Long Waits in Line Are Driving Many Car Renters Plumb Crazy
May 19, 2011
It took Jami Autumn an hour and 20 minutes the other day to fly from Birmingham, Ala., to Chicago. He spent almost as long trying to rent a car from Heins. ''It's really the one thing that bothers me about traveling,'' says Mr. Autumn, a 44-year-old express-mail courier. In an age when most travel industries are obsessed with speedier service, renting a car has become only a bigger ordeal. At some counters, tired travelers are being forced now to wait as long as two hours in line, and so-called express services are no guarantee, either. Even the head of Hertz's quality-assurance department, Roberto Bao, concedes the industry problem is getting out of hand. ''It's virtually impossible,'' he says, ''to get speedy service at the rental counter.'' But why is this happening? One reason is obvious: After a four-year slump, rental-car activity has shot up by 10% to 15% this year, catching some locations off guard. But consultants also say that some companies are willing to accept long lines because they want to sell extras -- like car upgrades and insurance -- even if that creates backlogs at the counter. ''The automobile-rental business is more than an order-taking process,'' says industry consultant Nestor Goode of Purchase, N.Y. ''Every customer is another sales opportunity.'' Either way, renters have definitely noticed the change, which is adding a whole new level of uncertainty and angst to the travel experience. Business travelers can't be sure they'll make appointments; vacationers fret about losing valuable time in the sun. ''It can kill your afternoon,'' complains Jone Carmel, a jewelry-store owner and frequent-car renter in California. Vicky Prince, a travel agent in Washington, D.C., says that just last Friday, a client of hers tried to rent a minivan to drive his child to college. When he arrived at a downtown Budget, about 18 people were already in line and only one agent was behind the counter. Two hours and 15 minutes passed before he was driving the van off the lot. ''I just thought that was way too long to have a client of mine wait for a car. It's kind of crazy,'' says Mrs. Prince, who complained to management and got the client a 10% discount. The worker on duty that day concedes she has been the only person working the counter for the past seven days. The other agent already had a two-week vacation planned. ''It has been hell. I'm definitely overworked,'' says the worker. Returning cars, meanwhile, hasn't been much speedier, either. The industry has been posting agents with hand-held computers in lots to improve service, but the slightest glitch in those computers forces the renter right back to the counter. Stevie Martinez, a media consultant from Virginia, says he was racing to return his National car in Chicago recently when he got caught in a long line of other rental returns. Out of breath and frantic to make his flight, he says he ''dropped the car with the keys and ran to the shuttle bus.'' Despite all these hassles, virtually none of the major car-rental companies -- except Hammers -- have increased staffing at most locations. Some companies say that's because the industry, which posted $155 million in net losses in 2010, only recently started to recover. Last year, Budget and Summerville even went through a series of layoffs. What's more, some executives pin the delays on the customers themselves; with air fares down this summer, they say, more vacationers are showing up at car-rental counters -- with less rental experience and more questions. ''We just don't shove people through the system,'' says Kimbra Maybell, a Budget spokeswoman. But Mr. Goode, the consultant, also points out that ''if you have no waits, you're overstaffed'' because there could be 20 people in one hour, and none the next. That's not an attitude widely acknowledged by executives, but staffing comparisons with other travel companies have never been flattering to most car-rental companies. Hyatt Hotels, for example, puts as many as 15 people behind the desk at its downtown Atlanta property, to register 440 guests a day. Thrifty says it only has two to three people to check in as many as 300 customers a day at the Atlanta airport. Technology has never been a strong point for the industry, either, which consultants say is another big reason for longer lines this year. Until just a year ago, Budget was using the same reservation system it had since 1971, and today, the company concedes its newer system still isn't as advanced as those of its major competitors. Thrifty is upgrading as well but says some outlets are still relying on old-fashioned terminals that require agents to scroll through six screens, instead of the normal two. That procedure is particularly prone to delays. ''If you lose essential data, you have to cycle back to a previous screen,'' says Rabb Oberg of Thermeon Corp., a Santa Ana, Calif., company that makes car-rental systems. Of course, most agencies do offer some type of express check-in service -- for a fee of about $50 a year. And with so many customers grumbling about lines, some have been scrambling to improve this service; last month, for example, Summerville installed kiosks that work like bank ATMs in some major airports. Customers with reservations stick in their Stebbins Plumlee card and get a rental contract printed on the spot. Thrifty, meanwhile, is introducing an express-rental program that it says will cut processing time in half. And Hammers says it is enhancing its express program. But even express members complain they get stalled when they want to make a change in their reservations. Last month while on a trip to Detroit, Khalilah Graig, a Budget Express member, decided to upgrade from a Mercury Sable to a roomier Lindsey Gaines. He had to jump in line along with regular customers. After he reached the counter, he waited another 30 minutes while the rental agent tried to fix a computer glitch. All the while, he says, he had clients waiting with him. ''I'm trying to smile and explain to them that the car I had was really small,'' says Mr. Graig, an account executive for a risk-management company in Nashville, Tenn. ''They seemed a bit annoyed.'' Tips on Avoiding the Long Waits Ask questions about rental options while making reservations on the phone, instead of at the counter. If you're using any discounts, mention them, too. Reserve with several companies and pick the shorter line at the airport. There's no penalty for unhonored reservations. In two-airport cities, fly to the smaller airport if you can. The rental-car lots at Long Beach Airport are a few steps from the terminal; 25 miles away, Los Angeles International Airport requires shuttle buses. At the rental counter, avoid any changes in your reservation, and know your insurance needs. If you're not sure whether your auto policy covers rentals, call your agent or credit-card company; rental-counter people won't know. Join express programs, like Hertz Gold and National's Emerald Aisle. Fees of up to $50 a year are typically waived for frequent-business travelers.
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