Going Once, Twice.... Sold to the Highest Bidder!

The folks are back from paradise and though the islands were amazing, I thought I'd tell ya about a few roadblocks concerning Hawaii that everyone should know before they go.

First off, a gripe about rental car companies. This reminds me of that Seinfeld episode...

Just because you reserve a car for a cheap deal on the internet doesn't mean you'll have a car waiting for you when you arrive. Rental car companies are thieves. There's nothing preventing them from renting out to higher paying customers FIRST even though you reserved a car for less earlier.

When my parents arrived at the counter they had to wait nearly an hour. That was because all other customers willing to pay more were bumped ahead of them. It was like an antiquated barter system. My folks waited alongside other frustrated customers, like themselves, some who bid online at priceline.com or scored the car at half the rate.

It's hard to believe this practice is tolerated but apparently ALL the car rental companies in Hawaii do it. My folks insisted it wasn't fair and threatened to go to another rental service. The woman at the counter brushed them off and told them to "go ahead, do it, all rental companies work this way in Hawaii." What nerve!

To make matters worse, Dad learned that hotels treat their customers the same way. A hotel on the island of Kauai bumped them from a beautiful ocean-view suite (that they were promised and paid for) into a handicap room. Why? Because some last minute walk-in was willing to pay the standard rate. That's why. Unbelievable!