Stories from the Sales Frontlines

driver100

I've rented for a week in San Diego, Phoenix, Sarasota, etc, etc, etc.. Almost always for $130 in total, or less...

I have only rented cars at airports, and I am pretty certain that I have never rented a car for less than double that price. I have rented from websites, but lately I find I can get a better price by going directly to the rental site.

Remind me not to buy a car rental franchise. If you take the cost of rental, and calculate depreciation, cost of overhead, down days, there isn't a lot of profit left if you rent cars for $100 - $130 a week. That's like about the cost of leasing the same car.

I am surprised. The last car I rented was at Tampa airport and it was $50 a day, for one day.

driver100

I have another Mr Grumpy complaint.

I got a flyer in the mail today (no delivery on Saturdays now, we haven't had delivery on Saturday in Canada for about 20 years....and we just made the penny extinct too), and there were two differnt ads featuring;

Used cars...buy where your tax refund goes further. The one place has a tax guy on the premises, who will calculate your tax refund, and then you can use that money to buy a car.

My complaint is that I just know this is going to be a losing deal for the poor guy who needs to apply his tax refund in order to afford a car.

stickguy

Oh, they make money.

Not of course on $100 weekly rentals for people that decline all the ad-ons (though even then, probably a little). But daily rentals, business, and the extras are probably huge profit centers.

and pricing on rentals is an arcane science at best. sometimes 4 days is cheap, but go 5 and it doubles. Or a week is cheaper than 3 days.

last time I rented, we flew into Tampa I think, getting in late, and staying by the airport that night before heading south in the AM. Rental though, was through the roof. But I ran it picking up in the morning, and it was about 1/2 as much. So we shuttled out to the hotel, and in the morning I shuttled back, picked up the car, and went back to hotel to pick up the family. Worth it to save $100+!

[Deleted User]

Mike: Oh, that's terrible news regarding the fall and resulting injuries. I can only imagine the pain involved and wish you the very best in recovery. Are the docs recommending surgery on the shoulder? How about the back? You always keep a positive attitude and I hope it carries you through this challenge.

Richard: Thank you for the kind words and support. I'm sorry to be slow responding. I'm in the middle of employee reviews with a few dozen to complete all while keeping up the normal workload, so spare time has been a little constrained. I wholeheartedly agree with your comments on marriage.

boomchek

My complaint is that I just know this is going to be a losing deal for the poor guy who needs to apply his tax refund in order to afford a car.

That's a funny combination but believe it or not some people are just itching to blow ALL of their money away on something, especially a new car. They just don't think how they'll get through the next 11 months making payments.

It's a good (evil) way of capturing your audience the second they get a few grand in refund back. Think about it. Incoming lump sum of cash, all paystubs and T4 forms on hand (earnings statements for those of you not familair with Canadian taxes), and good mood all in one place!

However if the tax guy overcalculates their refund, they'll have to return part of it to Revenue Canada later on, which I don't think will be pretty.

kyfdx

I just checked Alamo for Tampa. $193/week, all taxes/fees included. Without even trying..

We are headed out of town overnight, next week.. about 200 miles roundtrip. We'll be gone less than 24 hours.. Considering renting a compact from National. It's $23 total for the day. Better gas mileage than my car, and no wear and tear.. Plus I don't have to clean out the trash afterwards..

stickguy

that to me is one of the best use of a rental. When you have to put a lot of miles in a short time. Especially if your car is a bit of a gas hog, or something that you really don't want to run some miles up on.

Sandman6472

We have Fox as one of our clients...we did a run for them just the other day. Our meeting spot is right around the corner from their location near the Ft. Lauderdale airport.

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

driver100

Considering renting a compact from National. It's $23 total for the day. Better gas mileage than my car, and no wear and tear..

I am going to consider just renting my cars in the future...not buying them. If I am away from home I am not paying for a car sitting in the garage.
If I get tired of my car I can take it back and get a different one.
Don't have to wash or wax it.

I looked up Budget for a one week rental -full size car, Orlando. At the airport the rate would be $600, if you rent it in town, $270.

Orlando is probably a high cost car rental area....see if you can do better, Feb 20th to 26th.

driver100

and pricing on rentals is an arcane science at best. sometimes 4 days is cheap, but go 5 and it doubles. Or a week is cheaper than 3 days.

