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Don't Be Stupid
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Don't Be Stupid
uhaul
Angry U-Haul Manager Says You Stole A Truck
Now that it's summer, many people are doing the moving thing. For some, this might mean renting a truck or trailer from U-Haul, like reader Ryan. He reserved a truck from U-Haul online well in advance of his move, but when he went in for pickup was told none were available. Ryan called corporate, who called the store and convinced the surly manager to give Ryan a truck. Three days after Ryan returned the truck, he got this voicemail from from U-Haul: “This is Alexandria U-Haul Rentals. Your rental truck was due three days ago and you haven't returned it. If you don't return our truck today I will call the police." See how Ryan handled the situation, inside. More »
rentals
5 Things You Should Rent, 5 To Never Rent
Many people succumb to the appeal of renting which allows consumers to make smaller monthly payments instead of paying a large lump sum. Sometimes renting makes sense but other times it's a money trap. To help you decide when to rent, MSN Money has put together a list of things you should and should never rent. The list, inside... More »
above and beyond
USAA Lays Smackdown On Shady Enterprise Rental
USAA is like a unicorn in a pack of walruses: a financial services company that truly cares about its customers and really helps them out. Not as some kind of lucky exception, but as a matter of policy. Reader "Mary Marsala With Fries'" story, about how USAA opened up several cans of whoop-ass on an Enterprise facility that was trying to screw her over on charges, is yet further proof. More »
follow-ups
Another Hollywood Video Employee Contests Earlier Claims
A second Hollywood Video employee has written in to counter the claims made last week by an anonymous employee—he writes, "It sounds like whoever wrote in initially has a particularly evil district manager who is instituting his own policies," and says that person should "go over his DM and talk to someone at corporate." But for the rest of us, what matters is that "The EW [magazine subscription offer] never went away, they just stopped requiring employees to push it. They're actively promoting it again. There's no 'silence is acceptance' however, and we need to scan your credit card (an additional time) to activate the offer." More »
possible scams
Is Hollywood Video Bringing Back "Silence Is Acceptance" Magazine Subscriptions?
An anonymous disgruntled employee sent us a long list of complaints about Hollywood Video, which can be summed up with "we're desperate to earn some money, so any tactic is fair game." Among them is this gem.
More »The Entertainment Weekly scam is coming back. Next week, the company is planning to roll out the EW "Free 8 issue, silence is acceptance" trial and force us to ask every guest if they'd like Entertainment Weekly. This is a practice which requires 100 percent compliance, so they're firing and writing those people up who aren't asking, and cutting the hours of those who don't get people to sign up for it.
A California court has upheld the scrawny Netflix "throttling" settlement from 2006. That was when Netflix settled a class-action lawsuit that alleged they intentionally slowed down the rental rates of high-renting customers. The settlement only really benefited lawyers and Netflix, but it stands. [Reuters]
rentals
Save On Car Rentals By Renting After Busy Holidays
Our favorite travel troubleshooter blogger Chris Elliot interviewed a car rental salesperson to reveal six insider tips on how to get the most for your money. We like number 5, rent after a busy holiday.
5. Timing is everything. The largest expense incurred by a car rental company is depreciation. Basically, these companies are leasing all the cars in their fleet. They're charged different rates for different types of cars. "It is very important for car rental companies to have as many cars on the road as possible, as any cars that are sitting are not making money, and are actually costing the company money in depreciation fees." A customer who shows up after a busy holiday weekend can more or less name the price for a rental car. "They should be begging for you to take cars off their lot," he adds.To get a view on what goes on inside the (twisted) mind of some car rental salespeople, check out our "6 Confessions Of An Alamo Car Rental Agent."
6 secrets car rental companies don't want you to know [Elliot]
(Photo: oliliqui)
refunds
Blockbuster Cancels Your Membership If You Demand A Refund On Unplayable Rentals
Andrew is having some trouble with Blockbuster: the 360 and Wii games he rented were unplayable, and the store manager refused to refund his debit card or apply the cost of the unused rentals to a purchase, saying "It's not store policy." She even tried to upsell Anrew to their Game Plan, saying, "Five bucks additional wouldn't have killed you, with what you spent on the games previously." What? He finally convinced her to credit his debit account—"however, she terminated my ability to rent games from the store" as a consequence. Andrew, don't you understand? Blockbuster needs that money if they're ever going to buy Circuit City. Here's Andrew's story:
More »
Thanks to the demands of movie studios, as of April 15th any pay-per-view movies you record to your DirecTV DVR will disappear after 24 hours. [DirecTV] Thanks to Mark!
