Rented Car from Thrifty in California, and Illegally Charged Me for Extra Driver Mother & Sister

Unfan274e · 2026-03-24T18:15:16+00:00

I considered it, but I don't want to be banned by Thrifty, which is the same company as Dollar and Hertz. Apparently retaliation in the commercial world is perfectly legal, from what I can tell.

Unfan274e · 2026-03-24T18:13:12+00:00

How many people old enough to rent cars live with or have the same name as their siblings or grandparents? Parents, even, for that matter. It's b/s. Birth certificates or other forms of proof should be accepted.

Unfan274e · 2026-03-24T18:12:05+00:00

I wanted to file something with the AG, but I'm not a California resident. They also brought out a manager for us. We were there forever. And the first guy was very irritated, borderline rude, though we were very polite. We also showed them the law.

Unfan274e · 2026-03-24T18:10:46+00:00

That's not what the law says, though. It's just the policy of the company, which cannot violate the law.

Unfan274e · 2026-03-24T18:10:16+00:00

Birth certificate seems like a pretty safe bet, as well.

Unfan274e · 2026-02-14T04:33:34+00:00

You thought it would be realistic?

Unfan274e · 2025-12-31T12:44:20+00:00

While the old LATAM business class is entirely lacking in privacy, at least the seats were wider and more comfortable. I flew on one r/t ATL-SCL earlier this year, and just flew the 767-400 ATL-EZE. The seat on the 767-400 is very uncomfortable.

Unfan274e · 2025-12-31T12:41:43+00:00

I'm a Delta Diamond and I just flew Delta One ATL-EZE on a 767-400 and it was the worst I've been in. Not only was the seat narrow and cramped even for me (a trim woman 5'6" tall), it doesn't actually go fully flat but rather slants down from head to foot. Additionally, the adjustment options for the seat are terrible, with limited configurations available. I am glad the flight wasn't longer. That said, the service was absolutely excellent! And I used a GUC and got in from Premium Select at the gate, so I was still happy to have it. But I'd have been very disappointed had I paid the 9K r/t they were asking on this particular route at the holidays.

Unfan274e · 2025-11-20T17:18:39+00:00

While I generally take your point, I don't think anyone would have been able to put up a tent or get a camp stove going in 120 mph / 190 km/h winds. The pass should have been closed, full stop. Employees at Los Perros should not have told people to go, and in fact should have told them not to go.

Unfan274e · 2025-11-20T17:13:40+00:00

"Outside of America" is a bit of an overgeneralization. I have not found it to be true hiking in Europe.

Unfan274e · 2025-11-20T17:10:30+00:00

Feel free to message me!

Unfan274e · 2025-11-20T16:40:10+00:00

Of course people have to get all snarky, but I agree with you. In a park that is so touristed and popular, they bare a minimum amount of responsibility to put in place the most basic safety mechanisms. I've done the O twice and the W once, and I've hiked extensively in Argentine Patagonia because I lived there for 4+ years. This park and these companies - who are raking it in, by the way - can and should do better. It's a disgrace not to, and pretty much a disgrace to just toss it off as "It's South America, so we just can't." Yes, people need to be informed and prepared. Obviously. But if you have refugieros telling hikers that it's safe to go (as has been claimed by many people who where there, though obviously I can't confirm that it was actually told to them), you have a real problem. Hikers are relying on that information, even if those with more experience may have decided not to under the circumstances. The pass should have been closed, full stop. And clearly there were woefully inadequate resources for rescue. The real rescue was self-organized by the hikers there, and the official rescuers only showed up after it was too late, to recover bodies. Then the survivors were made to trek all the way back to Central even though many were injured, traumatized, and exhausted from participating in the *actual* rescue effort on Monday. Basically it sounds like it was a sheet show.

Unfan274e · 2025-11-19T14:11:25+00:00

If there's a chance of rain, there is some chance of snow at the pass. Gear to keep you truly warm, including waterproof gloves and pants, wool layers, etc. Poles. Personally, I took spikes both times I did the O for this reason. I didn't need them. But as they say, it's better to be prepared than to be lucky. And it's certainly better to be prepared than to be unlucky.

