Car Rental Ask

I was looking to rent a car the other day, and went through the bazillion websites (bazillion is less than a gazillion) and finally found a $27 per day car.

I say: “Hey, that’s pretty fair”, and clicked to buy it.

But… they needed me to pay an upfront $400 deposit. “That’s next month’s rent!”

I said to myself: “I get it… They’re trying to weed out the drunken confused teenagers. I get it, I get it.”

But, I believe in asking, and I’m NOT a confused drunken teenager.

So I decided to call “the lady at the desk”.

Sure enough, the desk lady answers, and I go:

“Listen, I understand what the fee is all about, but, could there be a way, maybe, to… somehow bypass it?”

“Sir, we cannot just wave fees like that.”

I sensed a little personality in her tone, but hey, we’ve all had uninspiring days.

I say:

“I understand, but there’s always a solution, a “one more thing asterix” thing you guys have, right? Is there ANY way I can not pay the $400?”

“Sir, our company has a respectable reputation, and the rules are…”

I immediately fell asleep for about 30 seconds while she recited her perspective on the situation.

I say:

“Sure, I understand, but rules can be bent sometimes, right?”

She says:

“Sir… I am a clerk, not an avant-garde artist.”

Well, guess that gives a pass to the “ask, and you shall receive” idea.