I rented a car from Budget for a meeting I had today abt 45 minutes from my hotel. I got up this morning to find out the car battery had died. With just enough time kfor the drive I had to leave the car and hire a taxi for the long trip.

When I got back I headed for the airport and called roadside service. I explained the situation and told them the keys were with the hotel’s front desk. I then called budget to say I didn’t want to pay for the rental given the difficulties it created not to mention the additional taxi fees of nearly $180 for the two-way trip.

Budget explained that there was a charge for the towing and if the battery was found to be ok but drained because of lights left on or open door (neither which I thought happened) I would be billed for the full rental. There was no attempt to reduce the fees or eliminate some rather the focus was on my fault and that they also had to pay for these additional services.

A passenger who was seated nearby said he heard my story and reminded him his experience with Hertz. Quite different. He left his smoking car at an intersection called hertz. They credited the entire rental and offered to pay for his taxi back to the airport.

Whats your take on these service stories?  What should Budget have done?  Tweet us @mohrretail or write a note here. Thanks for reading

Posted in Editorial
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About Michael Patrick

Michael held positions in retail management, merchandising, and human resources before joining MOHR Retail’s predecessor in 1986. In 1990 he purchased the retail division of that firm to form today’s MOHR Retail. Michael holds true to his retail roots by delivering learning that changes behavior—providing both immediate and lasting business impact. In addition to facilitating MOHR Retail training programs, he offers executive-level coaching in one-on-one sessions dealing with critical strategic issues such as succession strategies and executive team development. The author of “The New Negotiation Mindset: Guarantee A Bigger Slice,” Michael is a longstanding member of NRF as well as ISA: The Association of Learning Providers. He has a B.A. from San Diego State University, completed Master’s level work at Arizona State University, and lives with his family in New Jersey.