VH Car Hire

I have had a reply from Virgin if you could call it one, from a supposed custome service rep.Absolute waste of time so i have now e-mailed them 3 different messages to see if I can get any response, What do you think? i am off for the next 2 days so i may drop a nice friendly telephone chat into the mix v(

I wish you the best of luck! I haven't had any luck with calling - but maybe you have???

I finally got an email yesterday - that would have been 7 working days after the first one I sent - saying this:

'Thank you for your e-mail, we have received some information from Alamo regarding the descriptions and the car types advertised on Alamo’s website.

We have found they don’t always match what we have in our brochures or on our own website.
Examples of this are the Pontiac G5 & G6 & the Chevrolet trailblazer & equinox.
Alamo have re-classified some of the car models due to new models coming out from the manufacturers. We are working on our website to amend the images and descriptions we are hoping this will be live by next Wednesday.

In the meantime essentially as long as the online check in states the correct category e.g Intermediate or full size then the you will get the car size you have booked. As your aware we always state ‘or similar’ when it comes to car models and also when you collect from the choice locations you can pick your own car model too'

Is this along the lines of the email you got? I have to wonder if anyone has listened to my query if they had done, then they would have heard me say thatthe online check in is showing the wrong size! I've emailed back - so nodoubt another 7 days before they reply.

In the meantime, I've also had a standard holding reply letter from Virgin Holidays, to say they'll reply within 28 days.

And so it goes on.... be interesting to see if anything different does go live by next Weds. I won't be putting any money on it v(

Well i bit the bullet and phoned vh, got the Indian call centre nice lady but kept putting me on hold to every question i asked. They have a problem with the Alamo website we will deffinately get the full size car as booked, so i went ahead with the car on-line check in and opted for the full tank of fuel extra which actually seemed quite reasable at $2.68 a gall. have printed it all out so we will see if it works. Two weeks today y)

Good luck mallin - be very interested to hear what how it all pans out. At least they are acknowledging that there's a problem, a discrepancy between the 2 sites.

In the meantime, I've had another email from Virgin - to say they can see I've lodged an official complaint etc etc - the irony of this particular email is that it's signed by the first person I spoke to, the very same lady who promised to get back to me in 2/3 days - that was more than 2 weeks ago!!!!!!!!!

Right hand - Left hand (when do you go) we will be back on the 22nd Sept

Leave on 26th Sep....

Just got a hard copy reply, and basically they have just quoted the exact same wording I copied here on my 18th August posting, even down to the bit where they say they expect it to be updated by next Weds (which would now have been 3 weeks ago).

They did however then add that, as long as the category booked with Virgin matched the online Alamo site, there would not be a problem. Which was where I came in - it doesn't match!

I've now lost count of the number or emails, calls, hard copies I've done - but my latest attempt is to email back, attaching a copy of their letter and also a screen dump of the Alamo site showing the discrepancy. And I've also asked for a refund between the 2 classes of car. Which no doubt will be ignored.

I'm out of other thoughts - how can it be so difficult for them to understand?

Sorry, don't mean to sound so irritated, but it's difficult not to be...

Virgin holidays car hire.....please, dont even mention the name, it gives me chills down the back of my neck!

Aside from the saga of actually booking my car for my trip to the states last August, I now find myself in the interesting position where having booked, and paid for, a Lincoln Navigator (as part of their Dream Machines service - which, coincidentally, 'Guarentees' that you book the exact model) - I discover, upon arrival at MIA after a very pleasant UC flight, that Alamo do not have said car, not any similar car of the same 'Luxury SUV' class. Needless to say whilst I accepted a Chevy Suburban for the staff at Alamo, I am going after V-Holidays full throttle - the difference between a Luxury SUV and the Chevy was about $45 a day !

I understand that Vhol are not directly responsible for day to day Alamo affairs, however, my contract is with Virgin Holidays, thus I am holding them responsible.

After paying about £1200 to Vhol for car hire, Im not about to let that drop.

Despite working for Virgin Atlantic, I have to say I have found my past dealings with Virgin Holidays to be as dire as they possibly can - they seem to be of the opinion that they can take a new weeks to reply to a simple letter, and be as difficult as is humanly possible.

Thank god that I never book my flights though them, and have the good sense to buy revenue tickets from Virgin Atlantic direct; if not, Id probably end up buying Upper and be shoved down the back!

I await their reply with amusement.

Their latest missive was dated 24th August, but only managed to reach me on 8th September!

