Alamo

I just returned the car I hired for the bank holiday weekend to Alamo car rental, Kings Cross, Pentonville Road. What a total shambles. There were too many people returning cars at the same time, obviously due to the bank holiday. The staff weren’t getting the cars checked and off the forecourt quickly enough to allow the new arrivals onto the forecourt.

Because the rental place is set on a very busy two–lane (in each direction) red route, waiting to drive in was out of the question. Two traffic wardens were positioned at the entrance to the forecourt giving tickets/ having shouting matches with anyone who tried to stop to wait to pull in. No Alamo car rental staff were apparent, no information or instructions were being given and no one seemed to have a clue what was going on.

After half–a–dozen trips around the block, I managed to stuff the car into a small gap that had opened up. I was then left standing there for a while; once again, no information, stroppy, over–stressed staff with no time to think about the customer experience, or even the rules of common politeness. When I was allowed into the office to process the payments, it was the same thing; all the staff apparently busy, highly stressed, but somehow slow, inefficient and bordering on rude at the same time.

I appreciate that the morning after a bank holiday weekend is going to be a busy time, but this really needed sorting somehow — it was an utter, utter fiasco. Took the edge off what had otherwise been a decent experience — the car itself was fine and, not owning a car myself, it was nice to have one for the weekend.