Discount Car and Truck Rental Service Complaint

I spoke with Bruce Johnston at Discount this morning. I briefly explained the service problem to him and sent him the following e-mail along with the entire e-mail thread I posted on complaints.com yesterday.

----- Original Message -----

From: ANNA TAYLOR

To: Bjohnston AT carrental.ca

Cc: LINDA COUTTS

Sent: Monday, August 17, 2009 12:45 PM

Subject: Fw: Discountcar � Feedback Email

Hello Bruce,

Thank you for taking my call. At this point, I am beyond frustrated with Discount. Here is my telephone number again. 519-XXX-XXXX. As promised, here is the e-mail thread with respect to my complaint. For your information, I have also registered a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. Complaint Case#21475(Ref#30-15988-21475-3-200). Discount did not respond.

I hope to hear from you with a satisfactory resolution to this problem.

Thank you for your time.

-----------------

Discount Car and Truck Rental #5940749. Discount Car and Truck Rental has charged me $603.02 for new keys and airport parking beyond the 7 day rental period ending May 21,2009 after their off hours support person gave me incorrect instructions on car and key drop off. It took them 16 additional days (June 5th) to contact me to ask where the car was. The car wasn't retrieved from the airport until 21 days after I dropped it off.

I don't believe I should be paying these charges when I followed

instruction from their staff

-----------

I rented a car on May 14th and returned it to the airport drop off before 8:00am(as instructed) at the Halifax airport.

I saw that Discount had called me via call display June 5th. I called back. They informed me they did not have the car. I told them I dropped it off at the Halifax airport,and put the key in the drop box at the Discount kiosk. (as instructed by their off hours support person). They advised there was a miscommunication and the "airport" was actually the Airport Quality inn (hotel) and not the Airport (where the planes are). They advised the kiosk is no longer in service and the drop box with the key is welded shut and they cannot retrieve the key. They charged my visa $1.186.82 (7 days of rental,21 days for airport parking, and an aditional key for the car (complete with reprogramming charges)). I followed their instructions. They took 16 days to get in touch with me. I don't feel I should be held accountable for the key and parking charges because they have an off hours support person who provided incorrect instructions. I should be billed 534.45 plus tax and not the $1,186.82 they charged me for following instructions provided by their staff which turned out to be incorrect.

The Better Business Bureau contacted them. They did not respond. Here is the reference number of the complaing -BBB Complaint Case#21475(Ref#30-15988-21475-3-200)

Here is a copy of the e-mail thread. It outlines in detail my complaint along with responses for Discount.

----- Original Message -----

From: ANNA TAYLOR

To: Discount

Sent: Sunday, August 16, 2009 4:09 PM

Subject: Re: Discountcar ������¢���¯���¿���½���¯���¿���½ Feedback Email

The key points of this issue are not resolved. In the attached e-mail, I ask numerous questions about lack of due diligence on the part of Discount which have gone unanswered:

* Why did your off hours support person not just tell us to leave the car at the Halifax drop where I was calling from, and which was closed when I advised him we had

another car and driver with us who could take us to our hotel for the night and then the airport in the morning?

* Why was I instructed to drop the vehicle at the airport and drop the keys in the drop box at an unmanned kiosk?

* Why did Discount wait for 16 days before the first attempt to contact me on my home telephone on June 5th?

* Why was Bell information not called immediately to get my home telephone number when I couldn't be reached on the cell phone?

* Why were there no voice messages left when a call was finally made to my home telephone on June 5th (when nobody was home to answer the phone)?

* Why wasn't a police report filed when the car didn't show up? The police could have found us ASAP via our driver's licence numbers provided on the contract.

Mostly, why am I being penalized for:

* following your employee's instructions?

* the accumulated parking fee resulting from your lack of action on following up regarding the wear abouts of the car?

----- Original Message -----

From: "Discount" <discount AT discountcar.com>

To: <annataylor AT sympatico.ca>

Sent: Wednesday, July 15, 2009 10:59 AM

Subject: RE: Discountcar ������¢���¯���¿���½���¯���¿���½ Feedback Email

> Nova Scotia Head Office has been advised of issue - this issue may of been resolved.

> If issue has not been resolved, the contact person in Nova Scotia is Bruce Johnston - 902-468-8961 or

> Toll free 1-888-636-9333.

