So, I've arrived in Florida. I'm just here for a very quick trip. I haven't been here since January and I wanted to check on things at my place and get out of that hell they call winter up north.
A quick trip from Hooterville to BWI and boom, two hours later I am in Tampa. I did check a bag but it's normally not a big deal for me at this airport because right outside the doors to baggage claim and across the walkway is a rental car facility.
So, picked up my bag and went outside (where it was a balmy 58 degrees) to the crosswalk and there is a sign there saying the car rental place has moved offsite. WHAT? Directions are sketchy so I ask an employee who volunteers to show me the way.
Hike all the way down to the end of the baggage claim terminal & take an elevator to the 4th floor. Walk some more, then queue to wait for a train to take you to the car rental place. WHAT FUN! After a few minutes wait, we all pile into the 'train' which is just another monorail type thing. Two stops later you arrive at the ginormous building housing all of the car rental places.
Schlepped across a huge open space (why so much wasted room?) to get to the Alamo car rental place. Of course, there is a huge line because 300 people just debarked from a train at once. JOY
The line is long and there are only 3 people working at the counter.****
(****Little sidebar here---in this age of computers, these car rental places HAVE to know approximately how many people are going to arrive at a given time based on the reservation information. I want to know WHY they never staff appropriately? A most inefficient practice and the customers are at their mercy because we need their cars. UGH)
While we are waiting in line, they have these self-service kiosks that have never worked for me before, but this one employee is manning the stations and his only job is to take people over, insert licenses and credit cards and continually repeat "NEVER EDIT and always hit DECLINE" (there are 6 or 8 kiosks but 2 are already out of service..lol). He asks if I have an out of state driver's license. Yes, I do. Follow me he says. Off I go to a kiosk. He inserts my driver's license into slot A and then my credit card into slot B. BAM there is my reservation. Then I go through (not exaggerating here) 12 screens saying Accept or Decline to all the possible little add-ons they want you to have. And every so often, they throw you a curve ball where you don't decline you have to hit a different button and if you mess up you get charged. I think they do that on purpose. After all of this, it spits out a rental agreement.
THEN the exciting part: You get to walk to the right about 1/4 of a mile to a set of elevators or escalators and take one to the 1st floor where the cars are at. YES! Of course, the economy cars are never conveniently located near where you show your paperwork--but they do have 3 people standing around going Yeah, economy is way over there--see the sign? Sure. Off I go again trekking to no-mans land to get a car.
Almost done! Now you follow the exit signs around and around to a booth where you have to show the agreement, your license and credit card to the attendant before they lower the steel wall to allow you to leave.
Finally, on my way--then a quick trip around the airport to the exit and I am on the road to St. Petersburg. It is now 10:15pm. I picked up my luggage at 8:50. I am not happy about this.
But, the major car rental places that were conveniently on-site are now housed in the same building as the budget places like Fox. Six't and others. Those little companies are rejoicing I'm sure because I know many people would stay with the 'majors' for the convenience of not having to take a shuttle off-site. HA I know I will certainly be going for the cheapest rental company in the future.
I believe I can honestly say based on the comments and reactions of the people around me, this is NOT an improvement and no one was happy about it. No pictures to share of this little adventure as I was too irritated.
Mayor Bob Buckhorn, if you are reading this, we, the people, are not amused.
Gypsy Jilly
