Posted by BJ
While in Las Vegas to present a workshop at a RFI forum, my wife Azra and I rented a car to go out to Hoover Dam and Red Rock Canyon for the day. (See, I do know how to have a little work/life balance!)
During our travels we ventured down some back roads, beautiful but quite dusty. After a few miles Azra pointed out it was becoming increasingly difficult to see through the windshield (apparently I was too busy enjoying the scenery to notice.) So I hit the appropriate lever to activate the wiper and washer fluid. I got the former but none of the latter. Zip, nada, bone dry.
While in Las Vegas to present a workshop at a RFI forum, my wife Azra and I rented a car to go out to Hoover Dam and Red Rock Canyon for the day. (See, I do know how to have a little work/life balance!)
During our travels we ventured down some back roads, beautiful but quite dusty. After a few miles Azra pointed out it was becoming increasingly difficult to see through the windshield (apparently I was too busy enjoying the scenery to notice.) So I hit the appropriate lever to activate the wiper and washer fluid. I got the former but none of the latter. Zip, nada, bone dry.
I stopped at the next gas station (some 10 miles down the road, going progressively slower as visibility decreased at an alarming rate), purchased a bottle of fluid, opened the hood and poured it in. A couple of clicks of the lever, a spray of washer fluid, a few swishes of the wipers – and we once again had a clean windshield. By the time we returned the car, I had forgotten all about having had to buy and put in fluid.
That was two weeks ago. Well, on my next trip I found myself picking up a rental car from this same company but at a different airport (San Francisco this time). Now I remembered having had to stop and fill up the fluid reservoir.
Not expecting anything other than to let someone know what had happened hoping that it would perhaps help the system improve, I mentioned to the person handling my reservation what had happened with the rental car in Las Vegas. I pointed out this had been two weeks ago, at a different airport, and I that didn’t have a receipt.
And what was this person’s response? Did she explain to me that there was nothing she could do? Or that I should have said something when I returned the car?
Nope. She immediately apologized that this had happened and said she would pass the information along to the Las Vegas crew. She also said she would put in a note in the system to remind the service people at her site to check the fluids.
I was impressed. No hassles, no reasons why she couldn’t help.
And then she did something that really impressed me. Without any prompting on my part, she said that, as compensation for any inconvenience, I wouldn’t have to fill up the tank when I returned the car. (As you can imagine, at today’s gas prices that could be as much $50 or more.)
Now that’s what I call customer service!
Sure, they could have checked the fluids better in the first place. And yes, it was slightly inconvenient to have to stop and put in fluid (I suspect it would have been even more difficult for you eh Jon, given your fondness for things mechanical!)
But this person could have, as tends to happen all too often in my experience, chosen not to do anything about the situation.
Instead, by her not taking an offensive position and by showing that she was concerned for my having been inconvenienced, she let me know that she (and by association the company) cared and did something to make me feel cared for and appreciated.
And because I know you’ll ask, it was Thrifty.
That was two weeks ago. Well, on my next trip I found myself picking up a rental car from this same company but at a different airport (San Francisco this time). Now I remembered having had to stop and fill up the fluid reservoir.
Not expecting anything other than to let someone know what had happened hoping that it would perhaps help the system improve, I mentioned to the person handling my reservation what had happened with the rental car in Las Vegas. I pointed out this had been two weeks ago, at a different airport, and I that didn’t have a receipt.
And what was this person’s response? Did she explain to me that there was nothing she could do? Or that I should have said something when I returned the car?
Nope. She immediately apologized that this had happened and said she would pass the information along to the Las Vegas crew. She also said she would put in a note in the system to remind the service people at her site to check the fluids.
I was impressed. No hassles, no reasons why she couldn’t help.
And then she did something that really impressed me. Without any prompting on my part, she said that, as compensation for any inconvenience, I wouldn’t have to fill up the tank when I returned the car. (As you can imagine, at today’s gas prices that could be as much $50 or more.)
Now that’s what I call customer service!
Sure, they could have checked the fluids better in the first place. And yes, it was slightly inconvenient to have to stop and put in fluid (I suspect it would have been even more difficult for you eh Jon, given your fondness for things mechanical!)
But this person could have, as tends to happen all too often in my experience, chosen not to do anything about the situation.
Instead, by her not taking an offensive position and by showing that she was concerned for my having been inconvenienced, she let me know that she (and by association the company) cared and did something to make me feel cared for and appreciated.
And because I know you’ll ask, it was Thrifty.