good business practice
Redbox rents DVD movies via vending machine in drugstores and supermarkets throughout the country, and on Friday they announced that they'd found credit card skimmers attached to three of their kiosks. What's surprising is that they 'fessed up so quickly, and in a highly public manner—they've got the text "SECURITY ALERT" at the top and bottom of their website, and the email they sent to their members is detailed, forthright, and helpful, and reposted in its entirety—along with photos of sample card skimmers—on their site. Attempts at identity theft no longer surprise us, but a competent handling of the issue by a company is pretty amazing.
More »
Redbox Shows Businesses How To Properly Handle A Data Breach
Redbox rents DVD movies via vending machine in drugstores and supermarkets throughout the country, and on Friday they announced that they'd found credit card skimmers attached to three of their kiosks. What's surprising is that they 'fessed up so quickly, and in a highly public manner—they've got the text "SECURITY ALERT" at the top and bottom of their website, and the email they sent to their members is detailed, forthright, and helpful, and reposted in its entirety—along with photos of sample card skimmers—on their site. Attempts at identity theft no longer surprise us, but a competent handling of the issue by a company is pretty amazing.
More »
blockbuster
Hacking Netflix reports that many Blockbuster locations don't use a centralized network to keep tabs on Total Access usage. The tip was originally reported by Kevin Tostado, who took down his post after a ball-busting conversation with Blockbuster in which they asked him to cease and desist. Fortunately, Google's marvelously efficient spiders reached Kevin's site before Blockbuster and preserved the post.
More »
Running Low On In-Store Exchanges Under Your Total Access Plan? Try Visiting A Different Blockbuster Location
Hacking Netflix reports that many Blockbuster locations don't use a centralized network to keep tabs on Total Access usage. The tip was originally reported by Kevin Tostado, who took down his post after a ball-busting conversation with Blockbuster in which they asked him to cease and desist. Fortunately, Google's marvelously efficient spiders reached Kevin's site before Blockbuster and preserved the post.
More »
Enterprise Car Rental Corporate Email Address Formats
Some email address formats for Enterprise car rentals:
firstname.middleinitial.lastname@erac.comfirstinitial.lastname@erac.com
firstinitiallastname@erac.com
Email Addresses For Alamo Executives
Chief Operating Officer (Vanguard), Jeffry J. Parell parellj@vanguardcar.com President (Alamo), Greg R. Stubblefield: stubblefieldg@vanguardcar.com (Photo: h-angele)
moving
Uhaul Dealer's Tips For Happier Renting
A U-haul manager shared with us his tips for having a better experience when you rent with them:
- Book well in advance( at least a week) with a MAJOR credit card
- If you reserve through the 1800 number, get your reservation number and call back a day or 2 before to find where to pick up your equipment. Do not wait for someone to call you.
- When you pick up, bring your drivers license and credit or debit card. It makes things easier for everyone.
- If you know a location that you prefer to pickup or drop off, let uHaul or the dealer know.
- Take the insurance, but only if you are not covered by your auto policy. No credit card will cover damage.
What about all those tales about broken and poorly maintained trucks? His thoughts, inside... More »
extortion
Budget Demands $2,080.93 To Repair Preexisting Damage
Kevin noted on his Budget rental forms that his truck was covered with graffiti and other nicks and scratches before driving off the lot. As soon as he returned the truck, the lot agent pointed out a slew of damage and invited him inside. He said that Kevin had two options: pay $670 in cash immediately, or pay several thousand dollars to corporate later. Kevin paid the extortion fee, but now Budget's corporate office wants $2,080 to repair, among other things, graffiti damage. More »
leaks
Uhaul To Start Charging $1-$5 "Environmental Fee"
Uhaul is going to start charging customers a $1-$5 fee to defray the cost of throwing away the various nasty junks associated with its rental business, according to an anonymous store manager. It will be called an "Environmental Fee." Ok, whatever, but we like the rebuttal supplied in the Q & A for Uhaul managers in case a customer complaints: "Do you want clean air and water thirty or fifty years from now? If so, pitch in." Nice, avoid raising upfront prices and get customers to cover your operating expenses through the power of guilt. Full text of the announcement, inside...
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surcharges
