TR SNIPPET BUDGET RENTAL CAR

For my road trip to Red Rock, Laughlin, and the Hoover Dam LINK

I rented a car from Budget. I prepaid to get the best bargain. Since I would pick it up and deliver it downtown, I was not shopping other providers.

I was very early to pick up at Budget because I forgot about setting the clocks back. Usually this just means I have to return the car a bit early after the week is up.

However, it was very busy at the rental desk with just one woman working. Many people were going out to see some car races.

She explained that on a prepaid deal, the car is assigned and can't be changed. Also, she said on the prepaid I could not use my free upgrade coupon.

I went to breakfast, a $20 brunch at the Golden Nugget which was on my poker comps.

When I got back, there was a line and it took twenty minutes to reach the clerk again.

When I did, she was apologetic and she upgraded me from the cheapest Kia to the Soul which I liked very much.

So off I went.

I got lost in the spaghetti bowl again where my GPS does not give me the lane changes in time. Once off the highway track , I put in a “no highway” route. It added fifteen minutes to the journey, but the roads were all simple and uncrowded.

Once away from Vegas, the driving was much easier. I needed the car in Red Rock, but I also appreciated having it at Laughlin. It let me get up to Harrah's, the only ACG coupon where they take 50% off and the only 3-6 poker game I know.

I got back the night before I was to return the car and parked in the Four Queens parking lot. I was up late playing poker, but I was ready and a bit early for the return.

You might think that just driving from the 4 Queens to the Nugget garage would be an easy task.

It wasn't.

Twice I got behind a large white truck with bags (garbage?) in the back. Each time he just stood in my lane with very tiny blinking lights, as difficult to see as is the checking of those poker players who check only with their baby fingers.

So I had to pull ahead of him and then turn in front of him

Then all around were signs of a Special Event and cones and even one that said the road was closed although it was not closed.

Then I turned down a road leading to the front entrance circle, had to come out, follow the white pickup and then pull around him again when he stopped and turn in front of him for the parking garage.

The clerk was a young fellow. I told him I was just returning a rental. He explained I had to up to the second floor and then come back down to put it in a Budget spot.

When I came down there were no Budget spots left.

There were some spots that said I.T. And threatened a tow.

So I went back to the clerk and the conversation went like this:

“There are no spots left in the Budget section.”

“There are none at all?”

“Not in the Budget section.”

The clerk checked in a couple cars and came back to me.

“You could not find a spot to park the rental?”

I just stared at him quietly until he understood that I was not going to keep repeating the same information.

“Okay, I heard you.”

“There are spots marked IT but they say the car will be towed. Should I park there?”

“No.”

He checked in another car.

“Oh, go ahead and park there; you won't be towed.”

I went up to the second floor and came down again, but I parked near the turn in a normal parking garage spot. I did not trust that I would not be towed.

I avoided the clerk when I walked out.

Over at the rental desk I told the woman that I was returning the car, and she was as pleasant as she had been before.

“Where did you park?” she asked. She knew the Budget spots were filled.

She agreed that I might have been towed had I parked in the IT spot.

I gave her directions to where I had parked, and she said it was fine. With the panic button they would find the car.

Her computer and printer were down.

Some folks were waiting for Budget to send someone to fix that problem.

I was happy it was not my problem, and happy to be walking back to the 4 Queens with my RTC bus pass in my pocket and no more paperwork hassles with rentals.

I've liked the idea of getting a rental for a road trip at the downtown location, but now I think I'd like to try the one located just across the street from the Orleans and arrange to do the road trip from there and return perhaps to the Gold Coast.

BUDGET CAR RENTAL ACROSS FROM ORLEANS

4475 w. Tropicana open this year from 7:30 to 5PM at least on Thursdays. The code for online rental is VE2 . They get a bad rap on customer service for trucks, but perhaps cars are easier. It can't be more of a hassle than it was downtown.