Here is our present Budget Rental car. Ford Focus.
You note that I said present? This is our third Budget car, this trip. This whole car saga gets just..stupid. We had made a car reservation thru HotWire. A great rate. Truly great. But, when we get to the counter, I go brain dead and when the guy says,..up-grade to a new Volvo? I bite. In my own defense..a new Volvo Sport model..a red head..I mean, c'monnnn, eh. Probably they had run out of the type we had reserved and we might have gotten an up-grade for free, but...as I said...brain dead. To get a better rate than he was talking about...we went thru a list of their 'clients'....and I mentioned our insurance company, ICBC and we have Road Star..nope. But..we flew in on West Jet? OK then..gave us 50% off...now to an extra 25 a day. And then we talk insurance...I have insurance up the ying yang..ICBC (+Road Star) plus our charge card ...but they guy gives me this look..like..Mr Haupt..are you so stupid as to think that you have the proper insurance, Sir? You better have the right insurance, you gonna drive this puppy...you bet...gimme that good stuff. Another $500, right there. An aside? My Road Star would have transferred right over...I didn't need anymore insurance.
The exterior mirrors operated with a mind of their own. Up, down, sideways...didn't work..worked. After a day of that, we called and were directed to another Budget location closer to where we were, to get another car. Same car...but not the cool Charcoal...white. Boring white. We drive from the lot, to lunch..sushi..up on Kingsway. After which Sharon is a) going to drive and b) has gone to get a bubble tea. I am sitting in the passenger seat with the dog...bang BANG...one car gets hit by a guy smashing into him in the middle of the road...he in turn is forced into he car next to him, that is parked at the curb...a white Volvo. fuk. Car is not drivable...trucker driver has taken off with his truck....hit and run....and stolen or bad plate, too. Car is towed away and we are standing on the curb. fuk, again. Al comes to get us....we have to go to Budget and fill in paperwork and get another car. Only...sorry Sir..there is a 24 hour cooling off period. Why? The driver wasn't IN the car....the car wasn't running....sorry Sir..company policy. So...we begin to make the phone calls and do all we can to change this, to no avail. Even go out to the airport to the original location..nope. And..finally..the light in our heads began to glow...we were now examining the contract and realized just what we had done. The upshot was...we cancelled the contract for the Volvo and the big shot insurance, that might end up costing us another $1,000..the deductible.."someone has to pay, Mr Haupt"....and re-instated the original great rate reservation. The saga will continue, no doubt. I am not even close to being done with Budget and their techniques.
Please be aware that Budget Corp and Budget Vancouver are NOT one and the same. Budget Vancouver is a franchise operation. My beef, so far, is with Budget Vancouver (BC).
Oh..and this..standing next to a guy back at YVR getting the 3rd car..our present great rate car and the counter rep is saying..'Sir, you really should consider upgrading to an SUV..after all, you are driving up to Whistler Mountain'....the guy declined. I was just standing there waiting to offer a 'suggestion'....
Up the Canyon and first stop is Yale...for the road-side garage sale and swap meet.
And right across the street the Historical Society has a trappers and hunters reenactment set up to go with their Strawberry Social.
And now it is 4pm and we are hungry. Stop in Spences Bridge and are directed to a very cool eatery...Packing House cafe. And all home made and organic, yummers...and the guy working the counter just never, ever shuts the fuck up....
I don't think he took a breath in the hour and a half we were there. Great food, tho.
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