rent a car in London
Dec. 9th, 2006 03:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
indigo_rose99Usually it is only in the US that I am cursed with my "special power": invisibility. It took an hour for me to travel from plane, through baggage, find the rental car bus, and make it to the Hertz office. I stood in line for 20 minutes before putting my PDA away because I was first in line. The seemingly available agent refused to look at me. I waited. After the second doing-nothing agent came to chat with him, I tried the verbal approach. "Excuse me, are you available?" Perhaps this is another strange cultural thing -- in China they won't tell you that they are available and you are next in line. No response. I gave it a long pause before deciding that they were not going to answer me. I turned to the man behind me.
"Do you see me standing here?" He looked befuddled. "Am I visible?" He nodded vaguely. I tried to take that as a positive response.
I turned back to the agents and tried again. "Excuse me, are you available?"
This time one of them actually looked at me. "We'll be with you in a minute, ma'am." She didn't seem particularly pleased.
She did somewhat explain 10 minutes later when she took my information, saying that their computer is slow today. So, they've decided that this means they no longer need to acknowledge customers?
I can see that her revenge is complete now, "Would you take a seat? We'll call you when your car is ready." I have been in this building for 40 minutes. There are others waiting, but not many. Lots of people seemed to leave with cars. Perhaps the ones they like get cars instantly? Just rude Americans get to wait?
"Do you see me standing here?" He looked befuddled. "Am I visible?" He nodded vaguely. I tried to take that as a positive response.
I turned back to the agents and tried again. "Excuse me, are you available?"
This time one of them actually looked at me. "We'll be with you in a minute, ma'am." She didn't seem particularly pleased.
She did somewhat explain 10 minutes later when she took my information, saying that their computer is slow today. So, they've decided that this means they no longer need to acknowledge customers?
I can see that her revenge is complete now, "Would you take a seat? We'll call you when your car is ready." I have been in this building for 40 minutes. There are others waiting, but not many. Lots of people seemed to leave with cars. Perhaps the ones they like get cars instantly? Just rude Americans get to wait?
