After TPG reader Jeanette Kronquist booked a flight from Nashville Worldwide Airport (BNA) to Seattle-Tacoma Worldwide Airport (SEA) through Dallas Fort Price Worldwide Airport (DFW), the American Airways web site provided her rental automotive choices. She clicked on the suggestions and was stunned she may pay for her four-day rental completely with AAdvantage miles.
Scrolling by way of her decisions, she observed Europcar provided the most effective rental fee. For 25,400 AAdvantage miles (roughly $404 by TPG’s April 2025 factors valuation), Kronquist reserved a premium car for her go to to the Emerald Metropolis. Her reservation affirmation mentioned she’d obtain a Dodge Charger or related car.
So, naturally, when she landed in Seattle, she anticipated a Dodge Charger or related rental automotive to be ready. However to her shock, there wasn’t. A Fox Lease A Automotive (a subsidiary of Europcar) worker knowledgeable Kronquist that he was about to shut for the night time and had no automobiles out there for her.
Kronquist referred to as a pal to select her up and determined she did not want a rental automotive in spite of everything.
However that unusual flip of occasions wasn’t the worst a part of her automotive rental mishap in Seattle. After her journey, American Airways refused to refund her miles for the aborted rental automotive reservation and steered her in a special course.
Abruptly, she started a digital journey by way of a seemingly infinite loop of unhelpful customer support brokers at a number of corporations. American Airways informed Kronquist to pursue Fox Lease A Automotive for her refund. Fox informed her to ship her request to Europcar, its dad or mum firm. Europcar pointed her to CarTrawler (the corporate that owns and operates AAdvantage Automobiles). After which she was frustratingly again the place she began.
Kronquist was shocked by all the assorted corporations concerned. She thought she’d made a easy rental automotive reservation with American Airways — an organization she knew and trusted. She additionally thought her downside could be easy to resolve, but it surely had develop into a sophisticated maze she discovered unattainable to navigate.
Then Kronquist bought an concept: Possibly TPG may assist untangle this mess and get her AAdvantage miles again.
A late arrival to Seattle because of an American Airways flight delay
Hours earlier than Kronquist’s journey was set to start, she obtained a message from American Airways. Her flight from Nashville to Dallas was delayed, and he or she would not make her connection to Seattle. The airline robotically switched her to a later flight, however she instantly thought of her automotive rental reservation.
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“The reservation mentioned that I wanted to select it up by 9:45 p.m., and if I did not, I may very well be thought of a no-show,” Kronquist defined. “So I emailed AAdvantage Automobiles Concierge, informed them in regards to the delay, and confirmed that the rental would nonetheless be out there at 11:30 p.m.”
Kronquist shared the e-mail trade with me, which exhibits that an AAdvantage Automobiles Concierge agent shortly assured her {that a} message had been despatched to Fox Lease A Automotive about her late arrival. The agent cautioned that the situation closed for the night time at 12:30 a.m.
Relieved that her rental automotive reservation could be honored, Kronquist boarded her flight to Dallas. She simply made her new connection there, touchdown in Seattle simply earlier than midnight. Then, she shortly made her technique to Fox.
Fox: ‘Sorry, we have now no rental automotive for you’
When Kronquist reached the Fox Lease A Automotive counter, it was 12:15 a.m. — quarter-hour earlier than the situation closed for the night time. She breathed a sigh of reduction. That’s till the worker behind the counter shook his head and informed her he had no rental automobiles out there for her.
Drained and confused, Kronquist mentioned she did not spend a lot time discussing something with the Fox consultant.
“He mentioned he did not have a rental automotive for me, in order that was that,” Kronquist recalled. “It did not matter to me why. I referred to as my pal, and he or she got here to get me.”
Sadly, Kronquist’s failure to get the worker’s identify and the particular purpose why a automotive was not out there could be an enormous downside later.
Asking for a refund for the lacking rental automotive
Kronquist loved her go to to Seattle sans rental automotive and flew residence a number of days later.
