The Hertz Affair: a tiny win for the little guy!

Filed under: Odds and Ends — Nevyn @ 1:17 pm

My letter campaign has payed off.  AARP is going to tell my story in their magazine (June 24 the AARP Bulletin).

http://bulletin.aarp.org/yourworld/gettingaround/articles/outrage_no_credit_no_rental_car.html

This is a small victory for the little guy.  All I wanted was for people to know.  Maybe after it is printed in AARP Hertz will start telling people about their policy at the time a reservation is made.

—– Original Message —–

From: Hayward, Corinne

Sent: Tuesday, June 23, 2009 10:26 AM

Subject: Fact-checking story your experience with Hertz

Mr. Campanella:
On Wednesday June 24 the AARP Bulletin will post on its website [bulletin.aarp.org]
a story about your experience with Hertz. Please confirm:

    You are 65 years old. You live in Alamogordo, NM.

Please reply to chayward@aarp.org or 202-434-3338.
Many thanks.

Corinne Hayward
Research Editor, AARP Bulletin
202-434-3338
chayward@aarp.org

 

Hertz: Can You Believe These Turkeys?

Filed under: Odds and Ends — Nevyn @ 11:49 am

 

Here is my last email to Hertz

Dear Ms. Moore:

Your explanation of the reasons for Hertz policies regarding car rental is not the issue.  My ire regarding Hertz corporation was triggered by their disregard for informing me of their requirement of a having a high credit score in order to rent their cars at the time I made a reservation.  Which of course affected all my plans.   If I had been made aware at the time the reservation was made it would have saved me much time and trouble.  Because the reservation was confirmed I made plans that hinged on getting a car rental.  If this policy is located on the Hertz web site it is certainly not obvious.

No one seems to want to address the issue that the ‘policy is not explained at the time a reservation is made’.  As I searched the net for answers to this mystery I have found others who were placed in the same embarrassing situation as myself.  I have enlisted the aid of others to delve into this peculiar lack of ‘information’ in Hertz advertisements:  this includes a couple of national newspapers, AARP and both Senators from New Mexico. 

Regards,

Sam Campanella

And here is their response

Dear Mr. Campanella:

We have received your reply to our previous correspondence.  Thank you for the opportunity to review this matter further.  
The information regarding our debit card acceptance policy can be found in the Terms and Conditions of the Hertz website.
We appreciate the opportunity of clarifying this matter.  Thank you for your business.
Regards,

Brenda Moore
Customer Services Administrator
OKC Customer Relations
The Hertz Corporation
P.O. Box 26120
14501 Hertz Quail Springs Parkway
Oklahoma City, OK  73134
U.S. A.

These turkeys simply refuse to answer the question of why I was not informed of their requirement of having a high credit score in order to rent a car from them when I made the reservation.  This is how corporate America works.  It is called distraction and disinformation. 

The following email was sent to me by a friend in El Paso…

I am afraid that the more you cry out about Hertz the more of these cut and paste answers you will receive. 
In fact, similar policies exist at other leading car, or even U-Haul type firms, but they’re not as extensive as Hertz’s.
Hertz has figure out that if they have given a press release about a policy, it releases them from having to inform each individual. Plus if they put it in their terms and conditions, which btw is not all on the net then, legally, in a court of law, that is all they will have to prove - that they have had the information published in some backwoods newspaper for all the world to see.  After all, you are suppose to be so concerned about what Hertz is doing everyday of your life, you read all the policies released in the newspaper.   These are the very news outlets you complained to .   Hertz pays them from their huge advertising budget - so guess how far that is going.  And your Senators - they helped vote in if not write the legislation that allows Hertz and the other car rental companies get away with it. You can bet that they get monies for their election campaign through some entity that represents this big companies.
You are suppose to also know that Hertz puts a huge hold on your credit card which can easily take your card over its limit which means fees you will have to pay to your credit card company if they allow the hold.  Had they done that to your debt card - just imagine the next stop for gas and find your debt card is over drafted by thousands of dollars.
These are all known and published policies.  You are not the first to cry foul and certainly not the last.  You should see the actual terms and conditions if you should ask for a copy.  It is over 40 pages long and many "jargon" words used within it so you’d have to be a lawyer to read it.  The same goes for most of the other car rental agencies - though most of the others allow for acts of nature.  It won’t be long before they re-write their policies.
Let something happen to the car that is an act of nature.  Hertz figures the customer is in a better position than Hertz to keep the rental car out of harm’s way of a storm, fire, flood or other natural disaster.  Therefore, they take a huge hold on your credit card and pass claims of natural disasters on to YOUR insurance company instead of their own. The companies in this car rental industry keep testing to see how much they can gouge customers for every ding or what have you.  Really, it is common knowledge for those of us that live in the area that all these ridiculous policies are enforce here, but not necessarily everywhere or on everybody. 
There may be states that limit your liability, but I cannot think of a western state that does.
You think car companies are fun, just try the satellite companies for your TV programing - should  you use some of your time that way.  Unlike cable, the satellite companies make you responsible for the cables into your home and if they fail, you still have to pay for the service "because we are sending the signal".
My advice is to just walk on by the Hertz counter and rent from someone else if you can find a company whose policies, terms and conditions are acceptable.  But if you want to complain - go to a Ford stock holders meeting.  That is right, Hertz is owned by Ford.
Gone are the days of customer service.  Now days, the customer is never right, the company policy is. The problem you rant on has been in these states for a long time - over 20 years that I know .   Local and state government in this area has increasing been on the side of the money and not the individual.