I think I can safely say that I'd never book any holidays with them - they're rivalling Santander in my books - and that takes some doing, believe me!

I only booked VH once - never again.

For the sake of interest I have just compared Virgin car cost with booking direct with Hertz for my next 50 day trip to SWFL.
With VS the cost would be £1715
Hertz direct is £1189
So VS is 44% more expensive than Hertz.

Virgin - I get a Sebring
Hertz - I am guaranteed a Mustang.
Virgin - I get 6145 miles (triple plus bonus)
Hertz - I get 9568 miles; 5 minute change over every week - free valet and 1000 miles a booking
Oh! and Hertz - 10% quidco!

Now Virgin Holidays - you can't book 50 days online...
But 25 days - £1143 for the Sebring......That's almost TWICE Hertz.

OK, I might have some loyalty to VS - but using them for a CAR !#!

Do Virgin think we're nuts? Do they never compare the competition?

What is it with red tape at VS these days?!? Just be commercial, and help people for goodness sake!

[honey lamb]

What is it with red tape at VS these days?!? Just be commercial, and help people for goodness sake!

Er, we're talking about VH here - a totally different company

[Neil]

I only booked VH once - never again.

For the sake of interest I have just compared Virgin car cost with booking direct with Hertz for my next 50 day trip to SWFL.
With VS the cost would be £1715
Hertz direct is £1189
So VS is 44% more expensive than Hertz.

Virgin - I get a Sebring
Hertz - I am guaranteed a Mustang.
Virgin - I get 6145 miles (triple plus bonus)
Hertz - I get 9568 miles; 5 minute change over every week - free valet and 1000 miles a booking
Oh! and Hertz - 10% quidco!

Now Virgin Holidays - you can't book 50 days online...
But 25 days - £1143 for the Sebring......That's almost TWICE Hertz.

OK, I might have some loyalty to VS - but using them for a CAR !#!

Do Virgin think we're nuts? Do they never compare the competition?

That is quite a unique booking you are making Bill.

Yes there are times VH (or through the VS site) are more expensive, but for our West Coast trip earlier this year, they were over £150 cheaper than anyone else, and when all the hire companies direct wanted $100 one way fee, VH didn't have one. We got a free upgrade, regular and bonus VS miles, and great customer service all round.

Actually Neil it is not so unique. I would agree the costed example of 50 days in one go may be rare, but with Hertz it is the same daily cost as a 7 day booking: indeed I deliberately break it up into 7 day segments. Two of them are one way - with no fees!
By breaking it up I get extra miles bonus - and extra status, which is why it takes me less than 5 minutes to return and collect a new car. That status also gets a free upgrade whenever available I don't normally take it as I like the Mustang....but then a Shelby....

The VH comparison is for 25 days, but it is essentially a daily cost basis. A 25 day booking is almost twice the Hertz 25 day cost.

Just checked VS - a 1 week booking for a Sebring at Orlando is £245.
Hertz for the same week, same insurance etc., have charged me £193.78 less 10%, so £174.41 for the Mustang.
On a single week booking! It's a no-brainer!

The convertible is not unique either. A Caddy STS is a very similar cost and cost difference. A full size SUV even greater excess via VS. I've not checked the toy cars ):

Edit - just checked the "toys"
VS Aveo £157
Hertz Aveo £108.92 less 10% so £98.03 and then they'd give me a free upgrade!

Ref the vh car hire with Alamo, we had a nightmare at Vegas I did the online check in and it came up with a standard car not the F2 full size booked.So we went to pick up the full size and mr check in guy said no way his system would not let him, but he could upgrade us to anything else for a cost.
As we were VH we would get this fantastic discount after arguing for 40mins we agreed to upgrade, we eventually got a brand new Ford EDGE with every conceavible extra on it, but when I checked the receipt he had added on over $260. We went to the VH rep next day who e-mailed Alamo supervisor who said we should have got the full size and we could keep the Edge at no extra cost.It sems on checking cc account that this has been the case(so far) but everyone needs to be aware the Alamo site thru Virgin has some serious problems.(sorry this was so long) ?|

We have travelled lots of times through VH and have had lots of problems, from grotty hotel in Daytona,We got moved asap and also a cheque for 2 days lost holiday. We have also landed in Orlando and been upgraded when vehicle booked was to small, No charge, and also been offered change from 3 star grotty hotel in Clearwater beach to 4 star. This was all done in Orlando. The Virgin reps will go all out to change/solve problems if you are nice and friendly with them. Dont panic just try and be nice.If that fails cry. ):