Complaint Review: Dollar Rent A Car

This was by far the worse car rental experience I had... EVER!!! We reserved a full size car on line store. No problems there. The car was shown as reserved, a full size Taurus or Chrysler. I then went to pick up the car Norfolk, VA airport (after flying cross country). After waiting at the counter for more then 20 minutes (because no one was there at all) I finally started walking towards the Thrifty counter (since they are affiliated - I saw that on the papers on the counter), when I noticed that there was someone at the Dollar counter as soon as I started walking away.

I went back and the VERY snooty counter person named Jackie informed me that there were no full sized cars, and none were coming in that day (why did I bother making a reservation over a week before?). I could "upgrade" to a mini-van (not an upgrade at all) or pay more money for another car. I asked for the manager and she said the same. Sorry, nothing that they could do.

After I agreed to the mini-van, I was then handed a paper with a phone number for Equifax on it and told that I could not rent the car. I was told that this was because I used a VISA Check Card and not a credit card - if I had used a VISA credit card, no check would have been done. Why was I denied? I wish I knew, they would not talk with me after that, except to say that it had no relation to how much money you had, "you can have ten thousand dollars in the bank and still be denied" (I wonder if they deny all check cards?). I asked if I could pay in cash and they stated that Dollar does not accept cash, just credit, and basically I was out of luck - and should try Hertz, since most rental companies don't even take VISA Check Cards anymore - only "real" credit cards.

I asked again why was I denied, and she said that I should call the 800 Equifax number for the reason (Equifax, was I buying a house?) and the manager also said that there was nothing that they could do unless I had a "real" credit card (which I didn't have with me since I was traveling).

Let me interject here to state that I have never had problems with using the card before, even when I rented a car at Thrifty six months earlier in San Francisco.

I called the 800 number for Equifax and all it was a recording saying how I could get my credit report - and that only after buying a credit report could I talk with a "real" live person.

I then called the Dollar rent a car reservation center, and talked to them, and they also said that I was out of luck - maybe I should try Hertz. I will admit that I got a bit upset at this point and raised my voice on the pay phone (sorry Brian at the reservation center - I was a bit frustrated by this point), at which point the Dollar receptionist was opening laughing at me (I could see her from the pay phone). She then proceeded to call the police to have me removed. The Police???!!! I never raised my voice with her, was never belligerent or anything.

The police came and said basically that Jackie from Dollar Rent a Car had called to say that I was making a disturbance at her counter, was acting quite beligerent, and was using obscene language (none of which was true). Since Dollar actually monitors their counter with surveillance cameras, I asked the officers that they review the tapes. One went back to the counter, and then, when he came back, suggested that I try Hertz - and I could file a complaint against Dollar if I'd like for falsely calling the police.

At this point I tried Hertz. No problems with the VISA Check Card. $100.00 more, and a sub-compact - but I got my car.

The moral(s) to the story:
1) Never, ever use Dollar rent a car - how do they stay in business wit this kind of customer disservice?
2) Dollar rent a car practices a form of decimation (no to VISA Check Cards, unless you have perfect credit - or a "real" credit card - in which case they will not run a credit check on you).
3) Don't bother to bring along cash or Travelers Checks to Dollar, they don't accept those either.
4) Don't bring along a VISA Check Card, but a real credit card (next time American Express maybe - I asked my bank about this and they stated that more merchants are actually refusing to honor VISA Check Cards - and it was "within their rights" to do so, even if they would take a "real" VISA credit card.
5) Rent with a "real" company, like Hertz - stay away from this mom-and-pop outfit.

Bryan
Carlsbad, California
U.S.A.