Yes, like last year when I wanted to rent a car for 3 weeks it was $900. As soon as I added an hour to make it a full 3 weeks (not 2 weeks + 6 days) the rate was $480.

Also, found in most cases it is best to deal directly with Car rental company. Expedia and the others aren't as flexible and don't like to give you back money or make changes. Sometimes the actual rental firms have a special you can only get from their site....I think it is a way to get around the agreements they have with these travel website companies.

I found out when booking a hotel. You can get a "senior rate" if you use the hotels website....but not on the travel company website.

kyfdx

Orlando is expensive... don't rent there..

driver100

Orlando is expensive... don't rent there..

I never want to go to Orlando airport ever again.

It is huge. First you get off the plane and look for your luggage. Once you find it you carry it to a belt where they get it to the main terminal. You get on a monorail to the main terminal. Then, for some unknown reason you go through to be scanned again (and I believe customs again, though I could be wrong). Then you go to a carousel and try to find your luggage again. Then, it is a long ways to your car rental and there are miles of roads to get out and on to the highway.

I just used Orlando as an example of how much more airport rates are.
Don't worry, if at all possible I will avoid Orlando airport. Better to get a flight into a regional airport like Lakeland if you are going to Orlando.

Is Epcot worth seeing these days? I was there about 35 years ago and it was pretty good.

graphicguy

Orlando, aside from being the home of theme parks, is also a sort of hub for high tech and defense (University of Central Florida probably turns out tech defense graduates at a rate equal to, or exceeding West Point and Annapolis combined).

While not obvious, you look hard enough and you'll find big installations from Lockheed Martin, Boeing, etc....companies steeped in the defense industry. Those companies try to fly "under the radar", so to speak. They may or may not have huge signs announcing where they are, but they're so big, you can find them (off the beaten track).

I travel there quite a bit for business (not travel related).

But, with the downturn in the theme parks, Orlando has been kind of on hard times and in some areas, are quite depressing. Lots of vacancies, both in residential and well as commercial endeavors that supported the travel industry. I had heard unconfirmed figures that 3-4 years ago, when the economic downturn was at its peak, that Epcot, Disney, and Universal Studios theme parks were down in attendance by 50%. That's a huge hit. It's come back somewhat. But, it's still not what it was 10 years ago.

It is a pain to rent a car there. Just getting from the airport to the rental car area involves a train ride.

robr2

Orlando is probably a high cost car rental area....see if you can do better, Feb 20th to 26th.

The middle two weeks of February are usually high cost for travel in Florida no matter which airport you fly into.

Next week is Speed Week in Daytona, Presidents' Day weekend is the Daytona 500 and the week of Presidents' day is school vacation week here in New England.

driver100

We have a race track back home and I guess they are looking for ways to increase business. This one was pretty clever....Drive a Ferrari for half price...$129. There are quite a few rules, such as for $149 you can drive 5 laps around the track, so I guess $129 gets you one lap.


Also, this deal, for $149, drive an exotic car on the highway during a 30-minute test drive.
Have to have an employee from exotic cars go with. They will have 10 cars to choose from including an Aston Martin.

jmonroe

When I had a severe kidney stone attack a few years ago they gave me a few pain meds that didn't work. Then they dosed me with demerol…

I know the pain you felt. I had 2 of those things. The first was in 1981 and the second in 1997, a week after I moved back from SC. Sitting in the emergency room the second time, all I could think about, other than the pain, was what would I have done if this happened to me while I was driving the U-Haul back from SC.

Yeah, that Demerol really works and pretty fast too.

jmonroe

jmonroe

I never want to go to Orlando airport ever again.

Mrs. j and I went with Son #1 and his family (wife and three brats boys) to Disney World this past spring, so of course we flew into Orlando. However, because we stayed at one of the Disney resort hotels the package included baggage transfer to the resort from the airport and when we left it included baggage pickup at our rooms (and they were there exactly when they said they would be there) and then to the bus that took us back to the airport. I was kind of skeptical when I heard about the package deal but, man, did it ever go smoothly. Disney sure knows how to do things right; not one problem what so ever with anything.

Is Epcot worth seeing these days? I was there about 35 years ago and it was pretty good.

