeyedacura) 10/30/2013 at 15:38 • Filed to: None

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I reserved a truck to drive over the wedding/honeymoon while the Civic is in the shop. They pick me up in this beautiful 2014 Silverado and I'm like "score"! Then we get back and I start rolling with paperwork and they tell me I can't have it because I'm not 25. I can't have any truck or decent car because I'm not 25. So after being promised a truck by Enterprise, I'm stuck with an Impala. And not the nice new ones. It's a 13 POS. FML.

Textured Soy Protein > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather 10/30/2013 at 15:39

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They wouldn't just let you pay the extra $10/day for being under 25?

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather 10/30/2013 at 15:40

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Youth is wasted on the young. Apparently Enterprise thinks trucks are too.

/said the 27 year old

ddavidn > Textured Soy Protein 10/30/2013 at 15:40

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$10/day? For me it's always been quite a bit more than that. Being under 25 sucks. Can't wait until next year.

BigHarv > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather 10/30/2013 at 15:42

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Remember, any rental can be made worthy with enough inappropriate use.

BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather > Textured Soy Protein 10/30/2013 at 15:42

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They told me it wasn't at all. That corporate policy said it wasn't allowed.

ddavidn > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather 10/30/2013 at 15:43

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I've been told this as well.

BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather > BigHarv 10/30/2013 at 15:43

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That's where my head's at now. I feel like makin a video: "Will it Hoon?"

thebigbossyboss > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather 10/30/2013 at 15:43

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Hm. In canada you can just pay a fee. I`ve driven, a charger, box vans etc etc.

Although I remember Greg Moore complaining about not being able to get rental cars in the US. If that name rings a bell it should, he used to race in CART.

Jagvar > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather 10/30/2013 at 15:44

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Get off my lawn, you dang whippersnappers!

ttyymmnn > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather 10/30/2013 at 15:45

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It's unfortunate, but if the under-25 male crowd weren't such shitty drivers, statistically, then you'd be in better shape. But you are a victim of guilt by association, from a company that wants to protect its assets.

Unfortunately for men, numbers usually don't lie. And the numbers say that men are far riskier drivers. In fact, a National Department of Transportation study entitled "Sex of Drivers Involved in Crashes 2000-2009," found that male drivers were involved in some 18 million more accidents than female drivers during that time frame.

And there's more. "As a group, women tend to get into fewer accidents, have fewer driver-under-the-influence accidents [DUIs] and most importantly less serious accidents than men."

In other words, young men are a greater risk for insurers. For that reason, ... men under the age of 25 are paying more than their female counterparts who are driving the same type of car with the same coverage. Put simply, "That is because younger men tend to be more aggressive and reckless behind the wheel." ( source )

BigHarv > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather 10/30/2013 at 15:46

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Videos are bad for karma, in my opinion. Just have some fun. In an empty parking lot? Try to do a burnout. Have a parking brake lever? Woohoo! Need to transport something enormous? Fill that enormous car.

Sn210 > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather 10/30/2013 at 15:46

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16: Get a driver's license
18: Buy cigarettes, vote, and go to war
21: Buy alcohol
25: Rent a car

Weird progression huh?

Textured Soy Protein > ddavidn 10/30/2013 at 15:46

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I'm 31 now so the fee could've gone up since the last time I had to pay it. ;)

Textured Soy Protein > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather 10/30/2013 at 15:49

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Damn, Enterprise has gotten a lot stricter on under-25 rentals in the past few years. I'm 31 but never had a problem with them before I turned 25.

ddavidn > Textured Soy Protein 10/30/2013 at 15:49

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Very possibly. It also depends where you get your insurance from. All that adds up to a whole lot.

ttyymmnn > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather 10/30/2013 at 15:53

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And you're wondering why they won't let under-25's have a truck? I'm afraid you just validated their policy.

davedave1111 > ttyymmnn 10/30/2013 at 15:54

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It's still unfair discrimination, just as it would be if they said 'black' instead of 'males under 25'. None are things people can control. They're just how they were born.

Group B-raaaaaaaaaap! > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather 10/30/2013 at 16:03

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I tunneled my way out from inside the Big Green Machine; let me tell you, corporate policy is only policy until you get to the right place. First, how old are you? If you're over 21, you might be able to wriggle through, but it will take a little work on the phone.

First, the branch where you booked might be culpable because they never verified your age (unless you booked through an internet source and didn't select your age bracket, but there is still hope). Try to get a branch manager involved first. Skip the Assistant Manager, they are as useless as tits on a boar. Explain your entire process, and how no one ever contacted you prior to your rental to qualify you (age, license, credit vs. debit card). Explain your situation, what you are trying to achieve, and make them feel good that you have no intentions of offroading or towing a trailer. If they feel good about it, they will sometimes "roll the dice", because by Friday they are going to have to shove a $9.99 Weekend Special renter into that truck (they will be out of compact cars), and that person will shit bricks of rage. Trust me, they'd rather rent the truck to someone who wants it. Make sure they understand that you're discontent without being belligerent. Use the phrase "Not Completely Satisfied"; it's like secret code to them.

