I learned that the car rental desks in a certain airport are split up with the 'good ones' on one side and Hertz, Dollar and friends on the other side.
One fateful evening I land for a work trip and the whole lobby is a zoo with probably 100-150 people waiting in lines, milling about, trying to figure out travel plans because the cars we all reserved with the 'wrong side' rental places had all been rented out to other people.
The companies on the other side had no cars either but at least promised that if I had reserved a car with them, it would actually be reserved for me. So that's where I go every time now
Jerry : I don't understand. Do you have my reservation?
Rental Car Agent : We have your reservation, we just ran out of cars.
Jerry : But the reservation keeps the car here. That's why you have the reservation.
Rental Car Agent : I think I know why we have reservations.
Jerry : I don't think you do. You see, you know how to take the reservation, you just don't know how to hold the reservation. And that's really the most important part of the reservation: the holding. Anybody can just take them.
I'm not going to contradict your lived experience but Enterprise let me book a car online and then left me stranded in Yucca Valley when they didn't actually have the car I reserved. so they're only as good as their local branch is at computers.
its a tough game, customers bring back cars late, and empty time is expensive. keep one or two extras in case and hope for the best is the best way to make money
One fateful evening I land for a work trip and the whole lobby is a zoo with probably 100-150 people waiting in lines, milling about, trying to figure out travel plans because the cars we all reserved with the 'wrong side' rental places had all been rented out to other people.
The companies on the other side had no cars either but at least promised that if I had reserved a car with them, it would actually be reserved for me. So that's where I go every time now