Rental Car Experiences?

stever · December 2007

Rented a car lately?

Good experience or did you get ripped off? Does anyone actually read the fine print in the rental car contract? (if you do, you must walk around with a magnifying glass in your pocket!).

4 Rental Car Scams

Car rental tips from an ex-Enterprise Rental Salesman

oldfarmer50 · December 2007

I recently rented two cars in Florida from Budget. When they asked about insurance I momentarily lost my mind and said yes. I guess I was thinking about my wife who was driving the second car.

Anyway, it DOUBLED my rental cost. Sometimes when you are on vacation your good sense leaves town too.

On the positive side, both cars drove like new. That has not always been the case. I sometimes think I'm the next renter to get cars that appear on YouTube.

fintail · December 2007

I rented an Audi A6 from Hertz in Vegas a few months ago. It was a little pricer than the average car, but I got the exact vehicle I wanted, it was in new condition, and the whole experience was faultless. I also joined the online club scheme which enabled me to not have to wait in a long line at the delivery desk - and no hard sell on insurance or anything. Not a bad deal.

Earlier in the year on seperate occasions I rented from Enterprise, once a Ford Focus ZX5 and once a Kia Spectra. The Focus was nice enough, only had about 5K miles on it and very clean. The Kia however had like 25K miles on it, and those were some hard miles judging by the interior. I actually felt sorry for the car. Renting the Focus was smooth, but I got the hard sell on insurance with the Kia. I didn't fall for it.

nippononly · December 2007

love to sell the insurance, don't they?

Actually, the only time I haven't had the hard sell on insurance is when I rent from my local Enterprise. But I am a regular there, so maybe since I never get the insurance they have just given up on that score, eh? I still get friendly treatment, quick service, and what I think is a good price. And the Enterprise cars I have had have always been fairly new and in good condition.

Rented once recently from National/Alamo (my Enterprise was out of minivans) and had no problem myself; however, when I came back another guy (who didn't buy the insurance) was getting raked over the coals upon returning his rental, because the front underbody air dam was partially ripped off. One look at the thing and it was clear this damage was way older than anything this guy could have done, but it made no difference - they were insisting on charging his credit card for the full price of body repair and threatening to sue. First and last time I will ever rent at National/Alamo.

tedebear · December 2007

I think the people behind the counter must get a commission whenever a customer agrees to the ridiculously overpriced insurance. That's the only reason I've concluded as to why they try so hard to get me to accept it.

I always tell them that my credit card company covers me if I have an accident but they try to intimidate me by saying I will be charged the full amount and it could be months before the credit card company pays me back. I sometimes counter with, "Well, maybe I've rented this car with a credit card I seldom use that has an extremely low credit limit and you won't be charging me for anything higher than what it is." If the daily rates weren't over $4,000 per year I might accept their coverage.

I'm currently doing battle with Europcar for excess charges when I rented a vehicle in Paris back in August. They're trying to tack on over $70 in fuel surcharges because I returned the car about 1/2 full. The problem is when I picked it up from the CDG airport the fuel tank was nearly empty. I should be charging them for the excess.

I was in a hurry at the time I picked up the car and I had them make a note of the fuel level (in French). The return attendant apparently didn't notice the note. My credit card company is interceding on my behalf. We haven't heard from Europcar in two months so I think the matter is closed. $70 isn't that big of a deal to me but it's the principle of the thing.

Then there's the story of the tiny windshield rock chip that Dollar in Detroit tried to stick me with paying to be replaced, if anyone wants to hear that one.

lemko · December 2007

My girlfriend once rented a Mitsubishi Galant from Enterprise on Rising Sun Avenue in Philadelphia. She forewent the insurance and they tried to make her pay $500 for a little ding on the front passenger door. Fortunately, the previous guy who rented the car left his paperwork under the seat and it noted the same ding. She confronted them with this evidence and they quickly dropped it. I guess girlfriend won't be renting a car from them again.

gagrice · December 2007

Everyone just about has a digital camera. It would pay to take pictures before you leave the rental place. Not sure it would help. It would let you know if it was a new or old dent.

dtownfb · December 2007

Great idea gagrice. Most people have a digital camera on their cell phone.

caliberchic · January 2008

We all like to bargain shop but remember in a lot of cases you get what you pay for. I've rented from several different companies from Budget to Avis to Enterprise. There is a REASON they call Budget, Budget. It was a tiny little building in the middle of no where. I had to wait 10 mins to check in, 10 mins to find someone to help me figure out which type car I needed and 30 mins for the car to be ready. Dropping off wasn't much less of a wait. When trying to catch a plane this is a bad deal.

