So, some of you may have seen my post from a couple of days ago regarding my recent fiasco with Budget Rent A Car. Basically, I copied and pasted a letter I'd sent to Budget BC's general inbox after trying in vain to get a hold of a helpful human on the phone for two days straight. I was not a happy camper. I've said it before and I'll say it again: hell hath no fury like a redhead scorned. If you should keep your friends close and your enemies closer, to be on the safe side you should probably be perpetually hugging me or something. But that'd piss me off too. I digress.
I posted this letter to my Posterous, which autoposts to my Facebook, Twitter, LiveJournal, and two other blogs that I author. After I was done I went in to my Twitter account and tagged my post to both Budget Rent A Car's main Twitter account and to Budget BC's. In no time, I had a reply from Ashley at Budget/Avis asking me to follow her so she could direct message me. I did. And she did. As it turns out, Ashley is Budget/Avis's Social Media Specialist, and frankly, she was the ONLY person I dealt with during this whole debacle who was actually capable of getting anything done. I can't thank Ashley enough for the time she's put in on this. If all of Budget's staff were as conscientious, they'd be a hell of a force to reckon with.
The result? I was provided with everything I asked for in my letter. The only thing I was charged for was the base cost to fix the damages - no towing, no storage, and they waived all admin fees. Essentially, $360 turned into $160. THAT I can deal with. I mean, I still think it's a little stupid since the damage was one of those wear and tear things that just happen. However, I appreciate saving $200 on stupid. Do you know how much wine I can buy with $200?
As for specifically the Vancouver Downtown Budget location, if you ever have the poor judgement to rent from them, don't expect anything even close to a semblance of adequate customer service. Having worked in retail for 7 years prior to my life's turn to high-tech corporate wheelings and dealings, I know good customer service when I see it. My service at Van Downtown was NOT it. Seems it wasn't it for a lot of other people as well. If you don't learn anything from my mistakes, pray that you end up with Ashley in your court.
Now that all is said and done, I have this to say. Will I rent from Budget again? No. Will I recommend Budget to any of my acquaintances or associates? Not likely. Am I pleased with the outcome? Substantially more than I was. Will I hope that the Downtown location learns a thing or two about customer relations because of this? Heck yes. There's always got to be a silver lining, right?
Thanks again, Ashley. You rock.
Robynn
p.s. I can't find a picture suitable for this post, so here's a nice picture from the trip we took the Budgetmobile on.
Posted via email from robynn's cavalcade of crap she thinks is awesome
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