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Forums and such

Filed under: Odds and Ends — Nevyn @ 7:42 am

My interest in forums and blogs is simply one of entertainment.  I have joined some of them as a product of a specific question I had in programming or software issues.  I would find a forum that had experts, register, then ask my question.  With most of the programming forums the answer was usually provided after a few postings (explaining in more detail the programming question or problem).  Another type of forum I have joined are community types, such as forums for artists, pagans, or forums for philosophical discussion.   I never really questioned why the forum or blog existed, I simply found something that looked interesting and joined.  In all of them the common element was advertisements.  If you search across the net you will find a forum or blog for just about anything you can think of.  Now what I did not know, and have found out only recently is that many of these forums and blogs attract attention, not by accident or quality, but rather by direct seeding of posters.  That is the forum and blog owners would pay to have people post on their forum or blog and in some cases write articles for their web site. Check out http://www.contentcurrent.com/ for an example of this.

I am not certain how this attracts more traffic to the site, but it does.  And of course the reason for increasing traffic is to get hits on their advertisements.  Some of this gets complicated but it seems to work.  Now the question is ‘how do I feel about this?’  Not a simple question to answer.  Sometimes, especially on the social network forums I would be engaged in a conversation related to a posters question.  This often happens on forums or blogs that relate to life adjustment, coping or philosophical discussion.  Being somewhat naive I would respond to the poster’s inquiry thinking that the person simply needed some help in clarifying some personal issues.  The problem for me now is that I am wondering how many of those were simply posters being paid to make a post?  One place I have done some posting is at http://www.stevepavlina.com/forums/ .  I can’t help but wonder now if the conversations taking place are part of poster seeding?  One thing is for certain:  I will not join another forum or blog unless I am convinced that the posting is not coming from paid posters.  In some ways it reminds me of the laugh tracks you hear on some TV sitcoms.  You hear laughter and you laugh, you see a post that triggers something in you and you respond.  I’m not sure how I feel about any of this, but at least now I know what is happening out there in cyber space.

 

The Hertz Affair

Filed under: Odds and Ends — Nevyn @ 6:42 pm

They would not rent a car to me: because I have no credit score. I have plenty of money but since I have no credit I have no score. I don’t have a problem with the Hertz policy but rather the company not telling people about their policy until after a reservation is made. I made a reservation (confirmed by Hertz)…went to pick up the car and handed the clerk my debit card. She ran some numbers and told me that my credit score was low and therefore I could not rent a car. I have a low credit score because I don’t have a credit card. I don’t owe anyone anything. No one told me I would have a credit check when I made the reservation. I could have saved myself the trip to the Hertz lot if I had known of this before hand. I don’t care what kind of logic Hertz’s uses for this…what I am mad about is that I was not told this at the time I made the reservation. I needed to rent a car because my wife and I had to travel from New Mexico to Utah to pick up a vehicle we own in Utah. By renting a car, it would have allowed us to ride together both ways. We are in our mid 60s and sharing the driving of one vehicle would take a lot of pressure off of both of us. As it turned out, we had to take our own vehicle from New Mexcio which meant the return trip was in two separate vehicles.