I like Almo's set up the best. You can even check in online there and the keys are in the car. Just pick one and drive away. Drop off is just as easy, you circle around and drop with the attendant. Hop out and hit the shuttle.

Also I pass on the insurance, you have to remember that your auto ins covers you in that vehicle just as it does your own. You wouldn't add additional insurance to your OWN vehicle if you took it on a trip why would you add it to a rental car.

carguy58 · February 2008

Well I rented a Chevy Cobalt from Enterprise like in September for like 3 weeks. It looked it was first a personally owned by somebody at one time. It had like 25K on it. It had some marks on the back seat. I thought the interior quality ranged from good to ok. It drove nice but it wasn't fun to drive.

kyfdx · February 2008

Pay upfront for a tank of gas, and you can bring it back at any level you like.

When I declined this generous offer, the rental agent said, "You don't think you'll use a whole tank of gas in a week?" :surprise:

Well, yeah... but, if I don't bring it back on Empty, then I'm out extra money... I can just take a chance on them charging me for filling it up.. It can't cost more than paying for a whole tank... :confuse:

tedebear · February 2008

Pay upfront for a tank of gas, and you can bring it back at any level you like.

Yes, that's another one of the money-making scams the rental companies try to get people to accept. They like to point out their slightly lower cost per gallon than most nearby stations.

However, if I only use 1/2 of a tank of the gas I paid for when I return it then that price suddenly doubles. Then the next customer who accepts their offer pays for that same gas again, plus whatever the rental company added to bring it up to the full mark.

I always tell them I'll return it full. They usually then try to scare me with some ridiculous rate I'll be charged if I don't return it full but I start scouting for cheap gas when I'm within 5 miles or so of the rental return lot.

jlawrence01 · February 2008

No. The latest upcharge is the one where the agency charges you an additional $xx because you filles up 8 miles away as opposed to filling up at the airport exit.

The "buy the tank of gas upfront" can be bad for you if you return it half full. My complaint about it is that I don't want to drive to tghe airport on fumes or stop twenty miles away and pay $4 in gas just to make it back. The GAS price MAY be a bargain at times ... but you will not know that until you buy it. Also, how much gas does the car really hold?

I generally only rent from Avis/Hertz and occasionally Budget. I never get all of these hassles with the big guys. However, when I go low-ball and rent with Thrifty or Dollar or the like, I am always fighting unexpected add-ons.

tedebear · February 2008

The tricks by Dollar and Thrifty seem to work. When I pick up a rental car I usually notice long lines at those counters and the Avis and Hertz agents are standing there twiddling their thumbs.

It appears that most customers are swayed by the lowest price they find on an Internet search.

stever · February 2008

Sure, and when they pull the surcharge trick, you just complain to the credit card company and back charge them. Naturally you took a last "vacation" photo of the dash showing the odometer reading and the gas gauge on "full."

And naturally your first "vacation" photos are pics of the rental car in the lot showing all the bumps and scrapes that the car had when you picked it up.

tedebear · February 2008

My credit card company has always stood up for me when battling various business wrongdoings.

I recently received credit for nearly twice the amount I had been disputing on a car rental when I returned it with the tank 1/2 full. See message #5 in this forum.

stever · February 2008

Yeah, I seem to be repeating everyone's lines in here.

But they bear repeating.

kyfdx · February 2008

I've rented from them the last few times.. I think National/Alamo are one company..

As long as you say NO to everything, I've found they are by far the cheapest..

jlawrence01 · February 2008

The tricks by Dollar and Thrifty seem to work. When I pick up a rental car I usually notice long lines at those counters and the Avis and Hertz agents are standing there twiddling their thumbs.

