Necessary Roughness

So near midday I arrived in Houston to some wet stuff.

Due to changes in our corporate travel policy we are to use SWABIZ if it looks like Southwest Airlines is going to be the cheapest fare. I did, and it offered to book a rental car. I did with Hertz, since we have a deal with them.

It could be that the SWABIZ site didn’t have my Hertz Club Gold membership number, but nevertheless, Hertz should have at least reserved a car.

After retrieving my luggage, I hopped on the Hertz bus and gave the driver my name. Instead of being pulled up to the Club Gold row of cars, I was dropped off at the office. I dragged my stuff up the stairs and into the office (no wheelchair ramps for rolling luggage). The clerk said that she had my reservation. She updated the reservation with my Club Gold status.

Despite having a reservation, they didn’t have a car ready for me. I was told to go outside and look for a grey Ford Taurus that would be pulled up to the front. I stood outside in the rain while noticing that two of these cars had gone through vacuuming and automatic car wash. Car Wash? In the rain?

When the cars were parked, I went back inside, told the clerk about the two cars, and asked where was mine. I was told to walk out into the section that wasn’t covered parking to get my car. They didn’t even pull it up to the front of the office where I was told it would be.

Not a banner day for the black and gold. I’m dried out now.