Hertz responded to my email complaint with an explanation of why they have this particular policy. However they seem reluctant to explain to me why this policy is not advertised or at least told to a customer at the time a reservation is made. A business should have some truth in their advertising, and there is nothing from Hertz to let you know that you can only rent a car if you have a high credit score. If they are going to demand this of the customer than they should make this known at the time a reservation is made.

No one seems to want to address the issue that the ‘policy is not explained at the time a reservation is made’. As I searched the net for answers to this mystery I have found others who were placed in the same embarrassing situation as myself. I have enlisted the aid of others to delve into this peculiar lack of ‘information’ in Hertz advertisements: this includes a couple of national newspapers, AARP and both Senators from New Mexico. AARP responded by calling me for details of the incident.

I have this posted on the Woodland star forum if you would like to join in my battle with Hertz.  My goal is to have Hertz inform the public of their policy at the time a reservation is made.

http://www.woodlandstar.net/Mirkwood/topic.php?id=15&replies=1#post-19

 

INTERNET OVERLOAD: by Jill Campanella

Filed under: 42 — Nevyn @ 12:12 pm

.

INTERNET OVERLOAD

Information

‘Matters not origination

Whether mis, dis, or true

I’m feeling quite blue

My tummy has gastrification

And my brain feels in danger of putrification

Oh woe is me

I’ll just turn off this PC

Go out and sit under the tree

Relax in the shade

And sip lemonade

Breathe in the pure air to relieve suffocation

Ah, that’s much better, think I’ll do meditation

But first, offer a toast to the joy of creation

The trill of a bird applauds my decision

And then with precision

And extreme jubilation

Drops a gift right on my third eye, much to my mortification

Oh shit – guess I’ll just jump into bed and cover my head.

There are times when I just need a nap!

 

Choices by Jill Campanella

Filed under: Beliefs — Nevyn @ 5:49 pm

By Ardell "Jill" Hansen, Autumn 1994

THE MOUNTAIN - Magnificent raw power. The clouds are drawn over and linger. Wisps of gauze gather into a foggy mist. "I feel transparent and with every breath draw them toward me, a few more deep breaths and I become part of them. I am transported to another world."

THE ASPEN - Whispers to the wind "come and play". The leaves tremble with excitement or laugh during quiet conversation.

THE BIRDS - Soar up and away from the earth strife. They use what they need for food and rest.

THE CATERPILLARS - Thousands of them struggle in their search for a place to attach in order to lay dormant beginning the miraculous process of transformation into a butterfly. Most choose unwisely and die before they reach their goal. Transformation is painful.

Living high in the mountains of Nevada I reflected on nature, misfortune, struggle,

opportunities, and the choices that have led me to my current understanding regarding the concept of "creating my own reality".

Eric Ericson writes that transformation only becomes possible for most of us during a time of crisis. Whether this true is open to question, however, it certainly provides an opportunity (possibly a necessity) to explore other paths that are available.

A few years ago my husband and I decided to leave our jobs, sell our house, get rid of all our "toys and stuff" and get out of the "fast lane". Our children were raised and the "toys" we bought with money earned from jobs that stressed us out were no longer "fun". We were breaking our necks at work and compulsively hurrying to "have fun" every weekend. We were determined to get back to a very basic life - making love and harmony instead of money and heartburn. We began with joy and enthusiasm, however, he became terminally ill before we could accomplish our goal together. This disease caused a deterioration of his mind so devastating that it almost destroyed both of us. As happens to many care givers, I suffered from sleep deprivation, depression, guilt, and other weird feelings and behavior.

It became necessary for me to do some serious problem solving to climb out of the dark pit I found myself trapped in. Simplifying the process, I began with two questions: 1. Die? or 2. Live? Choosing life made another decision necessary, "how do I want to live?." Using this simple procedure, basic questions were answered. Happiness is also a choice and in my determination to choose joy over despair it was necessary to me to constantly replace a negative thought with a more pleasant one.

