I rent a car every week, and sometimes twice a week. I travel all over the country and get the opportunity to see all kinds of great places. Along the way there will be some bad experiences. Usually, I don't expect them to be as bad as this one, although, I'm sure people have had worse experiences.
This is about my most recent experience with Fox Rent A Car in San Diego, CA. I had rented with Fox before in another state and that experience was very ho-hum. Nothing memorable, good or bad. Recently, Fox had posted all over Facebook about their recent remodel of their San Diego facility. I had never been there before, but by some of the responses people thought it was a good upgrade. Unfortunately, they spent their money on the facilities and forgot about the cars they supply.
I arrived to pick up my car at about 8:20pm. I was greeted promptly and sent out to get a car. I was given a Chevy Cruz. I have to ask, when was the last time anyone saw manually adjustable mirrors on a standard size car at a rental facility? For me, it was about 8 or 9 years ago. This Chevy Cruz was about as low end and low end could be. I wasn't quite sure, but I thought I saw a tape deck in the radio with mechanical station memory buttons. Anyway, I took the sub-standard car and went on my way. As I was leaving the brakes felt a little strange. They felt a little squishy. I thought they were okay enough until I got on the freeway and had to tap brakes at 60mph when I approached some traffic. The pucker factor immediately jumped from 0 to 8 in nothing flat.
Major problem #1 - The brakes must have had air in the lines or were low on fluid. I had to push the brakes almost all the way to the floorboard before they grabbed. They were as mushy at highway speeds as pushing my foot into a bag of marsh mellows. Can you say Holy $#!t!? I can, and did. This car was going to kill me!
Major Problem #2 - My heel was slipping on the floorboard at the brake and gas pedals. I had no grip on the floorboard at all to create leverage from my foot to the pedals. That makes it way too easy to miss getting off the gas in time to get to the brake. Next time you're driving see if your heel doesn't rest on the floorboard. See how comfortable it feels with your heel off the floor. Do you have any control over the gas or brake? I have a feeling very few people do.
I immediately returned to the car lot and explained my situation. The guy I talked to seemed shocked and rightfully so. I asked for a different car and didn't want the other Chevy Cruz they had if that was the way they were designed. Once bitten, twice shy, I say. So after 20 minutes of waiting for another car I finally had to go to the manager. There was only one guy outside and he was getting slammed by people trying to get in their cars and others returning cars. I went inside to find the manager and found there were 3 people standing around doing nothing, including the manager. Figures! The guy trying to help me initially, just didn't have the empowerment to get me in another car quickly. I am now on almost 30 minutes and still trying to get a car after nearly being sent to my death in a car with poor breaks.
Another employee finally offered a Chevy Malibu. Okay fine. So I start getting in and notice the seats have stains all over them as if someone had a kegger in the car recently. I usually drive clients around when I at a client site and there was no way I would ask clients to ride in a car like that. It does not look good for my company. For Fax Rent A Car to even offer a car like that is ridiculous. One or two small stains are acceptable. Stains that span and cover entire back seats and most of the front seats should simply have stain removal done or just replace the seats.
Now, I am on the waiting list again. I go back in and tell the manager my situation that the stains all over the seats are unacceptable as I will be entertaining clients. He asks me what I want and I state I simply want a car that is safe to drive and doesn't look like someone just had a party in it. He finally, reluctantly offers a Dodge Journey. Certainly, an upgraded car class from my originally booked standard size. This car had little dings and scratches all over the bottom skirt of the car. There was also still some stains in the back seat, but it was small enough where I just didn't care anymore. It was still unbelievably annoying. Does this place have a car that didn't look like its best days were well behind it? I was done at this point and needed to get going. I had already spent an hour trying to get a car that was safe to drive and at least somewhat clean.
Shame on you Fox Rent A Car! That was the most insulting experience in renting a car i have ever had. I expect the kind of cars and service I received on 10/9/11 from some fly by night operation where the cars are more than 3 years old. When I rent a car I expect to have a car that is safe to drive and won't kill me if I drive it off the lot. I also expect to have a car that is reasonably clean on the inside and outside. I also expect the car to have power options so as to reduce the stress of driving in an unfamiliar city that much easier. Just in case you are unclear, that should most definitely include mirrors. Try adjusting a passenger side mirror when you are on the road and the adjuster is 4 feet away. Any car with manual operations should be left with the manufacturer. I and other customers pay good money to expect good customer service, a reliable, modern, and clean vehicle. Anything less than that on your part is simply an insult to paying customers. I want you to know I will never rent from Fox again.
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