By: Matt Meltzer
Credit: Shutterstock
There's no shortage of miserable-looking people at the airport. From flight attendants -- who have a perfectly understandable reason for looking less than thrilled (people who fly are horrible) -- to passengers sleeping in the terminal because their flights were cancelled. Actually, they have a good reason too.
But why exactly do the people behind the rental car counter always look like they're one bad rental away from going full-on Michael Douglas in Falling Down? We asked a bunch of them what we're doing to make them so ornery, and this is what they told us.
1. Complaining about a $200 security hold
The agent met you three minutes ago, and is giving you a CAR. For TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS! The only place you're getting a better deal that quickly is on The Price is Right. Which, by the way, you could totally be on if you just follow this foolproof guide.
2. Showing up three hours late and launching into a Seinfeld-worthy tirade about car rental reservations
Do you show up for an 8 p.m. dinner reservation at 11 p.m. and berate the hostess because she gave away your table? If so, congratulations, you may be the worst person on the planet. If not, then go ahead and apply that same logic to your rental car.
Credit: Flickr/Robert Couse-Baker
3. Coming in to test drive your car. A week early.
Unless the rental car company just hired James Van Praagh to sit in the back and tell them which four-door midsize you'll be driving next week, they have no way of knowing what car you'll get. Also, test driving a rental car? Really?
4. Complaining that they don't have the EXACT car you asked for
Weird, because when you reserved it six months ago, they pulled a bright red Mustang convertible with under 20,000 miles, power windows, and Sirius radio off to the side and affixed a giant sign that read "DO NOT RENT ON NOVEMBER 8." Wonder what went wrong.
Credit: Flickr/Blue Waikiki
5. Not bringing your drivers license or credit card with you
This actually happens. These are probably the same people who show up to a big group dinner and "forget" their wallet.
6. Refusing to drive a car with over 20,000 miles on it
Your car at home has 120,000. It's still a vacation for you.
7. Complaining about prices around the holidays
If 10 million people want a rental car on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, the law of supply and demand dictates it's probably gonna be expensive. You understand capitalism, right? Also, the price you're griping about is determined by a logarithmic formula that was built by analysts in a corporate office -- the agent typing in your drivers license number had nothing to do with it.
More from Thrillist:
Follow Thrillist on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Thrillist