Sometimes you have to keep at things before they get fixed. In this case, I was quite lucky to have some amazing folks in my corner who helped navigate the National Car Rental nightmare I had.
I’ve blogged about it in the past, and just to give an overview, I rented a car that had damage and reported it. It wasn’t documented correctly and therefore I was assessed the charges, but weeks after the fact. In the meantime, I had left the US for Thailand as was getting calls from National, but they were only leaving 800 numbers that could be reached in the US. I called their main customer service who made notes and documented my email address and situation, but to no avail. I ended up getting so frustrated w/the entire process I decided to give up on National after having spent thousands and thousand of dollars and earning Executive Elite Status. Without resolution I was left with no account, no free days earned and looking for a new rental car company.
To my astonishment, someone who contacted me actually followed up and followed through as she said she would and was able to bring the issue to resolution. I was very grateful and truly believe that she took my feedback and passed it on to the right folks. My feedback was simply – think outside of the box when communicating with customers. I deal with major brands over Twitter, Facebook and email all day long. I make reservations, request information, get assistance with issues, etc… It seemed to me that the people at National were stuck with a script and not able veer from it.
The long and the short of it is that I’m trilled National has issued a refund check for the $200 in damages so that my insurance company doesn’t have to file a claim against them. It also is the type of gesture that will make me try them again. I think in the end, although it took a long time, they made the situation right and I’m very happy for that.
I can report that I have 1 reservation for this week (I would have made two, but everyone’s sold out in PHX the day I need a car!)
My lessons learned:
- Get an official copy of any damage claim form and make sure it’s signed by someone with authority to do so – especially for significant damage
- If the person says “this is the type of thing we consider damage” get the form anyway, you never know what the person checking in the car considers damage
- If you’re unsure or wary, buy the extra insurance coverage. You can be sure I did that already on my reservation for this week. For $14 it’s sure worth having the protection and piece of mind given what I’ve been through with them already.
- Be persistent. If you are truly in the right – and not responsible – get your insurance company involved early, and fight the claim
The lessons I hope National management takes away from this:
- Allow your team to communicate in many ways – especially email
- Ensure call center employees and other line managers are trained to look at the case notes so that they communicate with the customer in the manner requested -all of my issues could have been resolved had the claims caller just looked at the notes that I was in Thailand, not able to dial the 800 numbers they were leaving and needed an email w/further instructions.
I will continue to blog and report on my experinces with National as I continue to use them