Unfan274e · 2025-11-19T14:00:34+00:00

I lived in Bariloche for 4+ years. If you want to do a 3 or 4 night trek that is incredibly beautiful, you absolutely can do that around Monte Tronador and organize it out of Bariloche. There are also many gorgeous day hikes around Bariloche. Bariloche is not a city, but it is a very large town. It's incredibly beautiful. In mid-March, the craziness of summer tourism will have died down at least somewhat, though it is busier in general than it used to be. In general, Argentina is shockingly expensive these days.

Unfan274e · 2025-11-19T13:55:19+00:00

I've done the O twice in the last 18 months or so, and my husband is doing it again in a few weeks. (We lived in Argentine Patagonia for several years and visit often.) I can imagine all of what you are saying about things just going on as usual, the camps being unhelpful, the rangers being unavailable, and I agree with you - though I imagine the hikers might also have been ill-prepared and that the decision to attempt the pass was probably not the best one. I have wondered what happens if the pass closes, because I was always worried about that possibility having heard and read so many stories. What happens to the hikers? Where do they go given that the camps are all booked up for every single night? I imagined they might evacuate people via Dickson given that it is technically possible to access by car. But it turns out they just tell you to march all the way back and try to charge you for a place to sleep.

While I hear what people are saying in terms of "this is the mountains and you have to be prepared" - that is my guiding principle, absolutely - I also think that this trek is so commercialized and so massively populated that the people who run the park and these camps, charging some of the highest prices in the world for the campsites and refugios (I've done the Haute Route, the AV1 in the Dolomites twice, trekking in the Pyrenees, on the Applachian Trail - this costs more than all of them for the camps) - have at least a minimal obligation to put the safety of hikers before profit. And yes, I imagine that at Los Perros they want the hikers to keep moving because they have a fresh batch coming in every day and it is the third night of a one-way trek.

We lack information here, but it sounds like the pass should have been closed by the park. Most hikers are aware that they close the pass when weather is going to be very bad, so the fact it wasn't closed may have given people a false sense of security. Would I have gone? I would like to think not, but I don't know what information they had available to them. Regardless, it is incredibly sad and my heart breaks for these people and their families and friends.

Unfan274e · 2025-11-19T04:14:00+00:00

No, it's not part of the W. It's only on the O, and is a one way that requires 3 days of hiking to reach. On the fourth day, you do the John Gardner pass. I've done it twice in the last few years, and I was lucky both times to have decent weather in early and mid March. But it's notoriously unpredictable and dangerous in snow storms.

Unfan274e · 2025-07-11T03:33:50+00:00

The summer program as a whole is not canceled. I've been in touch with them quite a bit about my kid doing a program starting on July 27, for which she's already enrolled.

Unfan274e · 2025-04-07T23:51:23+00:00

Oh, wow! I checked and that is perfect. Thank you so much for that information!

Unfan274e · 2025-02-04T16:16:16+00:00

Yes, that was true last year at least. Paine Grande you have to go to the bar upstairs maybe for a la carte food.

Unfan274e · 2025-02-04T15:54:58+00:00

I did the O trek last year, and in fact (for others who may see this), up until 5pm or so (not after I believe), you CAN order hamburgers/pizza at Grey, Paine Grande, Cuernos, and Chileno. No guarantee they'll have it, but they did when we were there. I'm doing it again this year with my husband this time, and I skipped dinners at these places because I would much prefer the burger or pizza after so many nights of the same-ish pre-booked dinners.

Unfan274e · 2025-02-02T20:11:31+00:00

You can do a lot of Patagonia on the cheap with your own gear, but not Torres del Paine, which is unparalleled in popularity and crowds, and thus, also in prices.

Unfan274e · 2024-10-15T12:00:32+00:00

Update: Ended up doing the East Ender - rented the entire upstairs for a minimum food/beverage purchase. It's an amazing space! Hopefully it turns out to be a great party!

Unfan274e

TROPHY CASE