Avis Experiment: Will the survey trigger a response?

Background: I've unsuccessfully tried four times to resolve a problem with Avis. I signed up for "Preferred" status so I could bypass the rental counter, but I've had to go to the rental counter anyway. Now, I'm using my blog to chronicle my attempts to see if Avis will finally resolve the issue or cause me to find a new "Preferred" rental car company.

I received an email from Avis inviting me to take a short survey to let them know how they did on my recent rental in Honolulu. This is a great way to kick-off my experiment. I just had to remind myself to rate everything objectively.

It was a pretty decent survey overall. Here are some things I liked about it:

• It took me less than 5 minutes to complete.
• I had the opportunity to add specific comments.
• The survey asked me a follow-up question based on the poor rating of my pick-up experience.

My real question is whether or not I'll hear from Avis. Customer surveys can be very powerful if someone follows up with upset customers. Customers might get even more upset if you survey them but don't follow-up because the survey re-opens the wound. I'll keep you posted!

Live Experiment: Will Avis finally try hard enough?

I’ve been experiencing the same customer service issue with the Avis rental car company since last November.  It’s not a particularly outrageous issue, but the fact that it’s still unresolved after four attempts makes it worse and worse.  My options at this point are to choose another rental car company or to use my blog to chronicle my last ditch attempts to resolve the problem.  C’mon!  You know which option I choose!

I encourage you to follow this experiment like you would a favorite sports team or a soap opera. You can get email updates or follow along on Twitter.

Background

It all started last year when I had to rent a car in Portland, Oregon.  Avis has a program called “Avis Preferred” where you can skip the rental counter and go straight to the car.  On a previous trip, it had taken me awhile to get through the line and get my car rented, so I thought this would be a great perk.  Unfortunately, on my first 'Preferred' rental, my car wasn’t ready and waiting when I arrived and I had to go to the rental counter anyway.  What was worse was the rental agent did a fairly poor job of trying to resolve the problem.  (See my previous post: Avis service recovery.)

Since then, I’ve rented with Avis on three occasions.  Each time, I feel like I’m in that old Bill Murray movie, Groundhog Day, where the same day keeps repeating over and over.  I arrive expecting my car to be ready and it’s not.  I go to the rental car counter and the agent tells me I had to go to the counter because it’s my first time renting a car as a Preferred member.  I explain it’s not the first time, but the agent shrugs and says, “It should be OK the next time.”  Of course it won’t be.  And on and on.

By now, I’ve rented four times and have been disappointed four times.  It’s not the end of the world, but it’s really annoying that this problem can’t be fixed. 

My Experiment

I’ve decided to use my blog as a platform to resolve this issue since face to face contact with company representatives hasn’t done the trick.  It will be fun to see how Avis responds.  I really hope they do find a way to resolve it.  Whatever happens, I'll be sure to shed some light on the types of trouble small issues can cause companies if they don’t have an effective way of identifying and resolving customer complaints when they happen.

I’ll start with the usual phone calls and emails and take it from there.  Of course, I’ll also leverage other platforms like Twitter to see what happens.  It should be fun!

Follow It

You can get email updates or follow along on Twitter. And, I definitely take suggestions, so please post a comment! 

Avis service recovery - he DID try harder (eventually)

I had an interesting experience renting a car from Avis yesterday. Initially, it seemed like just another example of poor service.  At the end, I was pleasantly surprised to see the agent make an attempt at recovery.

This situation was a "moment of truth" because I had just signed up as an Avis "Preferred" member where I could skip the rental counter and go straight to my car.  Unfortunately, my name wasn't on the "preferred" list when I got to the rental car area, so I was a bit deflated. I noticed an "Avis Preferred" office, so I decided to go in and see if they could get my rental straightened out.

The agent who helped me definitely didn't live up to the "we try harder" motto.  He tried every trick in the book to make me go away. "You'll need to go to the rental counter." (Well, can't you at least look up my reservation?) "I'll have to stop serving you if a Preferred member comes in." (Aren't I a Preferred member?) "You're not in the program until you get your card in the mail - it takes 2 to 3 weeks." (I DID get my card in the mail, now what?)  "You'll have to call customer service." (I'll HAVE to call?! Can't you help me?)

Finally, after trying everything he could to get me to go away, the agent found my reservation in the system, verified I WAS a Preferred member, and printed out my contract. No apology was offered, but at least I had my rental car and I didn't have to go all the way back to the rental counter.

The surprise happened when I got in the car and started exiting the rental car garage.  I saw the agent leave the office and motion to me to roll down my window.  I stopped and he said with a smile, "I think I figured out why you weren't on the Preferred list!" He went on to explain that since my reservation was made before I became a Preferred member, the reservation didn't automatically upgrade to Preferred status. He assured me that I would be all set going forward with any new reservation.

All told, it wasn't a great experience, but I did appreciate the agent trying to turn things after our initial encounter. To me, that's the true lesson.  We'll all have moments when we say the wrong thing or drop the ball in some way.  What matters most is what we do after that moment has passed.