Thrifty Car Rental

[Barbara]

As some of you have noticed, we're setting up a "virtual mall" on our website, where we "affiliate" with companies, and they give us a rebate on sales purchased when people click through our site to theirs.

We've applied to quite a few and been accepted by most and turned down by a few. I haven't posted who turned our site down because usually the reasons weren't clear, but Thrifty Car Rental made it abundantly clear, so I'm willing to give them a bit of free advertising here.. Their statement was as follows:

Unfortunately, at this time we¿re unable to include you in the program because we believe your web site does one of the following:

¿ Links to or contains sexually explicit materials.
¿ Promotes hate/violence/illegal activities
¿ Promotes discrimination based on sex or sexual orientation, religion, nationality,
disability or age
¿ Promotes alcoholic beverages or excessive substance abuse
¿ Contains extreme religious content
¿ Is associated with gambling/lottery
¿ Contains content aimed at children
¿ Contains or endorses one political party or extreme
¿ Contains firearm related content
¿ Promotes the use of pyramid-like schemes
¿ Is currently unavailable or under construction
¿ Is aesthetically unpleasing

Lovely. Firearms-related is the equivalent of excessive substance abuse (I guess social substance abuse would be ok) and sexually explicit content.

 

[Preacherman]

Thanks for the heads-up. Guess which car rental company is now off my list of alternatives?

 

[BHPshooter]

So according to them, firearms-related websites are morally equivalent to pornographic, drug-related, or racially bigoted websites. Lovely.

Buncha freakin morons.

Wes

 

[Justin]

IIRC, there is a car rental company that gives a discount to NRA members, though I can't remember which one it is. That would probably be a good alternative.

If you're feeling particularly cheeky, you might even call Thrifty and tell them why you went with the other place.

 

[Barbara]

Enterprise, on the other hand, was happy to have us.

 

[Oleg Volk]

And what's with sexually-explicit content being lumped in the same category as promotion of hate? Isn't promotion of loving the exact opposite?

 

[Amish_Bill]

I smell a "letter to corporate" coming on.....

 

[moby clarke]

My email to Thrifty

I sent this to Thrifty just now.

I just read on a web site that I frequent that your company basically lumped firearms and their owners with pornographers, drug users and dealers, bigots, and criminals. First I want to thank you for sharing your beliefs. I now have no question about who I would chose to do business with should the need arise. Further, I will do all I can to help you get the word out about your beliefs as I would not want any of my friends or family to do business with you or any of your sister companies. Again, thanks for letting me know your beliefs and helping me make informed choices regarding with whom I spend my money.

Idiots!

 

[greyhound]

Good grief, one more example of the guns=criminals meme...

BTW, I just looked at my NRA membership card and didn't see a car rental place listed (lots of hotels though). Enterprise sounds good to me!

 

[zastros]

Are you sure it wasn't just that they find the site "aesthetically unpleasing" ? I mean, it doesn't bother me, but still, some of the color choices here, well really...

 

[chaim]

I don't rent a car that often (once or twice a year) but when I do there are plenty of places around here so I guess I won't be using Thrifty.

Now, I do pay for dozens of car rentals a week, some close to $1000 a pop (I am an insurance adjuster for a car insurance company). We do not recommend specific companies, but I'll ask my boss in general terms if we are allowed to steer people away from companies we've heard negative things about. If allowed (but I don't think it is), Thrifty just might lose a ton of business to their competition (and there are several shooters at my place of work who do the same job, and send just as much money to car rental companies, who will get a heads up about it as well, in the unlikely event that we can steer people away).

 

[BlkHawk73]

Just sent a well worded thought about this to them myself.

 

[Dog]

Hertz and Avis are on the NRA discount list.

Product and Service Discounts for NRA Members

 

[TinCup]

In my NRA membership packet there were savings cards for AVIS and HERTZ included.

tc

 

[TechBrute]

I love Hertz. I use them exclusively.

 

[TimH]

I use Enterprise simply because they are the only game in town

 

[Dan the Man]

I have a rental car story. On September 11, 2001, I was caribou hunting 120 miles east of Kuujuaq in Northern Quebec. We were supposed to be picked up that day to fly out. Of course, no planes were allowed to fly. We found out that afternoon about the terrorist attacks against WTC and the Pentagon.

After numerous adventures, I managed to get to Montreal. Interestingly, there were a couple other hunters from Houston, and we were all stranded. I tried to rent a Uhaul, but couldn't find anything for four people (and eight caribou!).

In some desperation (and after many phone calls to many rental agencies), Hertz told me they had SUV's at the airport rental location. We went to the airport, and the woman at the Hertz counter was marvelous. I explained our predicament (four guys, eight dead caribou), and she rented us a Ford Excursion and a Ford Escape. The Excursion was big enough to hold all the meat and antlers.

The four of us drove straight through from Montreal to Houston (about 37 hours). Hertz did not charge us a relocation charge.

So, my money goes to Hertz now.

Regards
--Dan

 

[griz]

Thanks for the heads up Barbara. As of now I find Thrifty, in their own words, "aesthetically unpleasing".

 

[Amish_Bill]

Chaim...

I don't think you really have to actively discourage people from a specific company. Wouldn't it be nearly as effective and a lot more low-key to either not mention them when asked or to have them at the bottom of the referral list?

Actively saying that Company A should be avoided might run you afoul of HR & company policy, maybe even libel or slander laws. I doubt they could find serious fault with someone who said nothing about Company A... ;-)

 

[Typhoon]

Hmmm... I had to keep my rental car on September 11 in order to drive back to Los Angeles from Yosemite (I had originally flown into Fresno). Avis DID stick me with a relocation charge. Hertz it is from now on...

 

[BenW]

Well, sometimes things just come together. Thrifty screwed me the last two times I rented from them (not moneywise, but in vehicle condition -- let's just say one of them was directly out of that Seinfeld "The Beast" episode). I never use them for private travel anymore, and when I'm on travel orders I insist the travel office book me with anyone BUT Thrifty. Now that I see Thrifty lumps firearms in with porno, it makes it that much easier to not send my business their way.

 

[chaim]

Wouldn't it be nearly as effective and a lot more low-key to either not mention them when asked or to have them at the bottom of the referral list?

We don't do referrals. I doubt that I'd be allowed to steer people away because we are definately not allowed to refer to any company. We can't even tell people what companies exist because we may miss one. We do the same with body shops. That way if they have a bad experience with either they can't blame us.

 

[Amish_Bill]

Do you have a policy against rental companies leaving brochures in your waiting room? A yellowpages for customers to use?