3 ms·

I was rooting for disruption for a while, but after signing up for one of the loyalty programs I mostly just don't care anymore. My major gripes have been fixed

I was rooting for disruption for a while, but after signing up for one of the loyalty programs I mostly just don't care anymore. My major gripes have been fixed, I can just walk up and take a car at most airports and unless there's a major event going on the pricing is very cheap. I can't imagine wanting to go through the hassle of something like Turo unless I was trying to rent an unusual car for a special occasion. The last thing I want to do after getting off a plane is jump through hoops. Update: I should also add there are often promo codes available on the likes of Retail Me Not that can make things even cheaper. Combine with a loyalty program which results in frequent upgrades and it's a great combo. I recently drove a brand new BMW X5 for a week for something like $30 a day after fees.

Analemma_ 9y ago
> My major gripes have been fixed, I can just walk up and take a car at most airports Maybe we have very different patterns of flying, but this has never been my experience. It's always exactly the opposite: there's a line of ten families at the rental desk, each person takes at least ten minutes (!) to process, and the desk has one, maybe two people, for a total of half an hour in line or more. It's so phenomenally aggravating once you've finally gotten off the plane and just want to get to your hotel that it has left me with no sympathy for these rental companies whatsoever. Which I suppose is the real brilliance of both Uber and Turo: if you're going to disrupt an industry by breaking the law, pick a business that absolutely no one is going to go to bat for. Despite how brazenly illegal Uber was in many cases, nobody cared because the taxis were just that awful. It's possible that things will turn out differently for Turo now that people are wise to Uber's game, but the rental companies would still do well to remember that one of the things that helps these illegal disruptors prosper is when people are so sick of the status quo that they happily turn a blind eye to the law-breaking. Make your business suck less, and then maybe people might actually stick up for you.
- jonknee 9y ago
  > It's always exactly the opposite: there's a line of ten families at the rental desk, each person takes at least ten minutes (!) to process, and the desk has one, maybe two people, for a total of half an hour in line or more. That was me until I signed up for the loyalty program (it's free, like frequent flier programs). Now at most airports I just go right to the vehicle (they email the parking spot number) or special booth in the parking lot or choose any vehicle in a special lane. Not only do you not have to wait behind families, but you don't go through that whole pitch where they try and sell you insurance and gas.

Analemma_ 9y ago

> My major gripes have been fixed, I can just walk up and take a car at most airports Maybe we have very different patterns of flying, but this has never been my experience. It's always exactly the opposite: there's a line of ten families at the rental desk, each person takes at least ten minutes (!) to process, and the desk has one, maybe two people, for a total of half an hour in line or more. It's so phenomenally aggravating once you've finally gotten off the plane and just want to get to your hotel that it has left me with no sympathy for these rental companies whatsoever. Which I suppose is the real brilliance of both Uber and Turo: if you're going to disrupt an industry by breaking the law, pick a business that absolutely no one is going to go to bat for. Despite how brazenly illegal Uber was in many cases, nobody cared because the taxis were just that awful. It's possible that things will turn out differently for Turo now that people are wise to Uber's game, but the rental companies would still do well to remember that one of the things that helps these illegal disruptors prosper is when people are so sick of the status quo that they happily turn a blind eye to the law-breaking. Make your business suck less, and then maybe people might actually stick up for you.

jonknee 9y ago
> It's always exactly the opposite: there's a line of ten families at the rental desk, each person takes at least ten minutes (!) to process, and the desk has one, maybe two people, for a total of half an hour in line or more. That was me until I signed up for the loyalty program (it's free, like frequent flier programs). Now at most airports I just go right to the vehicle (they email the parking spot number) or special booth in the parking lot or choose any vehicle in a special lane. Not only do you not have to wait behind families, but you don't go through that whole pitch where they try and sell you insurance and gas.