Car rental at London/Heathrow SUCKS!

Why is there such a terrible disconnect between
car rentals in the US vs those in the UK?
There seems to be a complete failure in efficiency
and service levels. The prices are way up on what
we might expect to pay in the US too.

I have had appalling service and problems for about
5 years running from various major rental chains,
including one in which the woman running the branch
didn't want to accept the price I had gotten from
her own company on the internet and kept us waiting
for 2 hours while she phoned everyone in London to
see if she could get out of giving us the car at
the price we booked it at. Only threats of the Better
Business Bureau and FTC finally made her comply, but the
entire experience sucked as well as my latest wherein
I had a prepaid receipt and the rental agency couldn't
supply me with a car, and kept us in a long queue in
terminal 4 with loads of passengers barging into us
and swearing at us using obscenities. Great way to start
a holiday!!!

Errol