Unpredictable. Unfocused. Just like life.

This post at productmarketing caught my attention:

Hertz has offered me the honor of joining their frequent renter program. For only $450, I can get a car whenever I want. Huh? Don't I already get that? I have never been unable to rent a car... from Hertz, Enterprise, Avis, or everyone else! Oh, and preferred parking. Nice. (Actually, now that I mention it, it seems that they have been parking my rental car as far away as possible. Maybe they're softening me up for this ludicrous offer.)

I agree. It is a ludicrous offer. But it got me thinking, why would someone want to charge their best customers a fee for better service?

These are the customers that you expect to spend the most money on your products.Why not create a frequent renter program that emulates those of the airlines; if you rent enough then you automatically attain prestige, elite, or super-elite statuses, and the extra special services that go along with them.

It would be great too if the highest volume renters received something special for themselves. A discount rate certainly benefits the companies they work for, but travel can be tedious, and something like a free car upgrade makes the trip much more pleasant for the travellers themselves.

You don't build loyalty by allowing your best customers to buy the service they should already be getting; you build it by rewarding them for their patronage.