Good morning.
***Urgent Complaint- Rental Record [protected]-Grocott***
I recently rented a car on 9th September at JFK, NY (due to return 12th Sept-JFK, NY 12:00), I have quoted the above RR number for convenience.
This booking was under the name Grocott and was originally booked via Trip.com at an agreed quoted price in GBP, please see booking data below:
Booking No.: [protected]
Confirmation No.: J1383601771
This booking was secured at a cost of as outlined below:
Car rental fee 4 days £173.63
Discounts £0.00
Total US$211.42
Pay at pick-up US$211.42
Upon arriving at Dollar in JFK to collect our vehicle, fresh from travelling from the UK we were greeted by an extremely dismissive and unwelcoming member of your team. There was no formal greeting and was simply asked for my licence and card. She then continued to speak to her colleague next to her without any real acknowledgement of ourselves. This immediately felt like we were not important to Dollar and our custom was an inconvenience.
We were then bombarded with a barrage of requests around insurance and liability and taxes in an incredibly fast manner that it was hard to understand. However I was aware through our original booking that we would need to arrange insurance at collection. I stated third party as most appropriate. We were then told we should pay for a toll fee (even though we were heading to Montauk and our journeys would not include Tolls) and sat nav for car. I advised we would not need neither.
We were then given a RR document and told to head to booth to collect car. At this point her conversation continued and there was no pleasantries or thanks.
We then headed over to collect the car. At this point we handed over document and the gentleman hardly looked at RR document and just asked me what vehicle it is, I stated SUV Standard (as per booking), he said "you can take any car from 26-28" So we then had three vehicles to select from, not knowing too much about product features and benefits we chose the one in the middle. Upon entering the vehicle we noticed a strong sense of smoke from cigarettes. However the vehicle seems otherwise ok. We drove towards exit where we were required to present our RR document.
The gentleman took the document and for 5 minutes we awaited our exit, however he then returned to say "you cannot have this vehicle" He then left us at the exit for some time only to return in another vehicle. He asked us to leave the original vehicle and get into new one. He then handed another RR document. This second vehicle seemed more dated than our first choice and (upon later inspection) it had previous user litter in glove compartment.
As we were now being told to leave and enter the busy rush hour roads around JFK it was imperative that I maintained full concentration as driving an unfamiliar vehicle on unfamiliar roads.
I then noted that the latest RR document had some very confusing and contradictory information. Firstly the second RR was at a Higher Cost (375.16 against previous 361.09)
When making this booking it was clearly stated taxes were included, however RR states these were added.
The insurance I chose (third Party) was at a higher rate on the second RR ( $15 per day as previous was $12) in total for the entire duration we had the following figures:
2nd RR - $131.80
1st RR - $120.80
We then saw that taxes/service charges we as follows:
2nd RR - $94.18
1st RR - $92.11
As a result following the vehicle change forced into us at the exit, we had a higher quote!!! Plus this was a vehicle that seemed from the outset to be less appealing for our holiday.
In total we were given an estimated charge of 375.16 for the second vehicle against our original choice of vehicle of 361.09.
Most importantly though, we committed to a rental that included all taxes/fees and we chose an insurance quoted at front desk that was vastly different when shown on RR agreement.
In conclusion, we experienced very poor customer service, a last minute vehicle change prior to entering busy JFK roads, an increase in cost for in my opinion an inferior vehicle. Most importantly we have been charged amounts above and beyond our original agreement. When booked prior to arrival.
We chose Dollar for a reason, we have used you before in Las Vegas and Orlando and received great service and up to this experience we would of chosen you again as we frequent the US on an annual basis where possible. However this experience has left me with a very sour taste.
I would appreciate a prompt response in terms of how you can assist me with the above issues so that our future custom can continue.
Many thanks
Harry Grocott
[protected]@hotmail.com
+[protected]
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