If that doesn't work, ask to speak to an Area Manager. This is the first person with actual authority to break the underwriting guidelines without risk. If the branch wont patch you through or give you a number, call another branch. See if they would be willing to switch you out into a truck. Odds are they'd love to get an Impala for their lot. If not, state your frustration with the other branch, and ask them for the Area Manager. If you can get to an area manager, and they feel even mildly comfortable with the situation (and you offer an opportunity to them to save a bad customer survey) you should get what you want. If you don't, ask the Area Manager for the number to the Regional Administration Office.

When customers get to a Regional Administration Office, they hit "Red Alert Status". Unless it's ludicrous (like you outright refuse to pay for a 2 month long rental), you'll get treated with kid gloves. The regional VP will get a report from his secretary, and will then proceed to blast the Area Manager for letting it get that far up the chain, and the Area Manager will blast the Branch Manager for not "taking care" of the situation. Again, the important piece here is to stay cool, but be insistent. Explain the predicament this has caused for you, and that you are willing to pay the price for the truck, and this is for a wedding, and that you are mature with insurance, etc. RVP's will almost always break protocol just to get your complaint off their desk. You might get stinkeye from the branch on your return, but screw them for not taking the initiative to call an Area Manager to begin with. 5 minutes on the phone and a chance for the branch to earn an extra $15-$20/day for the bigger vehicle is a home run to them.

Now, there are other more devious ways as well. You could stop into any branch where you see a truck on the lot, fart in the car as hard as you can, then run into the office screaming about the smelly car you get in ______. They just want you out of that office, and will typically do what it takes to get rid of you. If you're across state lines, however, be sure to not look like a hooligan or drug dealer. If they think you smell shady, they will shut it down immediately.

ttyymmnn > davedave1111 10/30/2013 at 16:03

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I don't see it that way. Statistics indicate that males under 25 are significantly more likely to be in a crash (and all insurance rates are determined by actuaries and statisticians). That's why insurance rates are higher for that group. And they're higher for men in that age group than women. Is that sex discrimination? You can't (usually) rent a car without a credit card. If you can't afford a credit card, and you are not allowed a rental, is that economic discrimination? The rules are there to protect the rental agency. And they have a vested interest in protecting their assets. And their asses.

JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather 10/30/2013 at 16:06

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Do it! Let's see some torque steer. Congrats, BTW.

BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather > ttyymmnn 10/30/2013 at 16:12

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I'm a respectable young man. I'm getting a free rental because I keep full coverage on my car. I had an unfortunate run in with wildlife to land my car in the shop. I work at fucking Dell for fucks sake.

They want to treat me like a kid? Then fuck them. They'll get back what they're putting out.

ttyymmnn > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather 10/30/2013 at 16:18

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I never questioned your character. I'm just trying to help you understand where they're coming from.

505Turbeaux > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather 10/30/2013 at 16:20

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Repost of a repost, for all you young whippersnappers http://www.ag.auburn.edu/users/parmega/…

How to treat a rental right

"actually power-braked the car to the floor, cut the wheel to the left, and hit the nitrous in reverse. Nothin' like nitrous doughnuts after a hard day at the office!"

quarterlifecrisis > thebigbossyboss 10/30/2013 at 16:20

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RIP red gloves (said the 26 year old Merican)

GreenN_Gold > Sn210 10/30/2013 at 16:43

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What about smoking, gambling, nudie bars, and rated R films? (I'm sure I'm missing something)

Boxer_4 > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather 10/30/2013 at 16:59

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The 2012 and 2013 Impala is most certainly not a POS. They may not be the greatest cars, but there are much worse out there. The pre-facelift model certainly was a POS

At least the 2012-present Impalas got the new 3.6l LFX V6 and the 6T70 6 speed automatic. It makes a huge difference. One group of our college SAE club had one on our trip to Michigan, and it was far from boring (so I'm told, I was in a different vehicle on the way up). I was also told that they hit 110 mph on several occasions (at 4:00 am), and that it handled it quite well.

BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather > Boxer_4 10/30/2013 at 17:19

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The engine and transmission are okay however it's very very reluctant to downshift. However the interior is terrible and it corners on it's mirrors.

Boxer_4 > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather 10/30/2013 at 17:40

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I should mention that the person driving the Impala has a 99 Oldsmobile 88. The Impala probably felt like a sports car in comparison.

davedave1111 > ttyymmnn 10/30/2013 at 20:30

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I have to admit, emotionally I'm only half persuaded. Logically, it's unarguable, though. I have a feeling our emotions on the subject aren't to be trusted.

Yes, undoubtedly it's true that being under 25 puts you in a high-risk category. But what can you do to get yourself out of that category? Nothing, obviously. That's why it's unfair, rather than unjustified discrimination.

Sex discrimination? The European Court of Human Rights - not part of the EU, by the way - recently ruled that it is illegal to give differential insurance premiums based on sex. That's where I first ran across this. Like you, my first reaction was 'this is nonsense', but the more I thought about it, the more I realised that the judges were right. Giving me a more expensive quote than my sister simply because of the actions of others isn't any different in principle to (hypothetically) the police stopping black motorists because car crime is most commonly committed by people with dark-coloured skin.

Economic status, or hair length, or clothing, or political views - they're all things you can change - although it may be difficult. Your age, though?

If it's really a valid-but-unfair factor to discriminate on, perhaps the government ought to make up the difference, just as (in most European countries, at least) they pay the extra costs to an employer of employing someone physically disabled. But is it a valid discriminator? Or is it just the same kind of laziness that made being black in charge of a car the most common criminal offence?