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Rental Car Rip Off

Geico266

Geico266

Well Known Member
I hate being ripped off. I don't mind paying a reasonable rate, just don't rip me off.

Twice now I reserved a car from Enterprise only to find the the price had drastically changed when I look at the contract before I took the car. Seems the negotiations begin when they hand you the keys.

Another bit of advice they told me was do not order the car from the FBO. That "code" 8# 9" of the highest rates. After trying to drop the car off my rate was dropped from $68/day to $32/day, 7 days, same car, including all taxes.

Make sure your quotes include all taxes. They can range from 5 to 40%!

Hopefully, a more seasoned car renter / VAF member can shead some light on how to get ground transportation deals.
 
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I've used Travelocity fairly successfully

I've had several rental counter workers comment that I had a rate that they couldn't get as employees of the company. Don't know if it's BS or not, but I've stuck with Travelocity.
 
That's interesting. We always try to use Enterprise. We've always had fair pricing and service. We do use AARP rates.
 
Mel said:
That's interesting. We always try to use Enterprise. We've always had fair pricing and service. We do use AARP rates.
Click to expand...

I should have added this in the Phoenix area only. I have used Enterprise for years before this.

I used Expedia.com, but used the FBO pick up option. This will get you a higher rate according to the counter person.
 
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Go Direct

Larry,
Go directly to the rental car web site and reserve there. I have found the best deals with them and Travelocity.
 
I use CarRentals.com pretty often and they give you a total with all estimated taxes too. I've found that to be pretty accurate with no surprises.
 
Enterprise is on my @#$% list

Had to go to a funeral in Tyler, TX. Call ahead and booked a car. When we arrived they said all of that class had been rented so they gave us a step up. I was happy until I received the bill (Tyler Jet only delivers the car and has you sign the original contract). That larger car cost us double and after writing Enterprise, we got nothing in return.
If at all possible I use anything BUT Enterprise.:mad:
 
mrreddick said:
Had to go to a funeral in Tyler, TX. Call ahead and booked a car. When we arrived they said all of that class had been rented so they gave us a step up. I was happy until I received the bill (Tyler Jet only delivers the car and has you sign the original contract). That larger car cost us double and after writing Enterprise, we got nothing in return.
If at all possible I use anything BUT Enterprise.:mad:
Click to expand...

that's a seinfeld episode by the way....how do you run out when you have a reservation? etc

happens all the time
 
Most of the increases come from agreeing to increased insurance
coverage. Check with your auto insurance company to find out
if they cover rental cars. If they do, you don't need to add
additional coverage. Every rental company tries to entice you
to add coverages. "For 20/day, you can just hand us the keys if
you get in an accident". All very tempting and expensive for week
long rentals. I always use Enterprise when I can and have for many
years (disclosure: They hired my son last year after he graduated
from college....I'm eternally grateful!)
 
My wife and I used Enteprise to rent a car down in Cabo a few months ago. It was $196 for a whole week and we were very satisfied. No extras, no surprises. I made my reservations online before leaving home, and it was ready when we got there.
 
Chino Tom said:
Most of the increases come from agreeing to increased insurance
coverage. Check with your auto insurance company to find out
if they cover rental cars. If they do, you don't need to add
additional coverage. Every rental company tries to entice you
to add coverages. "For 20/day, you can just hand us the keys if
you get in an accident". All very tempting and expensive for week
long rentals. I always use Enterprise when I can and have for many
years (disclosure: They hired my son last year after he graduated
from college....I'm eternally grateful!)
Click to expand...

I have been loyal to Enterprise for years, as I liked the fact that it was a family company.
They have never charged me anything higher than the agreed rate, and I can usually negotiate an upgrade (4 door truck in my case) for little or nothing additional.
I always go to the rental counter. Either have the FBO take you there or as Enterprise slogan says..."we'll pick you up!"
 