She assumed American Airways would robotically return the 24,500 miles to her AAdvantage account.
A number of weeks later she observed that hadn’t occurred, so she contacted the AAdvantage Automobiles Concierge to ask about her lacking refund.
Kronquist was stunned to study that AAdvantage Automobiles had no document of Fox not honoring her rental automotive reservation. Her refund was not on the best way in spite of everything. In her paper path, which I reviewed, varied anonymous brokers informed Kronquist to acquire proof from the Fox location in regards to the unavailable rental automotive.
Subsequent, Kronquist emailed Fox, which was notably unhelpful. Fox refused to verify that no automobiles had been out there for her that night time.
“We’ve got no bill to your rental as a result of the automotive was not picked up. You’ll want to return to the unique supply of your reserving for a refund,” Fox Lease A Automotive wrote her.
Kronquist took that to imply Europcar, so she despatched a message to its company workplace. That effort additionally turned futile, and Europcar referred her again to CarTrawler.
After one final try with AAdvantage Automobiles went the identical approach, Kronquist gave up on fixing this downside on her personal. That is when she despatched her request for assist to TPG.
Asking TPG to come back to this traveler’s rescue
After I reviewed Kronquist’s try to trace her miles and get them again into her AAdvantage account, I observed that she had achieved some issues to jeopardize her refund.
She did not obtain any documentation from Fox about it not honoring her reservation due to an absence of automobiles, and he or she did not take the identify of the worker who gave her that data. Plus, she didn’t inform AAdvantage Automobiles of the issue till weeks later. Fox’s data confirmed that it had marked her as a no-show when she did not seem on the scheduled time on her reservation.
Time and again in her paper path, a number of AAdvantage Automobiles brokers reminded Kronquist of the nonrefundable nature of her reservation. These messages glossed over her repeated reminders that she had tried to gather the rental automotive, however Fox had turned her away. Every agent requested her to show what had occurred on the Fox counter; nevertheless, she could not achieve this since that firm refused to supply that affirmation, and he or she had did not get any documentation on the counter.
Kronquist had made her greatest try to resolve her downside on her personal. It was time to ask our all the time useful American Airways government contact what may very well be achieved.
Asking American Airways to refund the miles
CarTrawler powers American Airways’ AAdvantage Automobiles reservation system. Its phrases and circumstances warn prospects that in the event that they fail to point out up on the time of their reservation, they could be thought of a no-show (even when they do present up later). No-shows should not entitled to any refunds of their prepayments.
Though Kronquist had not proven up on the time on her reservation, she had referred to as the AAdvantage Automobiles Concierge to maneuver the reservation by a number of hours. It’s not clear why that didn’t occur. Nevertheless, the one purpose she hadn’t been on the Fox counter on time was an American Airways flight delay. It appeared solely honest that American Airways refund the mileage as a result of, if not for her American Airways flight disruption, she would have been there on time to select up her rental.
Our American Airways government agreed with my reasoning, and after chasing her refund for months, Kronquist lastly bought her miles again. She additionally realized a lesson about reserving by way of a third-party website: It is simple sufficient so as to add a automotive rental to the tip of an airline reservation, but when one thing goes unsuitable, coping with a number of corporations — every one pointing on the different to repair the issue — is a irritating maze that she would not need to ever expertise once more.
She mentioned she’ll simply e-book her rental automobiles instantly sooner or later.
“Thanks for all of your assist,” she wrote to me. “I couldn’t have mounted this downside alone. I had no concept how sophisticated a easy automotive rental reservation may develop into.”
What to bear in mind about third-party reserving websites
Vacationers ought to all the time think about the precarious nature of reserving nonrefundable reservations by way of a third-party agent. Everyone knows that air journey may be unpredictable. You would be out of luck should you miss a reservation due to a delayed or canceled flight and have a nonrefundable reservation.
Here is what it’s essential know earlier than reserving a rental automotive, resort or flight by way of a third-party website.
