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Mail Call
The Occidental Tourist · July 26, 2000

Ticked.com is for the people. So, this week and next, the Tourist is letting the voices be heard. (And not the ones he hears in his head when travel burn-out sets in.)

Here are real, live e-mails from real, live readers who read the Tourist's musings and felt compelled to react. (Fortunately, without violence.) Send the Tourist your observations at tourist@ticked.com.

The Tourist's take on baseball travel struck a chord with reader Jonathan Toner, who suggests the site, Minor League Baseball for great leads: "How about a minor league tour of New England? By day you can visit the antique shops, museums and beaches. When the day starts to cool, you can get your fix of baseball in such places as Pittsfield, Mass.; New Haven, Conn.; Norwich, Conn; Pawtucket, R.I.; Portland, Maine; and Burlington, Vt."

Absolutely, Jon. And with the way the season stretches out these days, you may be able to snow ski in all of those places before the games.

Jon continues: Minor league baseball "is far more fan-friendly. Kids running out to the seats near the bullpen are often treated to free baseballs. Want an autograph? Hang around near the dugout after the game - I've yet to see a minor league player turn down an autograph request."

This is true. Although we understand Albert Belle would sign an autograph first, then hunt down kids after games to take it back.

Reader Mary Ellen McCarl weighs in on more hidden charges from rental car companies:

"On our last trip, we booked a weekend rental car from Dollar, picking it up about 11 a.m. on a Friday. When we checked the car back in at about 3 p.m. on Monday, we were told we would be charged a regular workday rate for the time after 11 a.m., since the 24 hour time period (during which we were not keeping the car) would pass the 6 pm Monday weekend rental period. Since the Monday-Tuesday rate was more than double the weekend rate.... they made a tidy profit on us! It will be a verrrrrrry long cold day before I consider Dollar for a weekend rental again!"

Absolutely in agreement. It's almost as if the company was plotting for ways to discourage repeat customers. One tip: Put it the tab on a credit card and make a case - if you can support it by the rental car documents you received - for a failure to adequately disclose a rate change. If the weekend rental period extends to 6 p.m. on a Monday, then any reasonable customer should expect that Mary would have been just fine by returning the car by 3 p.m.

Another tip: With preferred customer status, you bring in more leverage with a rate dispute when you present it to the rental car company. It's usually free, and spares you the hassle of dealing with clueless counter employees.

Reader Terry Coonan has his eye out for twisted destinations:

"We discovered the Roto-Rooter Museum and Hall of Fame in Des Moines, Iowa, headquarters of (Taa-DAAaa) Roto-Rooter. We parked in their parking lot, followed the sign that said reception (and in tiny, tiny print "museum") and gave the receptionist a cardiac because we actually asked to see the museum.

"They are apparently so unprepared for such an occurrence that it took ten minutes of waiting in the reception area before they could scrape someone up who could "open" the museum. It turns out that the VP of Marketing for Roto-Rooter lost what ever bet went on because he took us down to the vault that was to be their expansive and world-class exhibit. We're talking two banquet tables. One holds "the worlds longest root ever removed from a sewer line." No peanuts, pamphlets or action figures. We were not disappointed in the lack of a outlet gift shop."

The Occidental Tourist is a magazine writer in Washington, DC. He writes for Maxim, Capital Style and ABCNews.com. His column appears on Tuesdays. E-mail him at tourist@ticked.com.