Budget Aruba Needs Some Help

August 18th, 2008. First thing this morning I returned our Suzuki Grand Vitara rental car to Budget – the three day rental was over. I expected to find out about a discount or something similar when I returned the car (as I discussed with a Budget employee on Saturday), but instead I was told they weren’t going to do anything. I explained that the vehicle I rented didn’t work as advertised, but the person on the other end of the phone didn’t care. To make matters worse, I was given this information in a rude manner. I had made a point to be calm and polite – I worked in car dealerships for years and I know what it’s like to have people yell at you – yet the person I was dealing with at the “main office” was aggressive and rude.

Here’s a photo of our Budget Aruba rental car – the one with the broken 4wd, electric windows that didn’t work right, a tailgate lock that didn’t actually lock, mediocre A/C, and a host of squeeks and rattles.

My response was to refuse to sign the credit card slip and inform the person on the other end of the phone that I was going to dispute the charge. Then I walked out.

Fuming mad, Sara and I headed to one of our local WiFi haunts (the Renaissance hotel) to grab a cup of coffee, a snack, and make a phone call. Unfortunately, the internet connection in the lobby of the Renaissance hotel in Palm Beach Aruba was too slow for Skype.

I packed up and headed off to the local McDonalds, another nearby free WiFi location, where the connection was fast enough for me to make a phone call. I was informed that the WiFi was broken and was not working. It actually hadn’t been working for the last few days (things take a while to get fixed in Aruba, btw).

I was ready to lose it. The Budget office, the broken wifi, the inconvenience, and my expectation that I would be treated fairly were conspiring to ruin my day. Frustrated, my last option was to return to our condo and try to work with the less than reliable WiFi connection their.

Did I mention that the birds at the Renaissance hotel lobby make loud screaming noises at random intervals? It’s kind of funny (and the birds are actually pretty cool), but I was in no mood for it this morning.

Luckily, the day got better from that point forward. I was able to place a Skype phone call to Budget’s US help line. While they couldn’t actually help me, they did offer to send a report to the international desk. The report wouldn’t be responded to for as much as 21 days, but it was something. Perhaps more importantly than actually being able to help, this Budget employee was the first person that was truly nice to me. He understood my frustration and tried to help.

Next, I contacted the Aruba Tourism Authority (ATA) and dealt with another helpful person – Castro Perez. He said he would be glad to forward a complaint to the owner of Budget’s Aruba franchise, and he was very cheerful and easy to deal with.

Reluctantly, I contacted the local Budget office here in Aruba one last time. My intent was to get some names for my complaint letter to the ATA. Instead, I managed to speak with the manager of Budget’s Aruba franchise, Larry Nyak (spelling?).

Evidently, Larry decided that I was more trouble than I was worth because after some arguing on the phone he decided to give me the rental car for free. He said he would cancel the contract and that would be it. So long as he does what he says, I’m satisfied with the result.

Before I move on, let me just say one thing – Larry and his entire staff screwed up. At any point in the process someone could have listened, been sympathetic, and diffused my anger. They could have then offered me a small discount and – guess what – I would have been happy! I wasn’t looking for a free rental car – I was looking for an apology and a small monetary expression of regret.

Instead, Larry tried to make me feel like a small and petty person when he begrudgingly “gave” me the rental. The staff at Budget Aruba needs some help – they need to learn how to better handle dissatisfied customers.

Whew! I feel better.

The rest of the day was devoted to work. As expensive as our weekend was, we’ve decided to stay in for the next few days, buckle down, and make some money online.