Learn the phrases of the reservation rigorously earlier than reserving
Third-party websites typically promote their companies as easy, handy methods to e-book and lower your expenses. Nevertheless, the financial savings could not outweigh the danger if one thing goes unsuitable, and resolving issues will not be easy.
Earlier than confirming a reserving, all the time learn the phrases rigorously. Make sure you perceive the cancellation coverage and different reservation parameters (like when you’ll forfeit your reservation should you arrive late).
If you use a third-party reserving website, you would possibly must familiarize your self with the phrases and circumstances of a number of corporations as an alternative of 1. Usually, it’s essential filter your criticism by way of the reserving agent as an alternative of instantly with the journey supplier. On this case, after Kronquist’s flight was delayed, she was required to name AAdvantage Automobiles (the reserving agent) as an alternative of Fox Lease a Automotive instantly (the journey supplier). It is unclear whether or not or not the AAdvantage Automobiles Concierge ever really reached Fox Lease a Automotive on the night time Kronquist referred to as, however the written communication to her says he did. Sadly, the data from Fox do not replicate that message from AAdvantage Automobiles.
This extra layer of communication — or, as on this case, miscommunication — typically complicates the problem-solving course of, which may be greater than a bit of irritating to vacationers.
Get names and report reservation issues ASAP
Initially, Kronquist was assured that Fox would report the unavailable rental automotive on to American Airways, and her refund would quickly observe. When she realized that may not occur, she discovered it unattainable to get the proof she wanted to get her miles again. In case you have a reservation with a third-party website and one thing goes unsuitable, you have to report the issue instantly to the reserving agent (the place you made your reservation). The longer you wait to report the issue, the tougher it is going to be to resolve.
Name the journey supplier instantly
In case you have booked a third-party nonrefundable reservation and it turns into clear that you’re going to miss the window of alternative to make use of it, name the journey supplier instantly. Chatting with an actual individual on the automotive rental firm or resort offers you the most effective probability of overriding the cutoff level.
At all times get the identify of the individual you’re talking to on the firm and write it down. Be cordial and humanize your self to that worker. Doing so will make it way more troublesome for the corporate to jot down off your request, as you may not be only a identify on a reservation that failed to point out up on time.
Get journey insurance coverage that covers sudden delays and cancellations
Bear in mind, it is not simply flight delays and cancellations that may throw a wrench in your plans.
One technique to shield your self from the monetary repercussions of fixing plans is to make sure you have bought journey insurance coverage to your journey’s nonrefundable components.
A complete journey insurance coverage coverage can shield you from varied occasions that trigger you to overlook all elements of your journey. Plans that you just change because of issues like sickness, damage, loss of life within the household, delayed and canceled flights, and even job loss may be coated by journey insurance coverage. Be sure you completely learn the coverage to grasp the named perils (coated occasions). Understand that you are solely coated for these occasions.
Backside line
When you prefer to hunt for good offers and revel in planning your individual journey, you then would possibly recurrently use third-party reserving websites. If all the things goes easily, you will not have an issue. Nevertheless, vacationers ought to all the time ask themselves the “what if” questions and put together for the sudden earlier than plunking down nonrefundable trip {dollars}.
In Kronquist’s case, she had no concept what number of corporations had been concerned in her reservation. She additionally didn’t know what may occur if she failed to point out up on time for her nonrefundable automotive rental reservation. She mentioned she wouldn’t be caught unaware once more.
Finally, American Airways refunded her factors as a result of the airline’s personal flight delay triggered its buyer to overlook out on her rental automotive. However vacationers can’t depend on related goodwill gestures.
Earlier than reserving any nonrefundable plans as a part of your subsequent journey with a 3rd get together, weigh the dangers and advantages. Solely make that reservation together with your eyes broad open.
And do not forget, if you end up in an unfair battle with a automotive rental company, airline, cruise line, resort or bank card firm, TPG may help. Ship your request to ombudsman@thepointsguy.com, and I shall be blissful to strive that will help you, too.
