Well, I’ve discovered a really great secret about renting cars…

Firstly, where possible I only rent cars from Avis.  Their service is superb & on the rare occasion that I’ve had a problem with the car, they are able to sort it out quickly & efficiently.  They have rental offices at every airport & major city centres, & are able to do collections & drop-offs practically anywhere.  The Avis Car Rental offices are always the nearest to the terminal building, which means I don’t have to walk far to pickup or drop-off the vehicle – particularly helpful if you’re in a rush!

But now I’m able to get my hired vehicle much faster.

A few months ago, I saw that Avis has a ‘Preferred Bookings’ counter.  I made a few enquiries & was happy to find out that they have a super-dooper personal service!

1. Join the “Preferred Bookings” club by completing the application form (click to download the .pdf).
2. You’ll receive a “Preferred Bookings” club card & a unique “Wizzard” account number.
3. When you make a booking, provide your “Wizzard” account number.
4. Arrive at the airport & walk straight to the “Preferred Bookings” counter, bypassing the 50 people waiting in the queue (this is particularly true at “rush hour”).
5. Hand over your card, driver’s license & mobile ‘phone number.
6. Receive the key & drive off. NO SIGNATURES REQUIRED!

I now literally get my car in 5 minutes! That’s NOT an exaggeration.

The bonus is that you get much better rates that a ‘normal’ Avis rental – the “Preferred Bookings” rates are competitive even against the budget rental companies.

Plus you can link your rentals to either SAA Voyager Miles, BA Executive Club Miles, or even eBucks. In fact eBucks have recently launched an online booking facility on their website where you can spend your eBucks on Kulula air flights.

All charges are done straight to your nominated credit card, so you don’t have to take your company credit card with you.  Your signature is on their files so you don’t have to sign anything!

Without a doubt, this is the fastest & cheapest way to hire a rental car & it’s highly recommended, even if you don’t travel as regularly as I do.

I was amused by this: how often have the airline staff been abused, both verbally & psychologically, that someone felt the need to make a sign? I can just imagine what the the staff must go through every day: it’s not surprising then that the customer service representatives at the desk are not as friendly as we’d expect them to be.

But at the same time, this sign also shows SAA’s attitude towards it’s customers … & it’s not great. Firstly, it doesn’t address WHY travelling can be so stressful; I firmly believe it’s partly because of the substandard service that the customers’ experience that they are stressed.  Now I will agree that you can get the occasional customer who is unreasonable, but often the airlines don’t make the biggest effort in the customer service department.  What this sign is effectively saying is “We understand you’re stressed, but it’s not our fault, so don’t blame us”.

Are they ‘passing the buck’?  Do you think that this sign addresses the ’symptom’ & not the ‘cure’?

What if they trained the staff to be friendlier, to smile more often?

What if they made an effort to listen to their customers & help them as much as they can?

What if the ground staff were as friendly & helpful as the cabin crew?

I suggest that the airline starts by assuming that their customers are going to be stressed & then train their staff to be able to treat them with respect & patience.

The result? The customers will be less likely to abuse the staff & far more likely to talk about the great service they received!  And then they wouldn’t need this sign.