>

> Thank you and have a great day,

>

> Customer Care

> Discount Car and Truck Rentals

> 1-888-820-7378

>

>

> -----Original Message-----

> From: annataylor AT sympatico.ca [mailto:annataylor AT sympatico.ca]

> Sent: Saturday, July 04, 2009 1:52 PM

> To: Discount

> Subject: Discountcar ������¢���¯���¿���½���¯���¿���½ Feedback Email

>

>

> Date: Saturday, July 04, 2009

> Time: 1:51 PM

> -------------------------------------------------------

> Name:Anna Taylor

>

> Email:annataylor AT sympatico.ca

> Telephone:519 438-5262

>

> Fax:

>

>

> Subject:Company

> Type:Concern

>

>

> Reservation Number:

>

>

> Contact

> requested:Yes

>

>

> Comments:

> Here is an e-mail sent to

> Chris Mclean at the Halifax office. Please contact me. This

> problem has been handled very poorly by Discount. I called

> your service number before the note below was sent out. I

> have not received a response. I'm trying to resolve with you

> directly. Hopefully, I will not be forced to take action

> beyond your corporate complaints office. Thank you for your

> time.

> -------------

> From: annataylor AT sympatico.ca

> To:

> jpotter AT carrental.ca

> Subject: RE: Invoice For Rental

> Agreement : 5940749

> Date: Thu, 18 Jun 2009 18:41:43 +0000

> Chris,

>

> My first reaction to the amount of the charges

> noted below is more surprise. My second reaction is that I'm

> feeling angry. Don't take it personally.

>

> I was a

> visitor to Nova Scotia. The Discount off hours support

> person instructed me to drop the car at the airport. I don't

> believe there was a miscommunication on his part. If he

> actually made an assumption that I (as stranger to Nova

> Scotia), would know he meant the Airport Quality Inn, I

> would have to question his thought process. How would I know

> that the airport is a hotel and not an airport (where the

> planes are)?

>

> We were at the Discount drop off in

> Halifax (which was closed) when I called the Discount off

> hours support number for instructions. Clearly, I was

> attempting to return the car to a Discount drop off

> location. I told the Discount off hours support that we had

> a person with us who had a car. He could have just told us

> to leave the car there and put the keys in the drop. I told

> him our flight was leaving the next morning at 8:15. We

> spoke extensively about what we needed to do with the car

> because there wouldn't be anyone at the airport before 9:00

> am. The conversation was pretty clear about what we were

> doing, and where we were going. I was given bad

> instructions. Why in the world would I as a reasonable,

> careful, law abiding person do something stupid like just

> parking a car in the airport parking lot and leaving the

> province without thinking there would be $$$ consequences?

> Discount has my credit card number. Only an idiot would

> think there wouldn't be additional charges billed to the

> card.

>

> I appreciate the fact that Discount is not

> attempting to charge rental fees until the time the car was

> picked up from the airport. What I don't understand is why

> it took 16 days for Discount to do something about a missing

> car. Action should have been taken much sooner. I have some

> questions:

>

>

> Why wasn't a police report filed when the

> car didn't show up?

> The police could have found us asap via

> our driver's licence numbers provided on the contract.

> Why

> was Bell information not called to get my home telephone

> number when I couldn't be reached on the cell phone?

> As of

> May 26th, I upgraded my cell to have call display. The phone

> is on 24 hrs a day. I do not have any missed call

> notifications from the 26th and onward from Discount in

> Halifax. That's 10 days where nobody tried to contact me.

> Why so long?

> Discount had all the information needed to

> contact Bell Information (Name, Address, Province) for a

> listed telephone number. Mine is listed. Why did Discount

> wait for 15 days before the first attempt to contact me on

> my home telephone on June 5th?

> Why were there no voice

> messages left when a call was finally made to my home

> telephone on June 5th (when nobody was home to answer the

> phone)?

>

> I took it upon myself to call the number on the

> call display on June 5th. I made repeated calls and left

> messages asking for follow up information and status after

> initial contact. I did everything I could to stay in contact

> and get the situation resolved.

>

> I have more comments

> about the charges:

>

> Date Rented Date Returned:

> 05/14/2009 11:44 AM 05/21/2009 7:45AM (7 days)

> The car was

> dropped off before 8:00 am on May 21st at the airport, as

> instructed by Discount off hours support person on May 20th

> after 5:30. Linda and I were both in London Ontario by noon

> on May 21st feeling we had properly executed our

> instructions, and had only to wait for the bill.

> Additional Driver:

> We signed Linda Coutts up when I took

> possession of the vehicle. The additional driver charge was

> not mentioned by your Discount employee. There is nothing on

> the paperwork indicating an additional driver charge.

> Parking charges:

> The car was parked (as instructed by the

> Discount off hours support person) at the airport starting

> May 21. When you and I finally spoke on June 6th, I told you

> where the car was and why it was parked there. I don't feel

> that the lack of timely action, and due diligence on the

> part of Discount regarding the length of time it took to

> contact me should translate in extensive parking fees

> charged to me.

>

> Key charges.

