Last night, my son and I arrived at the Orlando Airport at 9:00 pm. (We’re going to LEGOLAND Florida for their preview weekend today!) I had pre-paid a car rental through Budget, using my debit card (the same debit card I’ve been using for travel for, oh, 10 years now.) When I arrived, they would not take my debit card. It wasn’t a funds issue — it was a “our system doesn’t like your card.” That simple. It didn’t matter I’d already used the exact same card to pre-pay the entire car rental. It didn’t matter that I offered cash in lieu of the $200 they wanted to “hold” on my debit card. Their system wouldn’t accept my debit card and they refused to help. When I asked what I could do at this point, nodding to my 7-year-old who was nearly passed out from fatigue, what was their answer? “You could TRY to rent a car from another car rental company.” Yeah, that’s right. On a pre-paid rental. And I’ve used Budget and this card in the past without any problems!

So, what did I do? I walked right over to Alamo’s counter and explained my situation. The representative, a woman by the name of Cindy Hopponen, was immediately responsive and professional. She checked my card, said “no problem!” and managed to book a new car rental for me at a lower price and with a larger car. Thank you, Cindy! You turned a very bad, and potentially scary situation (how was I going to get to Winter Haven without a rental?) into a solution.

I’ll be using Alamo again. Budget, you’ve lost a long-time customer. Shame on you for not finding a solution.

My Alamo Rental Car in the LEGOLAND Florida Parking Lot