An Austrian Experience

I will likely write a little too much about this, but had an experience today that just wouldn't happen in the U.S.

If you read the other entries, you'll know that we rented a car for some touring on Saturday.  They were closing at noon so we would be returning the car after they were closed.  I was a little disappointed because I wanted to pay in cash and avoid the 3% foreign transaction fee on my credit card.  I expressed this and the agent, who spoke perfect English (but for some reason put us down as Australian), said, "no problem, just come by and pay on Monday."  If this was the end of the story, I would have been impressed with their accommodation of my desires to pay by cash and save a few dollars, but it continues.

So, the next thought of this was TUESDAY morning.  We had a busy Monday and we totally forgot about going by to pay.  Sue said that she'd take care of it on Tuesday, and was even in that area of town, but she forgot.  When I got home Tuesday we discussed it and Sue said, "just check your credit statement, surely they've charged you by now (I mean, this is Hertz we are talking about)."  But I recall the agent on Saturday being pretty insistent that if I wanted to pay in cash, I coud pay in cash.  Anyway, I called them and sure enough, they had not charged me yet.

So, even though it was a 15-minute walk each way, I was determined to go pay this thing.  When I arrived, I settled up (no late fee, no hassle, etc.).  I asked the agent today, "so, I said I'd pay on Monday, but forgot ... what if I forgot on Tuesday as well ... when would you charge my credit card?"  She looked back at my record and said, "it clearly says here from the agent working on Saturday that you would pay in cash on Monday ... we wouldn't think of charging your account until Wednesday or Thursday maybe."  And the look on her face was one of, "there is no other possibility ... you would pay of course."

Russ