I was there the second year after it opened and of course this past spring. For some reason there seemed to be a LOT more walking around this past spring than when we went twice in the early 80’s with our two sons. Maybe age has something to do with the walking thing. Get ready. :sick:

jmonroe

dino001

I had a share of good deals myself. Recently Costco gave me great deals couple of times (Avis, Enterprise). But I also discovered there are inherently cheaper and more expensive places. Denver, Boston, New York always seem to be expensive. Las Vegas, Salt Lake City in summer, all Florida locations, Washington are on the cheaper side. Then there is airport vs. neighborhood. Last time I saved over hundred bucks (vs. another "lowest offer") for 8 or 9 days by getting car downtown Salt Lake City (Avis), not at the airport. The locations often have higher rate, but don't charge you concession charges, which can add up quickly lot on weekly or longer rental. All I needed then was a hotel with shuttle. It even didn't need to be too close - SLC has quite decent bus transit system going downtown. This particular one, they had extra coupon on to of good rate, which made it iaroun $130 total.

Another time, I saved hundreds by splitting my 3-week rental into two separate ones - actually I did it twice already. One time I embarked on Southwest trip starting in Las Vegas and ending in San Francisco. However, first two weeks I spent traveling around (mostly) Utah, so I did two-week roundtrip rental and only one week one-way. The price difference was enormous. I literally dropped off the car and walked to the same rental agency (National) to pick up another. I did the same thing again going from Boston to Newark Airport and then from Newark to Tampa.

I noticed people sometimes don't want to be bothered with even slightest inconvenience and are willing to pay. Companies know that and price it accordingly. But if you don't mind to be more flexible in demands, you can save bundle well compensating extra twenty minutes spent on a bus (plus some time investigating bus system).

Yes, it takes time, but if couple of hours worth of research coupled with couple of hours of inconvenience related to extra activities (like dropping/picking up the car in a different location) can save me two or three hundred, I don't mind. I still make less per hour.

sterlingdog

Yes, that kidney stone pain is really something. I used Percocet myself which really helped. I had most of my attacks on the road----long drives help bring them on due to so much vibration while riding. I had a terrible one on the floor of the Pittsburg Convention Center. Thank goodness I was staying in the hotel upstairs. Otherwise it would have been the ambulance and the hospital. I made it to my room and immediately soaked in a very hot bath and took a percocet. An hour later I was back on the convention floor hard at work.

I had three Lithotripsies done ($10K each) and the third one worked. It only worked because I signed a special form to allow the machine to be turned nearly to max. I was told that I wouldn't be able to take the pressure, but I did. It nearly threw me off the operating table but I held on for dear life. I stood the pressure because I kept reminding myself what the invasive surgery would be like. A week later I was on a trip to New York. I stepped into a restroom and the stone just suddenly popped out---no pain believe it or not.

Believe me. I have great sympathy and understanding for any man who has kidney stones.

Richard

verdugo

I am going to consider just renting my cars in the future...not buying them. If I am away from home I am not paying for a car sitting in the garage.

We did just that. My wife travels for work every week (consultant.) We ended up selling her car. When she comes home at the end of the week, she picks up a car and drops it off Monday morning.

Her company doesn't mind because it's cheaper than taking a cab both ways or paying for parking/reimburse for mileage.

Sacramento is a small to medium (ok, small) airport. So the Avis people all know her and pretty much always upgrade her.

driver100

For some reason there seemed to be a LOT more walking around this past spring than when we went twice in the early

I was thinking the same...it just seems like more walking now.

Actually, I think Epcott has expanded over time, something about buildings for different countries.

jmonroe

I stood the pressure because I kept reminding myself what the invasive surgery would be like.

It’s a piece of cake.

The morning after I was admitted for the second one in ’97 the doctor bops in and says, “I can schedule you for the procedure to take it out in about two hours, OK”? I said, “hell no it ain’t OK. Can’t you do that thing where you blast it away”? He proceeds to tell me that where it’s located that won’t work and he doubts that it will pass like my first one did in ’81. I told him I was willing to wait a day to see if it would pass but he just smiled and said, “OK, I doubt that it will pass but we can wait”. I never understood that WE stuff because it’s the patient that’s going through it. I swear he had them turn down the pain medication because the next morning when he came in and said, “how about today”? I quickly told him to put me on the procedure list and to bump me ahead of EVERYBODY.

Believe me. I have great sympathy and understanding for any man who has kidney stones.

