Dirty Thieves At Alamo Car Rental

by David J. Stewart | July 2024

      BEWARE of the ungodly dirty THIEVES at Alamo Car Rental. But first, here's the larger story so you'll know the full context. I am a banjo enthusiast. I love the instrument. So, I signed up for the 3-day “Banjo Camp” held annually in Bigfork, Montana by Banjo Ben Cark in Exeter, Missouri. This year the event is being held on August 15, 16 and 17.

Having said that, I just got screwed by Banjo Ben Clark's Store. I contacted them on Friday July 5th, 2024 to ask if there's any way I can still attend the Montana 3-day Banjo Camp. I very clearly explained that if I can attend, I am bringing my Deering Goodtime Special banjo with me. Amy replied by just sending me a link to their sign-up webpage. I was greatly overjoyed and signed-up immediately for $899. The next day on Saturday I spent $2,077.25 through Priceline to book my plane tickets, hotel and rent car for the August 15-17 event in Bigfork, Montana. I was so happy.

Then on Monday Amy sends me an email and says that there are no spots available. I was shocked and replied right away, kindly letting her know that I had already purchased my $899 ticket for the event in Montana, and spent $2,077.25 to make my reservations. She said that I had signed up only for the guitar camp, but not for the banjo. She said the banjo spots were all filled up. I was sickened and heart broken.

So, I immediately tried to cancel my reservations, since it still hadn't been 48 hours. Thankfully, I was able to cancel the 4 flights with American and United Airlines, and the hotel in Kalispell, but Alamo Car Rental are so ungodly greedy that they refused to refund a single penny to me. Consequently, I lost $690 because of Ben Clark's Store.

I made it very clear in my initial contact with Amy that I was bringing my "Deering Goodtime Special banjo" to the event if I could go, so why the hell did she send me a sign-up webpage for the guitar, which misled me? Then she blamed me by saying that I should have noticed the drop-down menu on the page she sent me, but she ass-u-med that as a newcomer I would figure out how their webpage works on my own, but I didn't. I thought she knew what she was doing, but clearly Amy doesn't. It makes no sense what she did. I plainly told her that I wanted to come to the Montana 3-day "Banjo Camp." When she replied by sending me the webpage to sign-up, I reasonable concluded that there must still be some spots available, and I signed up successfully for $899.

There's no explanation anywhere on the Ben Clark Store webpage that there are 3 separate classes offered at the event in Montana. Ben's very name "Banjo Ben Clark" centers around the banjo instrument. So, why am I expected to figure out that they have 3 different classes offered (i.e., mandolin, guitar and banjo), which I had no idea. I've never attended any of their camps before.

Amy didn't even have the Christian character to apologize for her mistake, she just blamed me. Amy is 100% to blame, because she didn't explain anything to me when she sent me the sign-up page at Ben Clark's Store. She didn't bother to mention that the banjo classes were all filled up for Montana when she sent me the sign-up page. How was I supposed to know? The sign-up page for the Banjo Camp defaults to guitar, which Amy didn't bother to explain to me. I am disgusted by all of this, and it cost me $690 because of them, and they couldn't care less.

I live in Pensacola, Florida. Bigfork, Montana is over 1,800 miles from me, which is not cheap to travel there. Kindly said, Ben Clark needs to talk to his staff and explain to them that it costs people thousands of dollars to attend these events, so taking just a few seconds on their part to properly advertise and clarify things can prevent people from losing thousands of dollars if something goes wrong, which it did in my case. I lost $690 because of them and they couldn't care less. Amy refused to even apologize, really great person, huh?

If Ben Clark were any type of a godly Christian he would make this up to me, but I can't even contact the guy. Jonathan Thrift, a personal friend of Ben's from the Living Proof Gospel group in Texas referred me to him for help to find a professional banjo, but I cannot even reach Ben because he isn't at the store in Missouri. Living Proof comes to our Baptist church's 3-day revival each October in Pensacola. Jake brushed me off and told me that he only talks with Ben a few times a year. So, I was really hoping to meet Ben for myself in Montana, but Amy screwed that all up because she didn't explain anything to me. I cannot read minds.

The bottom line is that their website is confusing at best, and Amy never should have sent me a guitar sign-up page when I made it very clear that I planned to bring my Deering banjo to the event. Now I am out $690, but Ben and company don't lose a single penny. That is so wrong! My name is David J. Stewart and I was horribly mistreated at Ben Clark's store.

I will NEVER rent a car from those dirty thieves at Alamo car rental. And also, I regret using Priceline. It hadn't even been 48 hours, and I wouldn't need the rent car for 5 weeks, but they wouldn't refund my money. I didn't buy their $126 travel insurance policy because it is as crooked as a dog's hind leg. I actually read the terms, and they won't pay for 99% of the reasons for which someone might cancel their reservations. If you're wife goes into labor, they won't pay. If you have a heart attack or a stroke, and you had any pre-existing health conditions like high blood pressure or diabetes, they won't pay. Honestly, they're all rotten wicked thieves!

From now on when I travel I will make my own reservations directly with the hotel. I will make my own reservations directly with any rental car agency other than Alamo. I will make my own reservations directly with American Airlines. I hate United Airlines, because they have screwed me too many times. When United Airlines' plane was over an hour late leaving the island of Guam in 2021 (because an idiot light wouldn't go off in the cockpit), we were late getting into Honolulu and I missed my connecting flight to Denver. Consequently, I ended up losing my Business Class seat (which I paid $2,500 one way for), and stuck in a Coach Seat instead on a different available flight. I hate United Airlines. I'll pick any carrier except them.

I am sharing this information with others, so hopefully you won't get burned too. Stay away from United Airlines and Alamo car rental. And if you love musical instruments, avoid Ben Clark's Store as well. Sadly, we are living in an unprecedented evil time of unethical behavior in the United States, what the inspired Holy Bible foretold as “perilous times” in 2nd Timothy 3:1-7.

Thank you for reading.