> I was advised the key

> replacement was for $118.00. You advised you obtained a

> spare set (copy) from head office. I fail to understand why

> the car needed to be reprogrammed for a spare set of keys. I

> will contact Kia to understand what the need is for

> reprogramming. Perhaps Discount wanted a new lock with two

> sets of keys? That is not my responsibility.

>

>

> I feel I

> have been more than flexible in making a compromise to pay

> for parking and a "copy" of the key from head office. In

> actual fact, I don't feel that any of these charges should

> be coming out of my pocket, because your staff had a

> communication malfunction, and your company took so long to

> contact me. This could have been rectified immediately with

> a simple call to Bell Information for my home phone number.

> This ordeal has been extremely stressful for me. As a

> gesture of good will on the part of Discount car rental for

> having given me the incorrect instructions and for taking so

> long to contact me at home, I am requesting Discount to

> charge me for the rental up to May 21, 2009, the additional

> driver charge, fuel, and applicable taxes as follows:

>

>>

> Rental for 1 week 401.95

>> Additional Driver 70.00

>>

> Airport Parking 0.00

>> Replacement key and programming 0

>>

> Fuel 41.50

>> Enviro 21.00

>> PLF Recalc the tax

>> HST

> recalc the tax

>> Total $534.45 plus tax.

>

>

> Please

> contact me via e-mail with your response.

>

> Regards

> Anna

>> Date: Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:01:52 -0300

>>

> From: jpotter AT carrental.ca

>> Subject: Invoice For Rental

> Agreement : 5940749

>> To: annataylor AT sympatico.ca

>> CC:

> c.maclean AT carrental.ca

>>

>> CUSTOMER INVOICE

>>

>>

> DISCOUNT CAR AND TRUCK Date : 06/17/2009

>> AIRPORT

>> 60

> SKY BLVD Invoice Date: 06/17/2009

>> GOFFS, NS B2T 1K3

> TAYLOR, ANNA

>> PH: 902 468 7171 316 RIDEOUT ST S

>> FAX:

> 902 873 4510

>> LONDON, ON N6C 3Z3

>> PH: 519-438-5262

>>

> License Information :

>> TAYLOR, ANNA T0964-04776-05116

>>

> 316 RIDEOUT ST S ON 01/16/2012

>> LONDON, ON N6C 3Z3 RO

> Number :

>> PO Number :

>> Agreement Number : 5940749

>>

>>

>>

>> Vin Number Vehicle Type Vehicle Plate

>>

> KNAFE121085523862 2008 KIA SPECTRA GTM 029

>>

>> Date

> Rented Date Returned

>> 05/14/2009 11:44 AM 06/10/2009 11:05

> AM

>>

>>

>> 6 Day(s) @ $66.95 = $401.70 0 Day(s) @ $0.00 =

> $0.00

>> 0 Day(s) @ $0.00 = $0.00 0 Weekend(s) @ $167.95 =

> $0.00

>> 0 Day(s) @ $0.00 = $0.00 3 Week(s) @ $401.95 =

> $1,205.8

>> 0 Day(s) @ $0.00 = $0.00 0 Month(s) @ $0.00 =

> $0.00

>>

>>

>> Rental Period : 27 day(s)

>>

>> STATEMENT

> OF CHARGES

>>

>> Rate Charge : $401.95 Interest Charge :

> $0.00

>> Mi/Km Charge : $0.00 Subtotal: $1,116.47

>> Late

> Charge : $0.00 State Tax $0.00

>> Surcharge Charge : $0.00

> HST $70.35

>> Fuel Charge : $41.50 $0.00

>> Damage Waiver :

> $0.00 $0.00

>> Personal Insurance : $0.00 $0.00

>> Liability

> Insurance : $0.00

>> Additional Driver : $70.00 Total

> Charges: $1,186.82

>> Under Age : $0.00

>> Out of Area :

> $0.00

>> Foreign Drop : $0.00

>> Other Charges : $603.02

>> Driver Payments : $1,186.82

>> Tax ID : 103747226R

> _________

>> Net Due From Driver : $0.00

>>

>>

>> Please

> Make Check Payable To and Remit To : DUE UPON RECEIPT

>>

> DISCOUNT CAR AND TRUCK Agreement Number : 5940749

>> 60 SKY

> BLVD TAYLOR, ANNA

>>

>> GOFFS, NS B2T 1K3

>> Please Pay

> This Amount : $0.00

>>

>>

>> Additional Note:

>> Anna,

>>

> Here is the breakdown of the charges.

>> Renatal for 1 week

> 401.95

>> Additional Driver 70.00

>> Airport Parking 214.00

>> Replacement key and programming 319.79

>> Fuel 41.50

>>

> Enviro 21.00

>> PLF 48.23

>> HST 70.35

>> Total 1186.82