Because with Avis and Hertz, you generally head straight to the vehicles and don't have to deal with a counter agent.

nippononly · February 2008

Yeah, that's a real nice feature of those two.

millefune · February 2008

When I rented from Enterprise through my Saturn dealership's free rental providal when my car is in for major service, they gave me a big hassle about a rock-chip on the windshield that the agent decided to miss during the walkthrough. Unfortunately, I'm generally a trusting person since I figure that as long as I take care of them and the car, and don't have malicious plans to mess around with it, they'll take care of me. It freaked me out when I returned it, and they somehow found the chip. It was impossible for it to have been while I had it, because all I did was drive it to work for the day and back to the dealership. Less than ten miles, and I know no rocks hit it.

Upon return, I was scared sh*tl*ss because they told me that since it wasn't logged, I had to pay the full $500 deductible on my insurance policy. It turns out when the corporate office, or whatever the level up from the rental dealership is, they said that they would see if it could be repaired with a windshield fix-it service first, and if it could, I would be alright. I never got a call back from them afterwards, so I guess it worked out.

After that, I don't think I'll ever not get the damage waiver... I don't want to go through all that again, and maybe next time I won't be so lucky?

nippononly · February 2008

"After that, I don't think I'll ever not get the damage waiver"

That's just what they want you to conclude. Apparently, that is one of the highest-profit items they sell, and the representatives behind the counter get a commission for selling it to you.

tedebear · February 2008

that is one of the highest-profit items they sell

I calculated the daily rate they quoted me once and it was something like over $4,000 per year. There's no way I'm going to pay that kind of money for something that's already covered by my personal car insurance and credit card company, when I use that card to rent the car.

And I don't mind standing in a line for a few extra minutes at Dollar if it means saving a wad of cash.

lemko · February 2008

Oh, they tried to pull the same stunt on my girlfriend about a ding in the right front passenger door of a Mitsubishi Galant until we found some paperwork left in the car that suggested they tried the same stunt with the previous renter. My girlfriend's insurance company was also wise to this scam. She got out of it and didn't have to pay the $500 after vociferously complaining to Enterprise corporate headquarters. Girlfriend refuses to ever rent a car from Enterprise again.

nippononly · February 2008

"Girlfriend refuses to ever rent a car from Enterprise again."

Good for her! If we all let our dollars do the talking and boycotted some of the low-cost, fairly sleazy car rental companies (National and Thrifty come to mind), a few might even do everyone a favor and go out of business.

dtownfb · February 2008

Unfortunately that won't happen as too many people use Orbitz, hotel.com, etc. to find the lowest prices when traveling. Cost is the priority, quality is a distand second.

Personally, I have an account setup with Enterprise. Never had a problem that went unresolved. They know I do not accept their insurance and I'm in and out in under 5 minutes. Heck sometimes they let me upgrade if they have unassigned cars in the parking lot. And they let me reserve specific cars if I like.

Best advice is if you do rent quite a bit, join a rental companies frequent renters club. The service will be much better.

fintail · February 2008

Indeed, people get what they pay for.

I rented from Enterprise twice last year. I had no problems and didn't get much of a hard sell on their add-ons. The first car I rented didn't have me thrilled - a Kia Spectra with over 25K on it, but it looked like it had 100K on it. Luckily I only had it for a day. The second car was a Focus ZX5 with under 10K on it, it was very clean and still smelled and drove like new. I got a decent deal on it too, something like $22/day.

I had a good Hertz rental in Vegas. I enrolled in the 'number 1 club' online, which allowed me to check in at a dedicated line which had no waiting (as opposed to 20 people in front of me at the normal line). I rented a higher line car (A6) and after the 3 minute check in, was directed to the car which was in a covered garage immediately adjacent to the rental counter. Returning the car required no wait either, they checked it out immediately upon arrival and it was done. It was worth paying a little more for a nice car and an easier procedure.

I don't plan to travel far enough to rent a car this year, but next year I probably will, and I will keep Hertz in mind.

jlawrence01 · February 2008

A few points to the last few posts:

1) I have to admit that I occasionally go to one of those lousy car rental places when the majors are $40-50 higher for a weekend. We travel a lot on pleasure and sometimes, price is the difference between taking a long weekend or staying at hme.

2) If you are renting with Hertz and can get the gold card (as with Avis), you will almost always get upgraded to a better vehicle than you ordered.

3) Fintail - in Las Vegas, I prefer Alamo/National over Hertz/Avis. The reason is when you check in at the counter, they point you out to the canopy of the size of vehicle that you reserved, and you get to choose amoung the 5-20 models that are out there. if you are renting other than a compact (usually a Cobalt/Cavalier), that can give you some very interesting choices.