In an effort to redirect my attention away from personal problems, I renewed my study of New Age subjects (an interest set on a back burner long ago in favor of child rearing and a career). Determined to go out the front door and find things to do and people who shared similar interests, other choices were made. After some volunteer work and a few classes my horizons began to expand. Small successes began to build, enabling a feeling of strength and confidence.

One college class in particular proved to be a very productive choice for me. Not because of the class, but because of a few questions that were asked and the choices they presented. On the first day of the class I arrived early and was walking down a flight of stairs in search of the rest room. An older gentleman was walking toward me from down the hall. He was dressed entirely in black, wearing a crumpled, dusty hat with a feather in the band. His long hair was tied back in a pony tail and he looked somewhat disheveled, but he was in no way threatening as he approached and politely asked (question #1) "Are you lost?" He then pointed the way to the "ladies room". Feeling his eyes on me as I walked down the hall, I had a sneaking suspicion the he was the teacher.

His whole demeanor changed as he entered the classroom and began to speak. His blue eyes sparkled with amused intelligence. In a controlled, dynamic manner he began conducting the class, introducing himself and briefly speaking of his personal and professional background. He then asked everyone to do the same.

Encouraging us to ask him anything we wanted to know about him, he stressed the importance of asking questions. "Isn’t there anything else you would like to ask me?" We all knew he was hinting for someone to ask about his long hair, or why he was dressed all in black, but it seemed impolite to ask about something so personal. However, he persisted and finally a young man asked (question #2) "So…how did you like the 60’s?". Well….then the professor took hold of his pony tail and informed us that he wasn’t just an "old hippie", his long hair and manner of dress was a spiritual choice. He was a Shaman. Such a simple question lead to such an interesting answer.

What a stroke of luck for me to wander into this class! Not knowing anything about Shamanism, I went to the library to search for information. Unfortunately there was little available on the subject. I decided to ask the professor for suggestions on reading material. It took me a few weeks to find the courage to speak to him outside of class. One day, just before class started, I finally blurted out (question #3) "Where can I find out more about Shamanism?" He wrote down the phone number of one his friends, a Medicine Woman, and said she would be happy to meet with me.

The medicine woman was quite charming with a calm and intelligent manner. The day after I met with her she telephoned and asked (question #4) "Would you like to come and meet some of my friends tonight?". The answer was an immediate yes. Although I had a few qualms about meeting a bunch of strangers in a semi-unsavory part of town, I was determined to meet new friends and discuss this fascinating subject.

The door I knocked on that evening was opened by my professor, what a charming man. We had pleasant conversation as the others arrived and introductions were made. Candles were lit and there were a few card and rune readings. Soft music was playing in the background and someone suggested since it was February it must be time to go camping. (Ah….question #5)….The professor asks "Why don’t you come with us?". Of course I agreed (you may have already guessed that there was an attraction between us). So…there I was, an ordinary, middle aged, middle class woman camping in the wilderness somewhere in the Virgin River Gorge, with

a Shaman, a Medicine Woman, a Druid, and an assortment of other New Age types, having the time of my life and falling in love.

From the first question asked last January, "Are you lost?" to the time of this writing there have been other questions asked by the man I have chosen as my companion. Questions that I asked of myself and questions asked by family and friends. The more questions that were asked, the more choices became necessary. I discovered that the more I stretch, the farther I am able to reach.

My renewed interest in nature, vertical growth, and the desire to expand personal life lessons has made material possessions feel like heavy chains weighing me down. So … the house has a "for sale" sign on the front lawn and my "stuff" is going out the door - enabling me to pursue a nomadic lifestyle.

As I continue my efforts toward personal awareness and growth I know that I will encounter other souls that I can learn from and who can learn from me in return. The journey makes life interesting, not the final destination. What a trip!

Simple questions can lead to the most fascinating answers. A seemingly small choice can have a dramatic effect on your future. The important thing is to CHOOSE AND ACT.

 

 

Depression

Filed under: 42 — Nevyn @ 5:57 am

Re: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/17/science/17depress.html?ref=todayspaper

This recent article (regarding depression) in the New York Times I believe is very important for the public to understand.  The pharmaceutical companies want you and your family doctor to believe that there is a known genetic link to depression. What this article is revealing is that the original research which seemed to demonstrate this connection cannot be replicated.  In simple terms, its conclusions were most likely based on a biased sampling. 

