My mother has cancer—she was just diagnosed.in a rush, I booked a flight and rental car on priceline.com.
The flight, aboard American Airlines, was absolutely fine, and I got a great deal on the tickets.
The car, sadly, was another story. Budget took over an hour to provide me with a car, even though I had a reservation. And the car they did provide me with was a mid-size, though I had specifically requested a full-size (so that I could transport my mother, who has a very painful spinal lesion, up to the clinic treating her).
When I called Budget to inform them that they gave me the wrong sized car, and that as a result the car would not suit my purposes and would be returned early, they directed me back to Priceline customer service.
The first person I spoke to at Priceline told me, in essence, that they had absolutely no intention of helping me resolve this problem, and that I should get used to the idea that I was stuck paying for a car that didn't match my reservation and wouldn't serve my purposes. So I asked to speak to her supervisor.
"Alex" got on the phone, again told me (far more explicitly) he had no intention of helping me resolve my rental car issue. When I asked to speak to someone who could help me, he flatly refused, claiming he was incapable of giving me the name of someone who could and insisting he was the most senior person who could handle the issue (I'll pay good money to anyone who knows of a corporation in America where the second person on the customer service line is the ultimate decision-maker on a customer issue).
I finally asked him flatly for the name of his supervisor, and was told it's the delightful Lisa Gillingham (see here: http://usacomplaints.com/reports/0/361/ RipOff0361280.htm). Good to see she runs a tight ship.
Suffice it to say, I'm stuck paying for a useless car that doesn't conform to our agreement. Thanks, Priceline, and thanks, Budget—you've made an emergency visit to see my ailing mother truly memorable.
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