15 May 2009

Gas Wars In California

The panic is on - been on the 405 for the past hour, bumper to bumper, heading to LAX.
Need to drop off a couple of people. Fill rental. Return car to Thrifty's Car Rental.

Pull into Chevron after dropping one later departing passenger to the Casino near the airport (note: the Casino has baggage check in). Insert my Amex. It asks for a pin number.
Go inside. I can prepay but I'm suppose to tell them how much gas. How the H*#* am I suppose to know that? It's a rental.

Go to next station. An ATM machine this time. Identify pump number, agree to pay an extra 45 cents and then get the request for a PIN again. My card doesn't have a pin. Leave.

Head to airport - drop off my work colleague (along with my luggage - gosh it is much easier to travel in pairs) and go to return car. Decide to try one more time - I'll put in $20 just for the heck of it.

Same thing except this time I persist. Four times in and out of the station. Manager comes out. Explains why pump is jammed. We try the backside of pump 12. Finally get gas. Sign. Leave. Bloody nuisance. Thriftys - do you think they could mark the entrance of their return route better. Or just post a sign for those who miss the first sign to advise where they should go? That would WAY to be easy.

Finally van gets returned, I get to airport and find out flight is 40 minutes delayed. Go figure.

My question of the moment: how is a person suppose to get gas for their rental when every gas pump in town wants either a zip code or a 4 digit pin number?

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