Friday, October 3, 2008

Upgrade, Downgrade....

Why is it that car rental places call it an 'upgrade' when they offer a bigger vehicle?
Quite often on my trips out West, I am offered to drive SUV-s even though I specifically reserve a compact vehicle.

The following conversation ensued tonight:

Rep: Oh, we don't have a small car. I'm going to upgrade you to an SUV at no extra cost. Cool?

I: No, no, thank you. I try to be as green as I can, you see, and well, I can't cover long distances with one of those things.
Rep: It's not that bad, really.
I: What's the MPG?
Rep: It's not bad on the freeway.
I: What is it?
Rep: It's 24.
I: Yeah, no. You see, I'll be going South and then I'll be coming back up. And then I'll go North and so forth.
Rep: That's all we have, sorry.

The next Rep on the lot

Same content as above....

Rep: Let's see if I have something on the lot.
I: I really don't want to drive the big car.
Other rep [jokingly]: What about a Hummer?
I: I'd have a good answer for you but since I've been traveling all day, my cerebral abilities have taken a bit of a hit. Smaller vehicle, please?
Rep: Oh, I found you one. You can have that small one. We'll take care of it. Have a good time here.

Relief.