Seattle Rentals

Yesterday I was with mom at a car rental place getting a car to explore Mount Rainier. We had made the trip to Seattle from Phoenix and were excited to finally be getting a car to take our journey out of the city. After confirming our rental we went to the car lot and stood in line for an agent to take us to our car.

A nice looking tall man came up and confirmed my name saying he would take us to our rental that morning We walked through the parking lot and I quipped that a small car would be preferable as I drove better in little vehicles. He assured me it would be an economy car which worked great for me. As we neared the end of the lot he slowed a little looking around and commented that he thought there were economy cars at that end. We walked a little further and sure enough, there they were, two little cars just hiding behind a large SUV. I pointed to the little silver car on the left and said that would be perfect.

We started through the various routines, verifying the GPS was in the car, how to get out of the lot, loading our bags into the car, etc. Then the agent pulled out his tablet to finalize everything and asked about insurance. We debated the merits of insurance versus just using my own to cover and finally decided to go with the insurance.

Just as I finished signing mom pointed to a scratch on the paint near the gas tank and asked if that would be an issue. The agent explained that the scratch wasn't deep enough to warrant as an insurance issue because they could just buff it out. Well, it was at that moment that my brain decided to kick into humor mode. Perhaps it was the lack of sleep. Maybe the early up before the crack of dawn wake up. Or it could have been a serious caffeine deprivation finally coming head. Whatever the reason, my internal filter had completely shut down.

Just as the agent states, the car is fully insured, I lift my hand in the air with the car key in it and shout "FULLY INSURED!!!!!" and proceeded to act like I was keying the car. Mom and the agent both stopped and stared. I stopped and looked up, the agents eyes practically bugged out and jaw was wide open. I laughed quietly and said, "Kidding." Mom and the man just started laughing, the agent looked shocked and quipped, "The cars covered for damage but don't do it in front of me!"

Ladies and gentlemen, this experience is complete proof that a lack of internal filter, sleep, and a good dose of cynicism may very well result in giving a car rental agent a heart attack.