rental cars

[oddjob]

why is there such a big difference in rental car prices, between the cheapy places and the big names? they're the same type of cars, but the big names are double the cheapy places.

am i a retard, and companies like trifty and dollar are untrustworthy or soemthing?

also, i have a friend that works for enterprise, that swears you should get the insurance, even if your auto insurance covers, cause if you do total the car, your insurance will not fully cover it or somethign stupid. does this just sound retarded as well? anyone have experience in this?

please to explain to me!

[JasonK]

The bigger companies usually have better locations so they're more convenient. I remember one time I flew to Sacramento on a business trip and had to take a shuttle from the airport to downtown to pickup my rental. It's like 10 miles away.

[oddjob]

has anyone had bad experiences with places like thrifty or dollar?

[scott1]

They're fine. Most rental cars are used for business trips, the the renter doesn't care about cost, they are looking for pure convenience (at airport instead of shuttle to office) or whatever company gets them miles/points on their credit card.

Make sure you are comparing rates accurately - are both including insurance, taxes and annoying little fees? If it's a search from an online travel aggregator they should be the same. Rates on the company sites may not be.

[lvalntin99]

[ QUOTE ]
why is there such a big difference in rental car prices, between the cheapy places and the big names? they're the same type of cars, but the big names are double the cheapy places.

am i a retard, and companies like trifty and dollar are untrustworthy or soemthing?

[/ QUOTE ]

For the most part its the same reason brand name cereal costs more than store brand.

[ QUOTE ]
also, i have a friend that works for enterprise, that swears you should get the insurance, even if your auto insurance covers, cause if you do total the car, your insurance will not fully cover it or somethign stupid. does this just sound retarded as well? anyone have experience in this?

please to explain to me!

[/ QUOTE ]

Your friend has been drinking the green koolaid. Most insurance covers the car just fine. As for not covering the car completely its the same as your insurance does not cover your car completely, ie you have to pay the first $500 as a deductible. They do also have something called loss of use that the insurance company does not always cover. If they cant rent the car for a week because it is in the shop then you can be responsible for the lost income that car would have generated. So if they can get 30 bucks a day for it then you have to pay the $210. I am not sure exactly how enforced this is. The company doesn't always pursue these fees and I have heard that they can only collect if they were out of comparable cars and therefore not having that vehicle definitely cost them money.

[CORed]

[ QUOTE ]
has anyone had bad experiences with places like thrifty or dollar?

[/ QUOTE ]

I traveled to Chicago area in July for a training course for work and rented a car from Dollar. I had no problems with the car, but when I arrived at O'Hare I waited about 20 minutes for the shuttle while shuttles from all the other rental companies went by many times, and then the driver didn't see me, in spite of the fact that i waved, jumped up and down etc., and said things about the driver that it was probably best he didn't hear after he drove by, then waited another 20 minutes until he came around again. Checkout went smoothly when I finally got to their office, as did checkin when I left, but it seems they only had one shuttle running, and I think it probably took close to 20 minutes to make the loop, as the office was not real close to the terminla (same area as other companies, though, but I think the bigger companies were running at least two shuttles each.).

[4_2_it]

I use Budget for my personal travel and Hertz for business. Both have locations in most major airports and offer good service. Budget usually offers much better rates than Avis or Hertz.

[gusmahler]

I usually use Dollar or Budget and have never had a problem with either company. Never noticed any difference in service either between those two and Hertz (who I've used for business travel.

As for insurance, some credit cards will cover the deductible. So your car insurance will cover all but the first $500 (for example), but your American Express will cover the first $500.

[KilgoreTrout]

Several bad experiences with Enterprise. On a business trip to Denver the serpentine belt broke on my rental... on the interstate... at 75MPH... no power steering or brakes. I managed to pull over and a Colorado state trooper told me to lock the keys in the car and call a cab for the ride to the airport. I called Enterprise (after all, they're supposed to pick me up) and they said they only pick up at residences or businesses, not roadside. They told me to lock the keys in and they'd be waiting for me at the counter. When I got there (late for my flight, with two colleagues with me) they demanded my car insurance card (my state doesn't require them). They threatened to call police and have me detained. After arguing for more than an hour, and after a call to our corporate attorney, they agreed to comp the rental.

Another time I rented from them they insisted that I had damaged the car. I had only used it to go to work in the morning while my car was in the shop. I noted on the walk-through that there were dents on the left rear quarter (before I actually rented the car). They argued that the dents "looked new" and they wanted to charge me for repair. I lost my [censored], made a scene in the office in front of other customers, and said I was going to call the cops. They said, "go ahead," so I did. When the cop arrived - a sergent - he inspected the rental form that clearly showed preexisting damage to the rear quarter and asked them pointedly if they were trying to defraud me or the insurance company. Then Enterprise gave me a ride to pick up my car.

Enterprise is dead to me now, obv.

[oddjob]

thank you all. great help.