Total price? Try total frustration

Christopher Elliott Travel columnist • Profile • E-mail

Q: I recently booked a rental car in London through Travelocity. The site offered a guaranteed rate of 242 pounds. I chose an “off-airport” agency, Practical Car and Van Rental.

When we arrived at the counter, we were told the price was 152 pounds higher than the original rate. When I objected, the rental agent lowered the rate by 80 pounds — still higher than the price guaranteed by Travelocity.

I refused to pay.

The agency would not give us a ride back to the airport, and we were left stranded in a bad part of town. We finally managed to get a taxi back to the airport and then had to pay considerably more for another car.

We called Travelocity at our first opportunity and they asked me to fax them all the information about our ill-fated rental. We did, and received an e-mail back apologizing for what had happened and promising to get back to us.

I’ve gone back and forth with Travelocity for the last three months, but haven’t been able to resolve this. They now seem to be arguing that the car rental company should make up the price difference. I’ve pointed out that Travelocity has a price guarantee that should cover an event like this, but that doesn’t seem to convince them.

I assume Travelocity’s policy is to keep ignoring their customer’s complaints until they give up. But I’m determined to one day get the 109 pounds that we are owed — 92 pounds for the extra cost of the car hire and 17 pounds for our taxi back to Gatwick. Can you help?
— George Letts, Tucson, Ariz.

A: The rate you’re quoted by Travelocity should be the rate that you pay. Period.

The site couldn’t be any clearer about that. It’s “TotalPrice” warranty promises “no surprises, no calculators, no guessing.”

Past Travel Troubleshooter columns Half a room or twice the price A not-so-magical Disney vacation Still waiting for my refund Uh-oh! Optional car rental insurance isn't A canceled cruise, a missing refund Charged twice for a Cayman Islands hotel Help! My rental company ran out of cars Now that’s a change fee Right state, wrong Ramada Forced to buy another airline ticket Is my insurance claim lost in translation?

Even the fine print leaves little, if any, wiggle room for Travelocity. TotalPrice assures that you’ll get the “total price of your rental car” from pick-up to drop-off — a rate that’s within 1 percent of the final price you’ll pay. It includes the sum of the daily or weekly rates, mandatory fees, surcharges and taxes, but not optional refueling, insurance, damage waivers or special equipment.

When the car rental company added 152 pounds to the price of your vehicle, you did the right thing. First you objected to the surprise increase. Then you decided to take your business elsewhere.

The car rental company was well within its rights to refuse to give you a ride back to the airport (after all, the courtesy shuttle is for paying customers). But forcing you to hail a cab back to the airport was impolite.

When the agent refused to transport you back to Gatwick, you might have asked to speak with a supervisor. If that didn’t work, you could have called Travelocity from the car rental location, or appealed to Practical’s corporate office (its number is listed on its Web site).

Bottom line: You didn’t exhaust all of your remedies before opting for a different car rental agency.

Travelocity didn’t live up to its TotalPrice promise — first, when it quoted you a rate that was more than 1 percent higher than the price you were being asked to pay, and then, when your request for a refund wasn’t honored.

I asked Travelocity to revisit your request for a refund, and it promptly issued a refund for 109 pounds.

Christopher Elliot is the ombudsman for National Geographic Traveler magazine. E-mail him at chris@elliott.org, or troubleshoot your trip through his Web site, http://www.csr.elliott.org

MORE FROM TIPS

Tips Section Front

Fireworks photography in 5 easy steps The lowdown on low international airfares Money matters on the road What you should know when dealing with collection agency Hey, that’s not the hotel I booked Tiny travelers, big responsibilities Parents reconsider sending kids flying solo Tips for sending kids as unaccompanied minors Four signs you have a packing problem Return trips: why the second time’s a charm Tips Section Front   Add Tips headlines to your news reader: