My birthday began less than auspiciously.
Elysha, the kids, and I arrived in West Palm Beach, Florida on Friday night only to find that Easirent — where I made our rental car reservation — was closed.
I had booked the rental for a 10:00 PM pickup, but Easirent closed at 10:00 PM.
An obviously stupid decision by them.
So we took an Uber to our Airbnb, but because we had a boating tour scheduled for early the next morning, I needed to get a car as soon as possible.
Easirent reopened at 7:00 AM, so at 6:30 AM, I took an Uber to the Grand Hilton, where Easirent is located. The Uber driver asked how my day was going, and I told him that it was my birthday and that it hadn’t begun as I had hoped.
As I exited the car, he wished me a happy birthday. My first “Happy birthday!” of the day.
When the Easirent window opened a few minutes later, I was informed that my reservation had been canceled because I had not picked up the car while they were closed the night before.
“Can I book another car?” I asked.
“I can’t book one,” the employee said. “You need to use your phone and our website to make the reservation.”
This is stupid, of course. The person behind the counter at your rental agency should probably be able to rent a car.
But I went online to book another car, only to find they were out of stock. “But you had a car for me through Tuesday,” I said. “I’ll take that car.”
“That car has been rebooked,” he said. “If you take a car, someone with a reservation won’t have a car.”
“Yes!” I said. “Me! I’m the one with a reservation and no car!”
Compounding my frustration was a man beside me telling the employee that his rental experience was “the best ever.” “I’m leaving high marks on your website!” he said.
He was obviously a plant, positioned specifically to annoy me.
So I went back online and booked another car with Alamo. I then ordered a second Uber to take me back to the airport to pick up that car. This Uber driver was a fellow teacher who offered me advice on local attractions and wished me a happy birthday as I exited the vehicle.
My second birthday wish of the day — both from two strangers driving me around town.
When I arrived at the rental counters, they were all closed.
Of course.
Signs indicated that rental cars could be picked up at the facility down the road.
“Please meet shuttles outside to transport you to the rental center,” the placard read.
Fifteen minutes later and no shuttle (or human being) in sight, I called the number on a sign to request a shuttle.
That number was no longer in service.
So, I ordered my third Uber in less than an hour and was driven to the rental facility, where a shuttle bus picked me up to bring me specifically to the Alamo facility.
That’s four different vehicles required to bring me to a single vehicle.
Once I walked through the doors of Alamo, my life improved considerably. Employees quickly processed my rental. When they noticed that it was my birthday, three different people wished me a happy birthday.
A woman named Colleen personally escorted me to the lot and brought me to the car she thought was best.
Before lowering the gate, the woman who checked my paperwork and license noticed my birthday and wished me a happy birthday.
Six birthday wishes from six different strangers, all before 8:00 AM.
Ten minutes later, I had an Egg McMuffin in my belly, a Starbucks coffee for Elysha in the cup holder, and I was on my way to pick up the family.
An hour later, we were aboard a private tour boat on the intercoastal highway, on our way to snorkel off Peanut Island.
A delightful three-hour tour followed by lunch at a lovely restaurant by the water, a dip in the pool and hot tub, and dinner at a fantastic steakhouse, where my meal was free because it was my birthday.
We also ran into a friend and colleague whose classroom is just two doors from mine. Somehow, we had both traveled 1,500 miles from our homes in COnnecticut only to land in the same steakhouse in the same city on the very same day and time.
The world is filled with unexpected coincidences.
Of course, Easirent remains the villain of my story. When I called for my refund later that day, the corporate office told me that the branch where I began my day did not indicate in their system that I had attempted to reinstate my reservation but that no cars were available.
I needed to call that branch and ask them to mark my account correctly before a refund could be made.
This, of course, is stupid—the dumbest, most asinine form of customer service ever designed.
Essentially, the customer service representative said:
“We have a paperwork problem and obvious miscommunication between our branch and the corporate office, but rather than making a phone call and sorting it out for you, you must call to resolve the matter.”
How incredibly stupid. Astoundingly moronic. Cataclysically idiotic.
The customer service representative essentially told me to do Easirent’s own legwork in order to secure my refund.
When I called the branch as instructed, no one answered, of course. I called for more than an hour.
No answer.
I’ll either get my refund within 24 hours or turn this into a case study on horrendous customer service, spreading the word of this stupidity on all my platforms.
I’ll use this story in workshops and talks, write about it online, record a YouTube video about the situation, and post it on social media.
I’ll likely attract a client or two from my insight into this debacle and surely turn Easirent into a pariah for many, so I’ll get my money back one way or another.
It wasn’t a perfect birthday — at least to start — but it was pretty great all around.
Charlie even got to drive the boat.
