Booked months early through Southwest for a 12:30 AM pickup time on Christmas Eve. When I heard our flight was delayed I tried calling several times an hour apart starting at 6 PM to make sure someone would be there even if I didn't get in until 2 AM. No one picked up at all. Arrived at 3 AM (Southwest later gave me vouchers as an apology) and sure enough no one was there. Slept in the rental area with my friends until they opened and then had this lovely conversation with the winsome Avis employee.
Guy: "Your pickup time was 12:30 AM? No one would have been here to give you the car."
Me: "Well then why was I allowed to select that as the pickup time?"
Guy: "Well that's Southwest's website allowing you to do that."
Me: "Fair enough. But did you or did you not have me in your system as picking it up at 12:30 AM?"
Guy: "We did."
Me: "So you couldn't have just given me a call to re-schedule, or at the very least inform me that the pick-up time was impossible?"
Guy: "Well frankly, sir, we don't have time to be calling everyone."
Me (what I wish I had said): "You have time to take my $600 but you don't have time to give me a 5 minute phone call to prevent me having to sleep in the rental area until opening hours?"
Me (what I actually said): "Gah! So what do other customers do? Do you just let them all sleep in the airport?"
Guy: "You know sir I don't really want to argue on Christmas Eve."
I was so angry I wasn't thinking clearly and made the mistake of actually giving them my business. Should have gone to Enterprise or Hertz or something.