The Long Summer Of Rental

(We do roadside assistance insurance. Depending on what kind of insurance you have, we might cover the costs of a temporary replacement vehicle, but only if the repairs will take longer than 48 hours. If that is diagnosed, we look for a car at a car rental company. Since we deal with members traveling through Europe, these often need to be international rental cars. After one summer working at the company, I really hate the word “rental car.” Here are some examples why.)

Caller #1: “Why the h*** does it take so long for you guys to get my son another car? Come on; your company is so big! You have cars in stock in Europe…”

Me: “My colleagues are working on it, ma’am.”

Caller #1: “Oh, come on! Just make it happen! You are working at [Company], so don’t try to make me believe you can’t do it right now for me!”

Me: “I assure you that I can’t, ma’am. I’m not qualified, and I have never rented a car in my life.”

(Yes, because I work there, I’m supposed to push some button that makes a car available right now. Another example is people expecting service late at night and everything magically showing up in front of their face.)

Caller #2: “Will the people of the car rental pick me up here?”

(Also, some people not only expect the car to appear out of thin air, but they also misunderstand when my colleagues tell them the estimated time they will call back.)

Caller #3: “Hey. I was told there would be a rental car here in an hour, but I still don’t see anything.”

Me: “I’m sorry, sir. Sometimes it just takes a little longer. I heard things are very busy in Germany today. You’d better make sure you find a place to stay.”

Caller #3: “WHAT?! THIS CANNOT BE! I’M HERE ON THE STREET WITH ALL OF MY STUFF BECAUSE THE GARAGE IS CLOSED! WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO NOW? I HAVE TO BE BACK AT WORK TOMORROW! REALLY, YOU CAN’T DO THIS! I’M IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE!”

Me: “I’m sorry, sir, but I really can’t help this. But Google Maps shows there’s a hotel very close to you, a few streets away.”

Caller #3: “HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO WALK THERE WITH MY STUFF? AND I’VE ONLY GOT ROMANIAN MONEY WITH ME!”

Me: “Do you perhaps have a credit card, sir?”

Caller #3: “HA, AS IF THEY WOULD TAKE A ROMANIAN CREDIT CARD! YOU KNOW WHAT? I’LL WALK THERE, BUT I’LL TAKE A PICTURE OF MY STUFF. IF I GET BACK AND ANYTHING IS MISSING, I’M HOLDING YOU GUYS RESPONSIBLE!”

Me: “We can’t help this situation, either, sir. Do you want to know how to get to the hotel or not?”

Caller #3: “You know what? I’ll just hang up and call back, and then I’ll get another guy on the phone!” *click*

(Apparently, we are responsible for his poor preparation and his far-too-high expectations? Finally, there are also people who REALLY don’t get the 48-hour rule.)

Caller #4: “Hello, I had a breakdown a few weeks ago, in Germany. I rented a car, but how do I get compensation for that from you guys?”

Me: “Let me check the file, sir. Um… I see you had a breakdown on [date]. You rented the car yourself, sir?”

Caller #4: “Yes. But I can get the money back through my insurance, right?”

Me: “Well, sir, sometimes that’s possible, if later it turns out to take over 48 hours to repair. But I see the car was ready next day, is that right?”

Caller #4: “Yes, but because of that I had to wait, anyway.”

Me: “I understand, sir. But if the car was ready the next day, the repair clearly took under 48 hours. A replacement vehicle is only covered if it takes over 48 hours.”

Caller #4: “Yes, but I had to wait, anyway.”

Me: “I heard you the first time, sir. But under 48 hours, the costs of a rental car aren’t covered. I’m sorry.”

Caller #4: *some vague sounds implying the caller has gotten angry and handed the phone to his wife while arguing with her*

(And all of this… only a few examples of a very tiresome summer!)