Depression is a condition that cripples many people.  There are no simple chemical cures and it should be treated as an ailment that is complicated by both nature and nurture issues.  Psychotropic medication has a value in short term relief of symptoms, but some form of cognitive therapy  is necessary to keep depression from becoming a way of life.

 

The Case of the missing video store and creative screen door

Filed under: Odds and Ends, Walk-About — Nevyn @ 7:52 am

Well it turns out that Alamogordo does have a video store: Hastings!  They were not listed in the phone directory as a video rental outlet.  I called the chamber of commerce and was told that all the video stores had gone out of business and Hastings (essentially a book store) picked up the slack and now had a full selection of videos.  So we rented our first video last night: Passengers.  An intriguing story, a bit slow paced, but if you enjoy metaphysical movies you will like this one.

Now in our settlement in Alamogordo, after the dust settled from unpacking, we began to notice an odd feature of our tiny apartment: there is no screen door.  We enjoy keeping the door opened, but it seemed an invitation for desert insect life to come in for a visit; especially the flying type.  Actually, there seems to be very little in the way of flies and so far no mosquitoes (there is very little surface water in the area which probably accounts for the lack of mosquitoes.  And the low fly population is probably a result of not having any large domestic herds in the area such as cattle.  However, there is plenty of other flying insects that we just as soon not have flying about our heads while trying to watch a video. 

Our apartment is what one might call ‘low end’….hahaha…in other words cheap rent.  But it serves our needs except for the lack of a screen door (and no the landlord is not the type to supply one).  So we got creative.  What would serve as a screen door, easy to install and low cost (keeping with the ‘low end rental concept’)? AH HA!  I asked Jill about making a curtain for the door using what I had know as Shear Curtain material…she said it was possible.  So we found a great sale at Wal Mart on something she called ‘open weave shear’ on SALE for 50 cents a yard.  And a pressure rod for about 4 dollars.  After making the curtain we decided to hold it in place using velcro tabs.  The curtain, because of its wide weave, acted as the felt side of the velcro so we only needed to slap down the plastic grip side. It has a bit of an East Indies look to it: and it works!   Take a look below.

 

100_4234

Now I would be a happy camper if I could locate a place that sold Chocolate ice cream cones.

Note: notice the duct tape around the screen on the window:  Classic low end rental!

 

Alamogordo: what is happening here?

Filed under: Odds and Ends, Walk-About — Nevyn @ 11:08 am

This is a town of about 35,000 people, but it has enough motels for a town much larger.  It must have something to do with the Air force base here, a lot of people coming and going.  However, what is really odd, is that there is not one active Video store.  There are a few empty buildings that at one time were video stores, but are now no longer in business.  I suppose we will start using one of the net video outlets such as Netflix or Blockbuster.  Also, the small downtown area (about 2 blocks) is all but deserted.  A few weeks back (when we first arrived here) I had asked the owner of the motel we stayed in how his business was faring with the current economic problems.  He told me his business was off by 25 percent. 

Oh, and one other  major missing product:  it is all but impossible to get a chocolate ice cream cone in Alamogordo.  Plain Jane Vanilla is all you can get here:  now that is a sorry state of affairs!   

 

Journey 1: completed June 8th

Filed under: Walk-About — Nevyn @ 4:41 am

Well we finished Journey number 1 (it began on May 12 and ended on June 8th: which by the way was Jill’s birthday)! We arrived in Alamogordo Monday afternoon and today we started the unpacking…actually we don’t have all that much so it went by very quickly. Sunday we drove 13 hrs and Monday 6 hrs…and Jill had to drive one vehicle herself! But it went quickly and by Monday night we were blasted. Other than some motels, Monday night is the first time we have slept in a bed in over a month….we had been sleeping on our camping mats (argggggggggggggg). I think we will celebrate tonight with pizza, hot wings, cold beer and a video. For the next little while we will just chill out….I have volunteered to teach computers classes at the senior center and that will keep me busy for awhile. But I know that the open road will call again…..I hear ‘Carlsbad’ on the wind. Also, for those of the pagan persuasion I have a forum I am putting together …if you desire join up….this is in collaboration with some folks across the pond. You can access it via my web page…top line menu.