4) I like Hertz and Avis a lot. However, the locations where they have not implemented the express service can be some of the slowest around.

kyfdx · February 2008

I rented with Alamo/National in Phoenix, and they had the same deal as Vegas...

The only problem? It took 15 minutes for me and my son to decide on a car... My wife was ready to jump in one and leave us...

fintail · February 2008

That choosing the car idea would be pretty fun - especially somewhere like Vegas that seems to have a very diverse rental lineup.

When I rented the A6, I was able to specify the model when I booked it online, as Hertz does for their higher line rentals. I was only worried about color, I didn't want white or black. Luckily, I got silver. I think it was like $84 or $88/day - not cheap, but it was a pretty nice car for a rental, and I only had it two days. I substituted driving around the area for gambling/eating...and was probably better for it :P

tedebear · February 2008

When renting in Vegas I always use Rent-a-Vette. Dont' let the name fool you - I've rented lots of cars and none of them was ever a Vette.

If none of you have ever driven a Lotus Elise try one out for a few days there. It's entertaining enough just watching the valet attendant trying to get in it.

However, I don't recommend the trip from Vegas to the Grand Canyon and back in one like we did last year. :sick:

jlawrence01 · February 2008

The only problem? It took 15 minutes for me and my son to decide on a car... My wife was ready to jump in one and leave us....

My wife had the same feeling ... However, I will pick any car that has the Hertz Never-Lost and Serius Radio regardless of the model of the vehicle

redbaron342 · May 2009

My rental experience with AVIS was disastrous. I got duped when I picked up a rental car at FLL in Florida. At the counter I was asked if I wanted to pre-pay. I asked for an explanation of pre-pay. I was told that it is the cheapest and most convenient way to pay for the gas used. That turned out to be a complete lie. When I contacted AVIS customer service to complain I was told in a condescending way that I should have read the contract instead of relying on what the AVIS representative told me. No one told me that if I select pre-pay, I would be charged for a full tank of gas no matter how much gas was left in the tank when I returned it to the airport. That amounts to customer deception and is a complete scam. I was refused a $29 refund which was the amount charged for filling up a tank that was already full. :mad:

tedebear · May 2009

Yes, prepaying for gas and also the rental company optional insurance ridiculous rates are two of the biggest scams the car rental agencies have going. They like to quote per gallon lower than market prices for a full tank of fuel but most people do not consider the per gallon rate if they still have a lot of fuel left in the tank when they return it.

I fill up the tank when I get within 5 miles or so of the airport on the return and my credit card company covers my rental insurance when I use their card to rent the car.

dturr · August 2009

My company has a so called deal with Avis and every car in the last 12 months has been a clunker. The last car out of Miami was stinking had stained seats and over 36k miles. I complained and complained until I received to $25 vouchers. My son in law currently has a Dollar hire car that is over 30k miles he took back the first one which had no central locking and wind down windows and a huge noise in the brakes. Might as well go to "rent a wreck". !!

livewithjoy · October 2009

Avis Germany (Frankfurt) is scamming US renters at the price of $660 for a small cratch (under 1 inch) not caused by renter - by just charging it to your credit card and producing phony estimates. Stay clear of them!!

sellaturcica · October 2009

Like others, I was victimized by the Enterprise dent scam. Had a totally beat Mitsubishi Lancer, with a hole in the floor carpet where you rest your heel. Had the car one day and these losers found new dents on the roof and hood. The people at the regional office did not even have the good grace to return my calls or letters. Totally unsatisfying experience. Would have been much worse had I not had Amex rental car protection; I can't believe they just paid out. It would have been over $1000 to me. Will never rent from Enterprise again.

lemko · October 2009

My wife was victimized by the Enterprise dent scam as well, but on a Mitsubishi Galant. They claimed the right rear door had a new ding on it that wasn't there when she received the car. We caught them in a lie because we found the last renter's paperwork in the car from a month prior showing that dent was already there. The associate became all mush-mouthed and let her off the hook. These scumbags were going to hit her up for $550 for a tiny ding! Nowadays, we bring a digital camera and take pictures of the car from all angles while the car is still at the rental place to prevent this scam from happening to us again.

stever · October 2009

My sister thinks she got scammed by Hertz in England in August. She was quoted rates in dollars then told to pay in pounds. Her bill was ~$200 more than she was quoted.

fintail · October 2009

I do the same thing - take photos, and maybe even a digital video. I suspect the rental employees get a commission for damage claims just as they do for upselling redundant insurance.

fintail · October 2009

Maybe she misread the website :shades: ...always good to make a printout of quotes like that.