I am a Hertz #1 Gold, Presidents Circle, blah, blah, blah member but had to use Enterprise when a flight was canceled by a snowstorm last December. The car was old, had no cruise and the satellite radio subscription had expired. When I politely told the manager of the deficiencies the manager immediately apologized and ripped up the bill. Apparently the car had been transferred from another location and given to me before being checked out.
Bad car but nice recovery by the manager. I'll give them another chance.
 
why extra for FBO pickup?

Last fall we flew up to Ashland, OR in the -8 to see some Shakespeare. I thought it odd that the Enterprise office was closed on weekends. So I called the FBO, and they said, "Oh, no problem, we serve as the Enterprise desk on weekends. We arrange to have the car here at the airport, and we do the paperwork." The FBO was very nice and did indeed take care of everything.

As I recall, the rental price was the same as the Enterprise website said it would be. So hearing that it may cost extra for FBO processing surprises me. Is this a case-by-case basis? Did I just get lucky? Maybe I should have studied the contract closer?
 
scsmith said:
As I recall, the rental price was the same as the Enterprise website said it would be. So hearing that it may cost extra for FBO processing surprises me. Is this a case-by-case basis? Did I just get lucky? Maybe I should have studied the contract closer?
Click to expand...

I recollect similar when I got an Enterprise car from the FBO at KRBD...or at least, the total was less that my employer pays on their corp account for a different brand.
 
In many cases the city has an additional tax that is tacked on if you rent from an airport facility. The local Enterprise that is a mile down the road is about 30% cheaper than the Enterprise rental at the local FBO. TOURIST TAX! :-(
At an ABQ FBO last year the tax was almost the same price as the car. Not their fault. Just another TAX. At MCW, if they deliver a car to the airport you pay an extra city fee, if you have it delivered to a Friends house it's the normal fee. I just won't let it ruin my day. Larry
 
I flew into New Orleans and had reserved a small compact car from Enterprise. When I arrived they said the car I wanted wasn't available and the only thing they had was a full size 3/4 ton pickup. Double the price and they basically said take it or walk.
 
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We rented a car from Enterprise for one day with a great rate that was quoted. Upon return and later on checking the charges, we noticed that it was double the amount we were quoted so I called them back and we were told that it was airport and other taxes. I was flabbergasted to see nearly 100% tax. I should have asked for break down of the tax but I didn't :(
 
rv9aviator said:
I flew into New Orleans and had reserved a small compact car from Enterprise. When I arrived they said the car I wanted wasn't available and the only thing they had was a full size 3/4 ton pickup. Double the price and they basically said take it or walk.
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Jim anytime I fly into Lake Front (KNEW) I just get a cab for $25 to the quarter. Not much use for a car in NOLA if you are on vacation
 
hertz all the way

Hertz has provided me with excellent service at every opportunity in podunk and big city airports and fbo's all over the country. In my experience, it doesn't matter whether I call the FBO or Hertz directly - good service either way. If you call the big hertz number instead of the fbo, you have to tell them you are a pilot (aka crew) to get them to help you with reservation/pickup at an FBO.
 
We flew into Gainesville Fl for a 4 hr stay. Enterpise (only option) price through fbo quoted was 39.99 or $12/hr. Total cost $60 due to taxes. Made sure to cross off the roadside assistance as they added that to our cost the time before. Next time we will check out taxi costs.
 
on that trip I didn't fly into Lake Front. I landed at Picayune because I needed to go to Slidel before New Orleans. The only time I have flown into Lake Front the FBO arranged for a fellow to take us to the French Quarter in a nice new Cadillac and he only charged us $20.00. What a deal. We gave him a nice tip.
 
You should have told us you rented a Caddy... No wonder you got hit...
Just kidding.

Go to Scottsdale Air Center they are a lot better that Landmark which in my consideration is like Signature flight support. I will go out of my way not to use either of those.
We have used Scottsdale Air Center for since they opened. I think our rates for a car last year were about 30.00 a day.

the other item is wonder how many contract fuel cards are honored using
100LL.
Such as Colt, World Fuel, which is base ops, AV Fuel,

I'll have to look into that.

