𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝘄𝗲𝗯 𝗼𝗳 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻?

As a marketing veteran, I've seen some shady tactics, but the car rental industry takes the cake. Their customer experience is a masterclass in dark patterns and psychological manipulation. 

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗮𝗶𝘁 & 𝗦𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵: Lured in by low rates, customers are ambushed with hidden fees, forced insurance add-ons, and other dubious charges. A $50 rental becomes $250 in seconds.

𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁: Despite your reservation, they chronically overbook and turn customers away at the last minute. "Sorry, no cars available, you can wait 5 hours or take this tricycle instead"

𝗙𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴: With ominous warnings about liability and threats of excessive charges, they cajole customers into overpriced insurance and extras they don't need. ("Add $150 to prevent $1500 damage. Why risk ruining your vacation?")

𝗡𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲: Even if you swear them off forever, the entire industry operates in lockstep, offering the same nightmarish experience across brands.

The car rental giants have perfected a playbook of profiting from customer misery. As startups, we should be building trust and delighting users - not treating them as walking wallets to be fleeced.

It's a brutal wake-up call on how not to run a customer-centric business. Who's disrupting this travesty of an industry? 

(Video credit: the very brilliant Foil, Arms and Hog)