When I was on the table in the emergency room with the first one, I was squirming to put myself in a position where the pain wouldn’t be quite so bad but it didn’t really work. The nurse and doctor were understanding but Mrs. j blurts out, “try to sit still so they can help you”. The nurse turned to her and says, “I’m sure he’s trying but there is a lot of pain with these things”. Mrs. j nods that she understands. The nurse tells her, “I have a friend who has 3 kids (she rattles off their ages) she told me that she’d rather have had all 3 kids at the same time rather than have a kidney stone”. I perked up and said, “there, that’s it, I don’t want to hear anymore stories about labor pains”. All three of them turned on me and the nurse said, “just sit still for a while Mr. Tough Guy”. :surprise:

jmonroe

driver100

When she comes home at the end of the week, she picks up a car and drops it off Monday morning.

Who would have thought you could save big bucks by just renting a car when you need it. That's a great plan, plus she doesn't have to park her car at the airport all week or pay for a limo...like you said.

Normally, if we were flying to Florida and were just using the Florida passat we would take an airport bus to our home and that would probably cost $150.
However, we got a rental car, drove it home. The next day I took the rental car back and my wife followed me to the airport. The rental car cost $50 for using it less than 24 hours. Just have to plan to do something out towards the airport on that trip back.

jmonroe

I want to thank all of you for your kind words of condolences concerning my brother’s death. I hesitated about mentioning it but I didn’t want to fabricate an excuse for being away for that period.

As it has been said here before…"this forum has gotten to be like an extended family for the regulars".

Thanks again,

jmonroe

verdugo

Oh boy, you did it this time. Now they're going to increase our dues.

:P

I feel the same way about the forum. Glad to be part of something special like this. :shades:

mako1a

The Jones family had a small farm in Canada, just yards away from the U.S. border.

Because it was so close to the border, the area was the cause for a minor but long-standing dispute between the United States and Canada.

One day, Mrs. Jones came in with the mail. "We just got some news, dear," she said to her husband. “The governments have finally decided that our land is really part of the United States. If we agree, we can choose to join the United States as a part of North Dakota. What do you think?"

"Sign it!” he said, “Call them right now and tell them we accept! I don't think I can stand another Canadian winter!"

kyfdx

5 laps in a Ferrari for $149?

Unless they put a speed limit on me, I'd do that..... Heck, it's $30 to race GO-Karts...

boomchek

When I was in Las Vegas in 2011 I rented a Lamborghini Gallardo roadster for $500 for 4 hours. It was actually fun and there was no speed limiter, nothing holding you back from doing whatever you wanted to do with it. And I didn't have to leave a security deposit. Well worth the money if you're a gearhead since it's easy to blow $500 in 4 hours on any card games or even slots.

kyfdx

I did 18 laps in a stock car at KY Speedway... It was a Father's Day gift.. Because of a schedule change, they gave me 18 laps for the 8 lap price... It was still around $450, I think...

I drove alone, but I was paced by a professional in another car (had to stay behind him)... Top speed of 147 mph, with a fast lap of 125 mph...

KY Speedway is a D-shaped oval... 1.5 miles..

boomchek

Nice, sounds like fun too and something I'd want to try!

driver100

The Jones family had a small farm in Canada, just yards away from the U.S. border.

lol....I love that one!

(as long as you aren't saying Canadians aren't that smart)

explorerx4

We are supposed to get a huge blizzard here in the Northeast starting tomorrow.
Not too many people will driving their Ferrari's.
I think I can sneak in a half day of work at the office.

roadburner

Believe me. I have great sympathy and understanding for any man who has kidney stones.

I've been there as well. A truly miserable experience...

nyccarguy

You are welcome! We're here for you;)

This thing we have going on here is very cool!

explorerx4

Are you going to work tomorrow?

nyccarguy

Yes I'm going in to work tomorrow. Like the great Denny Crane always said: "Name on the door." Light snow here starting after midnight. I think we're supposed to get 8-12 down here (Stamford). In the city it's actually going to switch to rain for a few hours. The evening commute should be ahem, interesting to say the least.

Saturday Morning might be a little dicey getting in as well.

You guys explorerx4, robr2 are supposed to get clobbered.

explorerx4

I think Robr2 is due to get more snow.
Anyways, I think I'm prepared. We will see!
Good luck. Bring a bottle of water with you, just in case .

jmonroe

(as long as you aren't saying Canadians aren't that smart)

Do you know something that we don't? :confuse:

OK, maybe the ones that play Snowbird for the winter have the bar set a little higher. :P

jmonroe

driver100

I think Robr2 is due to get more snow.

