Comments on: 3 tips for steering clear of outrageous car rental fees

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 19 May 2011 09:47:00 +0000

Depending on your transportation needs, the rate of car rental may vary. It would be best to learn more about the company that you are planning to rent a limo or car from – know the insurance policies and other related information – so that you can assess if the asking price is reasonable.
Indeed, driving a car be outrageous and if we are not too careful – we might end up really outrageous fees – but let us not also forget the quality factor. If the company was able to provide with top of the line car, then the high fee can be acceptable.
High transportation fees causes people to look for alternative ways to get around. Some choose to commute by bus or taxi, others ride the bicycle if the distance is not that far and still there are those who enjoy skating like this article I just read:
http:www.implanet.com/11/04/texas-road-rash.html

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 19 May 2011 09:34:00 +0000

http://www.inlineplanet.com/11/04/texas-road-rash.html

By: Len Colson

Len Colson — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 21:41:09 +0000

I rented from Advantage while in Alburqueque…lousy car, with a tire alignment problem or bad tires. Counter lady was surly and abrupt when I declined usual add-ons. No more rentals from Advantage.

By: Christine Brusseau

Christine Brusseau — Thu, 14 May 2009 13:28:46 +0000

For the first time In over 20 years I rented a car for airport pick-up in Florida. Fortunately, I cancelled and arranged for a city pick-up at the same price. I arranged for the smallest/cheapest economy car, so when I arrived there greated me a MEGA sized fuel guzzling monster! Hertz insisted that they was “all they had”..so no extra charge. Two days later and over $100 in gas, rather than take it for the agreed one-week, I returned the car early…and that is when the FIGHT began. They wanted to bill me an “early return fee”…then the full-cost of the large car etc. Anyways, the list went on and on. I walked away to think about this.

I immediately rang my credit card company and told them the card was stolen and to reject ALL charges from that day…then I cut up the card.
I then paid them only what I felt I owed 3days rental only…no insurance etc..just a state tax… in CASH…I even filled up the tank and they said there was still room to “top it off”…nerve…Basically they wanted to charge me over $250 for a 3 day rental and I paid them $95.00….

To make a long story short, I raised enough HELL at the counter..of course with other customers waiting for service…and the woman quietly backed off.
Never again. Thanks for the tip on Priceline and Hotwire…I just got lucky and dug my heels in.

By: Donald Pyle

Donald Pyle — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 19:05:24 +0000

I don’t have a solution yet, other than consumer voice, but let’s not call for a government solution. In view of the “government” intervention in travel (TSA being only one example) and the onslaught of red tape and the avalanche of additional rules and regulations, I strongly disagree with any call for “government” intervention.

Let’s begin where you have begun, with dialog and brainstormiing solutions, and a consumer voice of refusal. Our age of communication should be our strongest defense. No one need work a lone.

By: JasonZ

JasonZ — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 20:53:39 +0000

There’s a tradeoff to not renting at the airport: most rental companies increase their rates at non-airport locations. Lower volume, greate transportation costs for maintenance of vehicles, irreducible staff overhead, all give them valid reasons for doing so. The fact that they don’t have to pay all those airport-related fees to local governments means they can keep more of the money.

My solution: when I rent locally, I rent from the airport location, using a company whose facility is actually off-airport. I arrive some way other than the airport shuttle; usually I have my wife or a friend drop me off. I inform the desk agent that I did not come through the airport. When I did this with Enterprise, the desk agents happily removed the airport fees and taxes, making my rental costs extremely reasonable.

I don’t advocate lying to the desk agents about how you got there; whether you like the airport taxes or not, the local governments have the legal right to impose them and the rental company has the legal obligation to collect them *when you come through the airport*.

By: John Humbach

John Humbach — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 18:52:47 +0000

Well, if you want my opinion, the San Francisco airport car rental facility *is* off-airport anyway. It seems like an easier walk to downtown San Bruno than back to an acutal terminal. Sheess! Once you have to get on a train anyway, you might as well take it to a BART station near a car rental place.