Dependable Car Rental Revisited

[jenxogirl]

I received a phone call this morning from Linda, the Manager at Dependable Car Rental. She had read my previous post about our experience with the company and was absolutely horrified by what we experienced.

First let me say that I think it's wonderful that local businesses read posts here AND that she took it upon herself to call and apologize. I can tell you that her concern was genuine as I could hear the disappointment in her voice.

She stated that she was investigating the situation to find out where things went wrong and she would definitely deal with the situation regarding customer service.

She also offered us a reasonable credit on our rental charges because of the problems we encountered.

I will say that I was just pleased that she called to apologize in the first place, the credit was just a bonus. To me, Linda's efforts to address this situation at all is what I think customer service is all about.

I will admit that we *might* still be gun-shy about renting on STT in the future but at least now we feel better about Denpendable and their commitment to customers.

[Capn Dan and Ruby]

Glad to hear about the management at Dependable. I too will be leary about renting on STT, but I am feeling more respectful about how the policy makers handled the problem. Businesses can't always control what employees, that do not have a stake in the game, do, but it is good to know that was ultimatly handled well.

[surfnh]

A good business person would monitor the forums and follow up like this.....so it's good to see for sure. But, I'll stick to renting on STJ.

[mfaughey]

Now that IS good customer service!

[GotToGetAway]

That does show good customer service on the part of the management staff.

Now, if only their customers can have that same warm fuzzy feeling while using their services on STJ/STT they'll be all set.

[jimg20]

That first phone call is the first step in solving the problem. The next thing they must do is to find and correct the individual issues. The management must convey the correct way they want things to be done and give each employee the tools they need to carry that out.

The underlying situation is still there. If you take an STT car to STJ, you are "on your own" when the problem comes up. Between the chance of having to solve your own tire, engine or key problem, the cost of the car ferry, the problems with the car ferry reliability, and the opportunity to give those dollars to our STJ businesses, I chose to stick with a rental on STJ.

JIM

[Lex]

We always rented vehicles on STJ for a number of reasons. One of those reasons was that if I were to have a problem with the vehicle, I'd really want to be dealing with a company that was on the same island. Even if the rental company took full responsibility, it's a long way from CA to Coral Bay. I didn't expect to have a problem with the vehicle (if I did, I wouldn't rent it), but if I did have a problem, I wanted somebody coming from Cruz Bay, not from STT. And if I did for some reason rent the vehicle on STT, and the company made it clear that I would be "on my own" if I took it to STJ, I wouldn't expect any assistance from them. That's the deal that we'd have. It would be my responsibility to return their vehicle to them.

Other reasons that we always rented on STJ were to have access to the company's parking lot in Cruz Bay and to give our business to the folks on STJ. I've never wanted to start a vacation by shopping for groceries, so that didn't interest me. We travel light, so handling our luggage isn't an issue. And driving on STT can freak me out a bit. Not the way I want to start a vacation. I'd rather be driven to the ferry, have a nice ride over, then pick up our vehicle in Cruz Bay.

[Puddlejumper]

Jenxogirl, that's the Dependable I know. When I read your first post regarding the breakdown and the poor service the agent gave you, it sent chills over me, but I knew that was out of character for Dependable. I am so glad they reached out to you. For me, I will continue to rent on STT, even knowing of potential issues if there is a breakdown. Having a mechanic friend on island helps too.

[SCMako17]

I'm still amazed that everyone thinks Dependable is in the wrong. They emphatically said that if you have problems on St John then you're on your own.

It might be a bad policy from a renter's point of view but in this case the renter gambled that they wouldn't have any problems and lost.

This is a good lesson to rent your car on St John if you're going to be on St John.

[jimg20]

I think it was well established by the original poster that she took a risk and it didn't pay off. I think it is also clear that the original poster and the leadership at the company agree that the phone calls were handled poorly. If not, the company would not have felt the need to offer a refund on a portion of their bill. That tells me that there is enough blame to go all the way around.

In the future the company needs to be prepared to give the customer the names and numbers of compamies that could help them in that time of distress. That doesn't mean they come and get them. It doesn't mean they pay for it or even share in the cost. Reminding them that they are "on your own" without any other assistance is not a good solution. When someone is in trouble, common courtesy requires that you at least throw them a lifeline. That seems to be an even more basic response than insisting on "good morning" or "good evening" before making a request.

JIM

[surfnh]

I think it was well established by the original poster that she took a risk and it didn't pay off. I think it is also clear that the original poster and the leadership at the company agree that the phone calls were handled poorly. If not, the company would not have felt the need to offer a refund on a portion of their bill. That tells me that there is enough blame to go all the way around.

In the future the company needs to be prepared to give the customer the names and numbers of compamies that could help them in that time of distress. That doesn't mean they come and get them. It doesn't mean they pay for it or even share in the cost. Reminding them that they are "on your own" without any other assistance is not a good solution. When someone is in trouble, common courtesy requires that you at least throw them a lifeline. That seems to be an even more basic response than insisting on "good morning" or "good evening" before making a request.

JIM

Agreed, but better yet why can't the STT agencies just hand out a copy of all the potential helpers on STJ with contact info, when the car is picked up? Then if it's agreed that the renter is totally responsible, the renter doesn't have to call the agency at all.

[jimg20]

[quote="surfnh]

Agreed, but better yet why can't the STT agencies just hand out a copy of all the potential helpers on STJ with contact info, when the car is picked up? Then if it's agreed that the renter is totally responsible, the renter doesn't have to call the agency at all. [/quote]

I thought about that too. But doesn't that tell the customer that we don't expect you to make it back on your own? Here is what you will need.

JIM

[CariBert]

I'm still amazed that everyone thinks Dependable is in the wrong. They emphatically said that if you have problems on St John then you're on your own.

It might be a bad policy from a renter's point of view but in this case the renter gambled that they wouldn't have any problems and lost.

This is a good lesson to rent your car on St John if you're going to be on St John.

I don't think everyone feels Dependable is in the wrong, they just feel that they lacked the Customer Service that would be expected from a business like that on STT.

I agree with renting on STJ if staying on STJ, we always do...but hey, I guess that's free enterprise.

-Bert

[surfnh]

[quote="

I thought about that too. But doesn't that tell the customer that we don't expect you to make it back on your own? Here is what you will need.

JIM

No, not really. I'm thinking if they say up front that it's a risk if on STJ because they just can't react to help you fast enough, then it would be considered "thinking ahead" if they hand out a "what if" package.

Hey, I know a lot of people like to rent on STT, the only negative is the risk of breakdown on STJ, so it would be a good business practice to reduce that risk, ehhh? For us personally, even with the "what if" package we still prefer to rent on STJ just because any risk at all while we're blowing big bucks on STJ, has to be reduced for me to relax.

[jenxogirl]

I'm still amazed that everyone thinks Dependable is in the wrong. They emphatically said that if you have problems on St John then you're on your own.

It might be a bad policy from a renter's point of view but in this case the renter gambled that they wouldn't have any problems and lost.

This is a good lesson to rent your car on St John if you're going to be on St John.

I am pretty sure I stated that I didn't have a problem with the policy. I had a problem with the customer service of one or two employees. Dependable was in the wrong from a customer service standpoint and even they have admitted that. I am a little confused unless you just didn't read the entire story?