For foreign based sites, I find one can also get a far better deal if they use the native country/site vs the US or global site.

stever · October 2009

She's not on the net, and yeah, that's likely part of the problem. She did go through the US "international" Hertz number but things apparently changed when she got to the actual ticket counter. And then she got surly help.

I kept telling her just to take public transportation for a change anyway, and now she wishes she had.

oldfarmer50 · October 2009

I've been looking to rent a car for a Christmas visit to the Tampa area this year. The cheapest I could find was $850/week for a sub compact. Yikes.

When I've visited in November in previous years it was more like $40 a day. Does the holiday push up demand for rental that much?

fintail · October 2009

Ah that's it. That stinks, I don't doubt someone elses error led to her problems - and Hertz isn't cheap anyway.

If she's in a city with no plans to go to a rural area, no need for a car. I'll be on the continent in a few weeks, and I am actually looking forward to a couple of train trips I have planned, and getting around the city with efficient transit.

stever · October 2009

I usually find dealing with a car more hassle than it's worth in foreign countries. Now that navigation systems are available, that helps. But my wife can get us anywhere on public transist (outside the US and Canada anyway). We can travel weeks with just day packs so that helps too.

fintail · October 2009

I like to drive in new areas, with weird cars and strange signs. You pay for it, but it can be enjoyable. To drive on roads where LLCing is not acceptable can be an eye-opener. And yeah, with nav everywhere now...anyone can get around. So many rental cars in Europe have nav now, even midrange models.

In my next trip, half of my time I will have no car, half of the time I will, where my intinerary just won't work without one.

andyz3 · October 2009

Try booking a car online through Florida Sun Car Rental. They reserve cars through there affiliated agencies (Dollar, Thrifty Avis etc.) I got a great deal last winter in Fort Myers. I believe it was a Thrifty agency. Price was better than Thriftys own website or any travel search engines Booked a midsize car, drove off in a Chrysler Pacifica at same quoted price. They must have rented all the mid sized cars. The car was clean but had a few scratches that I showed the attendant before I left the agency. I plan on using them again. I dont know what the price would be during Christmas but you might give them a try

kyfdx · October 2009

I seem to get the cheapest prices with Alamo in Florida..

berri · October 2009

I'd check for affiliate rates like corporate rate your comany may have, AAA, or AARP. Sometimes your insurance company or charge card also have discounts and good rates. After I checked all of that, I'd also check the rate your airline is offering when you book your ticket - once in awhile I've actually gotten a good deal through American and United, although most of the time I've found that one of the other rates is better. Finally, you may be able to use frequent flyer or hotel points toward a rental. Good luck.

wjtinatl · October 2009

Last week needed a sapcious vehicle to bring back some cargo from a remote office location. Booked a small SUV (RAV4, Escape, etc.) from Hertz Local Edition. Have a #1 Gold membership, used the internet site and didn't check the fine print. Apparently Hertz doesn't offer unlimited mileage on all classes of vehicles, I learned this reading the rental agreement. At pick-up I was advised no small SUV available, it would be something larger. I off-handedly remarked the bigger the better. I was handed the keys to an Infiniti QX56 and advised it had a crack in the windshield which the knew about and had documented. The rental was fine, with the exception of the poor gas mileage, but upon return realized the rate had climbed $10/day plus the mileage charge. The Hertz agent was very helpful and adjusted off as much as he could, but it was still way more expensive than I had planned for.

stever · October 2009

I can't remember the last time I rented from Hertz, and from the recent reports, I think I'll try to avoid them for a while.

OT, but I still laugh about the older flyer who rented a car here in Boise about 5 years ago, shortly after a big airport remodel. When it came time to fly home, she drove to the airport and saw a sign for the rental car agencies. So she drove up to the end of the terminal where two big double doors opened for her. Then she drove into the building, continued past baggage claim, took another right and parked in front of the rental car counter. Got out, gave her keys to the agent and headed for her gate.

The airport hustled and got the bollards placed in front of the doors after that.

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