Lisa West’s case is strange, but not as strange as the response she received from Delta when she complained about it. Read more “A blown tire and bizarre bathroom break for this Delta “vacation””
Tag: FLAT TIRE
Nailed by Enterprise for a flat tire
Curtis Brown rented a car from Enterprise in London recently, but he didn’t get far. Less than two days after picking it up, one of his tires went flat.
“The cause was a nail in the tread of the tire,” he says.
Enterprise says he’s responsible for the damage, but he disagrees.
Read more “Nailed by Enterprise for a flat tire”
Can this trip be saved? A flat tire on the way to the airport — and a $273 fee to fly
Ana de Pascht’s airline ticket from Albany to Raleigh/Durham came with all of the usual restrictions: nonrefundable, nontransferable and non-changeable without paying a hefty fee.
But it wasn’t the usual flying experience. On her way to Albany, she got a flat tire.
“I called US Airways and asked what could be done,” she says. “I was told that I had to buy a new ticket and also pay a change fee of $150 — a total of $273 — if I wished to travel on the next flight out. I did question the agent about any other ways to avoid paying all that money and was told that was my only option if I wished to fly.”
Interestingly, most airlines used to have what’s called a flat-tire rule that allowed airline staff to rebook passengers like her on the next flight at no extra charge. But in an era of “no waivers, no favors” the loophole was quietly closed.
Well, sort of. Ticket agents still have a lot of flexibility in dealing with passengers who can’t make a flight, and US Airways could have bent its rules. It chose not to.
Read more “Can this trip be saved? A flat tire on the way to the airport — and a $273 fee to fly”
Full fare for two flat tires?
Question: My family and I rented a van from Enterprise to drive to California. We were looking forward to the trip of our lives. We had planned to visit Disneyland, Universal Studios and, of course, the beach.
Our trip to California went as planned. But as we were getting ready to board our van to Disneyland the next morning, we noticed the back tire was flat. Instead of wasting time calling for help we decided to take the shuttle service to Disneyland and get help when we returned to the motel.
That afternoon, we phoned AAA roadside assistance. Someone arrived within a couple of hours, and when he looked for the spare tire, he discovered it was flat, too.
Eventually, the van had to be towed. We took a shuttle from our motel to Disneyland for the rest of our vacation, but we didn’t have the convenience of a van. We missed Universal Studios and the beach. The van wasn’t ready until the afternoon of our last day in California.
When I returned the van I was informed that I owed $865. I had to explain to the Enterprise representative on duty that I had paid $657 for repairs while in California and that they were supposed to be reimbursing me. Our vacation was ruined, and now instead of Enterprise paying us for the repairs, they’re asking us to pay them. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. — Luz Marquez, Albuquerque, NM
Answer: Flat tires happen. But yours spiraled out of control, taking part of your vacation with it. That shouldn’t have happened.
Read more “Full fare for two flat tires?”