The time a rental car app left me stranded in Phoenix

I was at the airport in Phoenix last year, trying to pick up a car I booked through a big app. The app said 'go to any car in row 7,' but the keypad code it gave me failed on three different cars. I was stuck for 45 minutes in 100-degree heat with no way to call the lot, because the app had no 'help' button, just a chatbot. I finally had to walk all the way back to the main counter. The fix is so simple: put a direct 'call lot' button right on the main screen when you're on site. Has anyone else had a rental app just totally fail at the worst moment?

3 comments

3 Comments

river1831mo ago

Oh, I read a piece recently about how these rental car companies are so focused on cutting costs that they outsource their app development to the lowest bidder. That article basically said the same thing you're saying, that the people writing the code never actually have to use the product in the real world. Walking back across a Phoenix tarmac in July sounds like the perfect test case for that whole argument, I don't know how they miss something so obvious.

gavin_mason313mo ago

Classic app logic right there. They spend millions on the fancy booking part but forget you might actually need to get in the car. A direct call button is such a no brainer it's painful. Bet the chatbot just kept asking if you tried turning the car off and on again. That heat is no joke, walking back must have felt like a punishment for their bad code.

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beth_anderson3mo ago

Spot the real problem with these apps... they're built by people who never have to use them in a real pinch. That disconnect creates all these tiny, maddening failures. You end up feeling like a beta tester paying full price.