Good luck guys! No snow headed for Tampa area, but if I was home they are expecting 6 to 12 inches of it.

We did have a mild thunder storm and the power has been off for about 90 minutes, not good, but better than snow and ice I always say.

driver100

(as long as you aren't saying Canadians aren't that smart)
Do you know something that we don't?

I am sure the snowbirds have set the bar higher.......why would any one choose freezing cold weather over sunshine and warmth?

Why do people live in North Dakota or Buffalo N.Y. anyway? Why? I don't get it.

jmonroe

This thing we have going on here is very cool!

Sometimes I wonder what a Sociologist would think of this place. :confuse:

jmonroe

sterlingdog

"He proceeds to tell me that where it's located that won't work..."

I've heard that one before, but I insisted on the second and third Lithotripsy. I proved them wrong because it finally came out. I know some of their tricks with two doctors in the family. If a doctor caves in and allows a Lithotripsy, his cut of the procedure is not as great as if he had performed the regular surgery himself. He has to share the profits with the company that owns the machine, along with the doctor who operates the machine. I only got away with the procedures because my surgeon just happens to own one of the machines and he took the training to operate it. He needs to get a return on his investment. It's just like buying cars. You have to do your own research.

Richard

sterlingdog

I hope that all of you guys in the New England area stay safe. It sounds like a pretty bad storm.

Richard

sterlingdog

"Sometimes I wonder what a Sociologist would think of this place."

After one peek, he would probably turn the job over to a psychiatrist. :P

Richard

sterlingdog

I agree. It is a special place.

Richard

driver100

After one peek, he would probably turn the job over to a psychiatrist.

Hey, the equivalent of phychiatric care for free........nothin wrong with that!

bwia

I hope that all of you guys in the New England area stay safe. It sounds like a pretty bad storm.

In the Boston area we are expecting over two feet of snow and hurricane like winds. My snow blower will be on overdrive. All schools are closed and the governor is asking businesses to close early or not open at all. Good advice because they do not want a repeat of the blizzard of 1978.

All power companies are on stand by and I believe they have called back all workers who are on vacation. This is the time I am second guessing myself for not buying a back-up generator.

My wife does not want me to do the plowing—she thinks I am too old for that, but I actually like frolicking in the snow. That’s one of the few times I get to do real man’s work.
Stay safe all.

bwia

I just ran it, and my laptop through the wireless came up as 18.5/10.5. That is with Comcast cable coming in. So seems more than fast enough for doing this

Not happy with the anemic 15/5 FIOS speed I upgraded to 50/25 Mbps for an additional $10 per month. I ran the speed test and I am getting 58.6/33.2 Mbps both on the Verizon website and at speedtest.com

I am now happy with the results and I am more in tune with the direction my organization has taken with cloud computing. No more frustrating wait times.

michaellno

I'm using basic Comcast cable here in Colorado.

Just ran speedtest and got 12.87 download and 6.15 upload.

Hope everyone in the NE stays safe. Check in when you can!

jmonroe - so sorry to hear about your brother.

mike - glad to hear that you are OK after your fall. My dad fell and broke his hip on New Year's Eve and is still not yet home. Has alternated between the hospital and the rehab center for five weeks now.

I'm glad Edmunds lets us have free reign with our discussions in this topic. I've been down this road before - making friends here in these forums. The first time around, Edmunds wasn't so keen on all the non-automotive topics that were being discussed so an external website and discussion board was created.

Certainly feel that I'm getting value for the dues I pay!

jmonroe

My wife does not want me to do the plowing—she thinks I am too old for that, but I actually like frolicking in the snow. That’s one of the few times I get to do real man’s work.

We’ve touch on this before.

“Frolicking” is fine but shoveling snow is not. In fact, shoveling snow is probably the worst exercise a man over 40 can do. Coincidentally, just the other day I got to talking with a doctor friend and the weather subject came up. I mentioned that I’ve had to fire up my baby snow blower (21 inch type with the rubber tipped auger blade) three times already this year as opposed to only once all last year. He told me to be careful even doing that but admitted that the lifting of snow was much worse. Mrs. j knows the hazards of me going out to do the driveway and has told me to get a kid to do it but I never listen. So, she sits at the window watching to make sure I don’t keel over. I’ve told her several times, “don’t watch me, help me”. So far she only watches.

Here’s hoping you guys up there don’t get smacked as bad as they say you will.

jmonroe