Car rental

[Anonymous 1]

We've recently had a minor accident and the car needs some repair. Of course we've followed all the requirements with our insurance company. They set up the rental car to be used while our car is being repaired, should take less than a week.
Rental was scheduled for today at 8 a.m. I arrived at 8:30 and the place was empty, sign was on the door. I called the number. A very rude representative starts to berate me because I missed my APPOINTED TIME. And as a consequence they currently did not have another vehicle for me until much later this afternoon.
I was surprised at the entire situation. Would you have been or am I completely ignorant the way rental car businesses operate?

[Linda_Runs]

A car rental place will hold a car for a little while after your appointment time. A good car rental place will call you first before they ask if they can give it away. Was it secured on your credit card?

[Anonymous 1]

A car rental place will hold a car for a little while after your appointment time. A good car rental place will call you first before they ask if they can give it away. Was it secured on your credit card?

The insurance company took care of the rental entirely. I was just given the time to pick it up.

[hotspice58]

Was it a local place? Large chains have cars available.

[MistressMonster]

We've recently had a minor accident and the car needs some repair. Of course we've followed all the requirements with our insurance company. They set up the rental car to be used while our car is being repaired, should take less than a week.
Rental was scheduled for today at 8 a.m. I arrived at 8:30 and the place was empty, sign was on the door. I called the number. A very rude representative starts to berate me because I missed my APPOINTED TIME. And as a consequence they currently did not have another vehicle for me until much later this afternoon.
I was surprised at the entire situation. Would you have been or am I completely ignorant the way rental car businesses operate?

Why did you arrive 30 minutes after your set appointment time? I would have called them if I was going to be late.

I did the rental car thing back in September because mine needed to hit the body shop. I was more than early for my slated time. Which was 9 am. They got me taken care of immediately. I drove off the body shop lot with my rental a little bit after. Only time I talked to Enterprise was setting up the meet up time, and the day I got my car.

[Gorilla_Mama]

Why were you late?

[MonarchMom]

It may be a different procedure because of business rules and social distancing. They may not be keeping any staff in the office, and they may have to completely sanitize each car just before you take it.

[Valentina327]

That's why the good Lord made appointments - so that things can be scheduled. If they served walk in traffic they'd say come any time. If you got there at 8 and the car was gone, then you can get upset. I'd be willing to wager they'd have found a car sooner for you if you had started out apologetic. That's usually what I do when I'm in the wrong. It disarms people.

They're running a business and they have other people to serve and other tasks to complete. You're unfortunately wrong on this #1. Hope you get one this afternoon.

[Anonymous 3]

Was this a national chain?

[Traci_Momof2]

I'm wondering if their procedures are different because of Covid.

When we got a rental a few years ago in relation to an accident (other driver's insurance was paying for the rental) it was through Enterprise. They picked me up at the body shop at the same time I dropped off our vehicle to be repaired. Then they drove me back to their office in the rental to do all the paperwork. When it was time to turn in the rental because our vehicle was done, they did the same thing in reverse.

Whenever we've rented for pleasure, it's wasn't one set appointment time. It was a window of time. Show up between x hour and y hour to pick up the rental. So half an hour after "x hour" would've still been inside the window of time and still been perfectly fine.

What you described is not at all like anything I've experienced renting vehicles. Which makes me believe their procedures are different due to Covid. But if that's the case they should've explained all of that when you initially reserved the rental.