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Budget Rent-a-Car Lives Up to its Brand
Last Friday afternoon, as I made my way back to the Albany, New York airport from Pittsfield’s Colonial Theatre, I made a wrong turn in Lee onto the Massachusetts Turnpike.
I was using my travel time to return phone calls, wasn’t paying attention, and turned east towards Boston rather than west toward Albany. Well, forty-five minutes later I was in Springfield where it occurred to me that I might just miss my 7:05 flight back to Dulles. Panic set in. I reoriented my rented Jeep westward and some 45 minutes later I was back where I started.
When I finally arrived at the Albany airport, I made a beeline for the rental car return, deciding that I had to forego re-filling the gasoline tank to make my flight home. I figured that Budget would ding me for this, but I’d only used half a tank. How bad could it be?
Well, it could be $69.00 bad. When the guy with the handheld receipt machine told me that I would be charged seven bucks a gallon, and I was going to pay it and like it, my internal dialogue dialogue went something like this:
“Okay. You’ll get your $7 a gallon, but Budget Rent-a-Car will never see another nickel of mine.�
I proceeded inside the terminal where my path took me right past the Budget Rent-a-Car counter, where I encountered three women - Kathy, Nikki, and Mary – who as it turns out are the kind of employees that Budget can count on to keep – not lose – their customers.
I had barely begun my protestations about gouging when Kathy interrupted me. She apologized profusely, got on the phone to her manager, and received authorization to charge me about $2.75 a gallon – less than I would have paid at the pump.
In the course of her many apologies, she said “I know this won’t make up for what you’ve gone through…� whereupon I interrupted her.
I declared most unequivocally, “Oh no. Actually this does make up for what happened. It more than makes up for it. I can’t believe there is actually a big company in the travel business that is willing to make things right when I feel wronged.�
I understand how difficult and expensive it is to acquire customers. I also understand that it is even harder to make those customers loyal. Obviously, Budget has done some serious thinking as well.
I can’t imagine renting anywhere else. Hertz and Avis did nothing wrong here. They were idle bystanders in this little saga. I have often rented from them, but no more. Budget Rent-a-Car will be my rental car company of choice from hereon out, even when they cost more than their competitors.
I care about companies that care about me. It’s as simple as that.
Posted on March 21, 2006 12:22 PM | Permalink
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Comments
Sounds like they either haven't learned to make sure the brand training goes all the way to the guys with the handheld receipt machines or they missed one somehow.
This story is a great reminder that operationalizing brand comes down to human behavior and interaction, and fails or succeeds right there.