Smilin' Jack
CL601-3A,
Hawker 800Xp
Corporate, 42 years only 5 more to retirement...
RV 7 empenage HS Dimpled ready to prime
CFI
 
rv9aviator said:
on that trip I didn't fly into Lake Front. I landed at Picayune because I needed to go to Slidel before New Orleans. The only time I have flown into Lake Front the FBO arranged for a fellow to take us to the French Quarter in a nice new Cadillac and he only charged us $20.00. What a deal. We gave him a nice tip.
Click to expand...

Last time at Lakefront (about 4 months after Katrina), I tied down at Millionair, and they gave me a brand new Jaguar as a courtesy car....free! Nice way to go to the French Quarter for lunch.
 
Last year when I went to Jackson Hole WY I was getting around $100 USD a day from online sources. I called the FBO and they provided a rate of around $55 a day.
 
Problem Solved

Larry,

I haven't had any rental car problems with your old RV-10. The motorcycle is available 24/7 at ALL airports... no reservations, paperwork, hassles or suprise charges. When are we going to upgrade your other bird?

 
Renting from FBO

I have had three occasions, in different parts of the country, that involved renting from Enterprise at the FBO and returning the car during the weekend.
The first time was at Flagstaff, returned the car to the FBO Saturday afternoon, and then got a bill that was triple the expected amount. Seems Enterprise charged me for rental until the car made it back to their lot. Five phone calls, and a phone call from the FBO manager to Enterprise to attest the actual return time, and it got cleared up.
On two subsequent instances, I made shure the return was noted on the contract and signed by the FBO, and in both of those instances the documentation was valuable, as I had to call Enterprise and protest, including faxing the copy of the contract to them to prove the actual time of return.

I avoid Enterprise, but sometimes it is the only option - then I watch the credit card statement closely
 
Here's a d,ifferent, potentially important aspect...

...of renting any vehicle: how your credit card company handles insurance coverage not provided by your own auto insurance (e.g. loss of income insurance to rental car company).

All of us want to avoid paying for supplemental insurance coverage on rentals; it's terribly pricey. Most premium credit cards (Visa Gold, any Amex card) provide rental car insurance IF you reserve, check out and finally pay for the car with the card. (Check your card's details...). But of course NO credit card company actually carries this insurance directly nor processes claims. Each c/c company subs this out to a contractor.

We learned all about this when we were clobbered by a non-licensed, uninsured 16-yr old mother of two while in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Uh-oh, we thought...end of a carefrree island visit and the beginning of a nightmare. Because of the coverage Amex had promised, we'd waived our counter insurance with the rental car company and relied on Amex for insurance. Obtaining a police report (at the scene) and turning it in along with the smashed car was our one & only responsibility; the outsourced contractor that handles Amex's rental insurance issues did a superb job and the rental car company was paid inside of 48 hours. We were really impressed...and relieved.

So despite having other c/c accounts, we always rent using our free Optima Amex c/c, because we know what peace of mind we are 'buying' when using that card with any rental company.

Jack
 
Taxes!

Phoenix has some of the worst rental car taxes of any city. If the address on your drivers license is further than 50 miles from Phoenix you must pay all the taxes which can be over 50% of the rental fee itself. The percent of your rental in tax varies because some of the taxes are a one time fixed fee and others are a fixed amount per day, while still others are a percentage of the bill.

When we were building our home in Tucson the airfares into Phoenix were sometimes much cheaper, but we had to weight how much more the rental car was going to cost from there and factor in the two hour drive each way.
 
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I fly corporate and rent cars every week. Enterprise has hosed me more times than I can count. Everything from charging me a different rate than the reserved rate to charging me for extra days after I've turned the car in. The FBO can almost always get me a better rate than I can get elsewhere, although you're stuck with whoever they deal with and it seems like it's usually Enterprise. I can also vouch for the high rates you have to pay in PHX. I was there yesterday and paid 79.00/day for a subcompact - it was Hertz, and being a gold member didn't help.
 
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