Many customers of Thrifty Car Rental were offered a free one-day rental that the company says is a mistake and has apologized for, according to FOX News. Thrifty says the offer was intended for a select group of top customers but was accidentally sent out to many other people.
"We're very sorry for any confusion our eagerness may have caused," Thrifty told its customers in an e-mail that was sent out.
Usually, when companies post incorrect prices, they balance the cost of honoring the price mistakenly listed against the potential to lose customers who feel tricked. When there is a large financial difference that would have to be offset, "smart companies offer an apology with some sort of salve - 'Here's a gift certificate,' or 'Here's a 10 percent off coupon,' to demonstrate their remorse," Mark Cohen, an executive at Sears and other department stores who now teaches at Columbia University's business school, said.
The e-mail was intended for customers that were part of Thrifty's "select" frequent-renter program, called Blue Chip. The free rental was an offer customers received after 16 days of paid rentals, according to Paula Rivera, the spokeswoman for Hertz, the parent company of Thrifty. Instead, the offer went out to all customers who had signed up to receive e-mails from the company.
"Unfortunately, this was a human error and as soon as we became aware of the mass e-mail distribution, we took steps to correct the situation," Rivera said. Among the steps taken was an additional e-mail sent out to customers once the error was realized.
"I was kind of shocked that they rescinded the offer, even if it was a mistake," Alison McCarthy, who works in digital marketing told FOX News. "They should have honored it, it's just one day."
She had previously had an experience where El Al airlines had accidentally listed airfare as less than $400 for a flight that would usually run $1,000 to $1,600, but the airline honored the lower price.
"It was awesome, and it was positive PR for them," McCarthy said.
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