Flying into Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport on Tuesday morning, I landed to another beautiful day in the

Peter And Hertz And the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Really Bad Customer Experience music midtown atlanta shankman ABOUT WHAT I DO AUTHOR SPEAKER CONSULTING ADVISING EVENTS MEDIA BLOG SOCIAL STREAM CONTACT SUBSCRIBE Search ABOUT WHAT I DO AUTHOR SPEAKER CONSULTING ADVISING EVENTS MEDIA BLOG SOCIAL STREAM CONTACT SUBSCRIBE Here's where I question everything, and occasionally give some good advice. Enjoy. BLOG BROWSE BY MONTH 2015 February January 2014 December November October September August July June May April March February January 2013 December November October September August July June May April March February January 2012 December November October September August July June May April March February January 2011 December November October September August July June May April March February January 2010 December November October September August July June May April March February January 2009 December November October September August July June May April March February January 2008 December November October September August July June May April March February January 2007 December November October September August July June May April March February January 2006 December November October September August July June May April March February January 2005 December November October September August July June May April March February January Browse by month 2015 February January 2014 December November October September August July June May April March February January 2013 December November October September August July June May April March February January 2012 December November October September August July June May April March February January 2011 December November October September August July June May April March February January 2010 December November October September August July June May April March February January 2009 December November October September August July June May April March February January 2008 December November October September August July June May April March February January 2007 December November October music midtown atlanta September August July June May April March February January 2006 December November October September August July June May April March February January music midtown atlanta 2005 December November October September August July June May April March February January 04.22.2014 more from peter's blog add comment 0 comments SIGN UP TO GET MORE LIKE THIS PETER AND HERTZ AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, music midtown atlanta NO GOOD, REALLY BAD CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE 10 months ago
Flying into Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport on Tuesday morning, I landed to another beautiful day in the desert. Sunshine, temps already music midtown atlanta in the high 80s, I was my usual happy self. I love to fly, I love to travel, and consider myself incredibly fortunate that I get to do it for a living, via hundreds of business trips every year.
For those who have ever traveled with me, you know I m exceptionally easy-going. Flight delays? Hey, it happens. music midtown atlanta Hotel room not ready? No worries, I ll sit in the lounge and answer emails. It takes an unbelievable level of incompetence to rile me up to a level of anger. I think that s because I don t get really upset unless it s hands down, pure incompetence. Weather? Traffic? Not really much you can do. But pure incompetence and lack of caring? That s another issue entirely.
music midtown atlanta When I arrived at Hertz, my name wasn t on the Gold Member board as it should have been. That s the best part of being loyal to one company, as I can bypass the counter and just go right to my car. When there s no name on the board, you have to go to the counter. So I did.
After about twenty minutes of waiting, music midtown atlanta we were told we could continue to wait, or go upstairs to the main counter, which would have more people. A few of us did. While I was waiting, I created the meme you see to your left. Never underestimate the power of someone with a mobile device music midtown atlanta who s in the process of being pissed off by your business. ( Tweet this sentence! )
At the same time, I had texted my assistant Meagan, who immediately got on the phone to Hertz to try and figure out what was going on. Her result? The phone kept ringing and ringing, going to voice mail. (Seriously, Hertz? The Phoenix Airport location lets their calls go to voice mail?)
This didn t bode well, but the counter employee had an awesome chance to save a customer in real time. I told him I was a gold member, and my name wasn t on the board, but I had a confirmed reservation.
But there s a huge line, so they told us to come up here, and I ve just spent thirty minutes on this line. You don t have the same computer system? You can t simply look me up and find my confirmed reservation?
So I want to make sure I have this right: After 25 minutes downstairs, then being told to come upstairs, music midtown atlanta then waiting 30 minutes on this line, I finally get to you, and you have the power to look up my reservation, but instead, you re refusing to help me because this is the non-gold line, and I m a gold member?
I was floored. I don t EVER recall having this bad service from any business, let alone a business where I m a repeat visitor. I was reminded of the rental car customer service scene in Seinfeld, music midtown atlanta except mine wasn t a sitcom, it was actually happening.
1) I would rather go back to school to learn how to be an auto-mechanic, then spend fifteen years apprenticing auto mechanics around the world to hone my craft, and finally build my own car and drive it to the hotel, instead music midtown atlanta of renting a car from Hertz.
Fortunately for me, and very unfortunately for Hertz, Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport has all of their rental agencies in one building. Which meant that it took absolutely music midtown atlanta nothing at all for me to walk 35 feet from the cataclysmic nightmare that was Hertz, and find myself in the Zen garden of tranquility that was Avis Rent-a-Car.
5) In a better car that cost less per day, while cracking jokes and making me smile, while her supervisor came over and told me that I wasn t the first person to come over in a violent rage from the Hertz Treatment.
Of course, when I got to my hotel, I got a tweet back from Hertz asking music midtown atlanta for my confirmation number so they could look into the problem. But by that time, I d already canceled my reservation, and Avis had cemented me as a customer.
I even got a follow-up email from someone at Hertz Corporate the next morning. It was very nice, but the damage was too far done. The issue isn t what happened to me - Perhaps they were busy, perhaps they had a random overflow of people. The issue was how it was handled. Or in this case, how it wasn t handled.
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