I want to give a “shout out” for Alamo car rental, Basil Mulhouse Airport (France).
Renting a car seems always fraught with minefields, usually pertaining to insurance coverage. ,
Katherine Di Cintio, the Alamo branch manager, (Alamo also includes Enterprise and National car rental companies), offered service above and beyond the mediocre norm which seems to be the default standard these days. Whether renting a car, shopping in a store or any form of personal interaction with a service person, we have the right to expect a certain level of service. All too often I find myself having to apologies to service personal for interrupting their focus on their cellphone. Many times the response from them is far from polite.
Although there were issues when renting the car from Alamo relating to insurance coverage – I had paid the booking agent for full insurance only to be told that the agent had sold me their full coverage insurance which Alamo did not accept. This required the blocking of 1,600 Euro on my AMEX card. However, the process while annoying was conducted by Katherine in a friendly open manner. The other issue was the lack of snow tires which were requested. Again this issue was handled by Katherine in a pleasant manner and as compensation, we were allowed to return the car 12 hours later than scheduled at no extra cost. (The original rental was for six days.)
What made the rental experience outstanding was rather than on completion of the paperwork having the keys tossed at me and pointed in the general direction of the carpark, which is often the norm, Katherine accompanied us to the carpark. It was dark, cold and raining and yet she took the time to help us find the car and explain in detail the range of vehicle functions.
It can be argued that Katherine was just doing her job – and this is a valid claim – however, her positive attitude from start to finish enhanced my Alamo experience.
This is the second car I have rented from Alamo this year; in late July / early August, we had a car from Alamo Dublin Airport.