Hello Fellow Steemians!
How are you all doing?
Today I would like to shed some light on car rental industry,
Wouldn't you want to know what the terms of car rental industry are,
and I shall also give you some inside scoop of what you need to be aware of.
If you have read my introductory post you might already know I work in a Car Rental.
Hence, giving me the ultimate opportunity to enlighten my fellow Steemians on this very topic!!
Everyone needs to rent a once or twice, and becoming a educated consumer is a way to go to ensure you are getting most value for your buck and also not getting lured into spending more money than you need to in this industry. Today I am going to enlighten you on the terms mostly what Avis car Rental uses as it is where I work.
THE REQUIREMENTS:
First thing first, you need to have a driver's license and a major credit cards (most car rental mostly at the airports do no accept debit cards anymore) You also have to be 21+ of age, but if you're between 21-25 you are going to be charged underage fee. Its either $25-$30, depending who you rent with. They are considered high risk drivers hence every rental car company slaps you with this fee. I feel like i do not have to say this one but having worked at a car rental, i have been asked this question so much i am gonna give you this info anyway. Yes, you need to have available balance on your card, which car rental holds the total amount right when they swipe it. And, NO, you cant pay it at the end! There might be extra hold if you are doing the transaction on a debit card, that again, if they accept debit cards.
THE TERMS OF CAR RENTALS:
Ok, guys here is where you want to pay attention and understand what a car rental company has to offer. There are various products that they offer for additional charges and assume a charge for anything a agent might ask you would want/need.
Here we go.
CAR CHOICES AND UPGRADES:
First you would have chosen a car type on a reservation, Sometimes you actually might need something nicer or bigger or fancier but other times they just want to see if you are willing to get a bigger vehicle for a extra charge. You want to read what you are signing and be aware of how much you are being charged for this fancy vehicle you said 'Yes' to.
And, Yes being a Rental Sales Agent is a commission job, so they have their own interest on mind.
I actually have seen my fellow agent upgrade a customer for $999 more than what he reserved. You read that right, it is $1000 more than what they originally reserved for some fancy car, and that is per day. We keep on hearing these stories all the time specially when you work for these people. Again, I want you to read what you sign and check the total.
THE INSURANCES:
This is the second most money maker of car rental industry and they have different types of these.
LDW (Loss Damage Waiver)
This is not a insurance but a waiver that you purchase for fixed rate per day to sign off any responsibility from the car you will be driving. It could rage from $11 through $35 on normal sedans and SUV's but goes upto $75 depending on what kind of car you have and also the state you are renting the car. Mostly these day, A CREDIT CARD PROVIDES THE COVERAGE IF YOU CHARGE THE ENTIRE RENTAL ON THAT CARD. But, you also want to read their policies and be aware of blackout dates and the types of car they would actually cover before trusting they would cover it. Also, your own personal insurance should cove the car as well, upto the limit that you have set. You should always be covered through your own insurance no matter what you drive. (UPTO A LIMIT, THAT YOU'VE SET)
ALI (Additional Liability Insurance)
Now, this is for the third party, Meaning if you were at fault in an accident would cover the person or property that you would be liable to. This is little cheaper that the LDW and ranges from $7 to $25 depending on the car company and state. Again, you should be covered by your own insurance on these as well to a limit that you have set with your insurance agent. Be aware of your limits so you can take that educated decision while you rent a car.
PAI & PEP (Personal accident Insurance and Personal effects protection)
These are basically covering you, your passengers, and some of your items in the car. They have different limits but most car rental offers upto $600 ambulance fee, $3500 for personal injury with enterprise and $2500 for any other car rental. $600 for personal items damaged/stolen in a accident.
RSN (Road Side Assistance)
This is basically AAA for a car rental. for a fee of $9/day, you get this service and would be basically covered for locking your keys, towing, flat tyres and gas. Normally car rental does not allow AAA to handle their car. But, if you do, you dont have to let them know. ;) And as long as it was not your fault they wont charge you for this service but keep in mind if you have a flat and they will come change your tyres but you would have to personally drive the car to do a exchange or they will charge you the towing fee, as they consider this a unnecessary towing as the car was drivable.
OTHER ADD-ONS:
GPS & Travel Tabs:
These are something that most people these days wouldn't need at all. That if you have some data on your phone.
You can always use google maps, waze or apple maps. Keep in mind there is a charge if you want to get a navigation system
which normally is about $14.95/day and maxes out on $99. This extra fee could be easily avoided.
XM Radio:
This is a satellite radio that could be activated in your car which would provide you with more that 200 channels of stand up comedy, news, live sports and so on. This would cost around $5.99/day or $25 max. You can also buy these on a deal and have it with you on your phone for a yearly subscription of $25.
Child Seats:
There are three types of these. Child safety seat, Booster seat and Child Infant seat. These all cost around $13 a day and maxes out on $65 total. If you need one then you should bring one to avoid paying for these.
Additional Drivers:
Normally, additional drivers costs you. It is $13/ day and maxing out in again $65. You can add upto 3 additional drivers typically.
You can also avoid these charges by either booking through AARP or Costco. Your spouce/significant other always drives for free.
If you are married then they really dont even have to add them as a driver, but in significant others case, as long as you live in same apartment and have same address, it would be free additional driver. Another free additional drivers are the co-workers, as long as it is a business trip and they would be entitled as free additional drivers.
Car Chargers/Battery/Earphones:
Yes, car rental company sells these as well. Car chargers and earphones costs you between $10-$12 and the Battery chargers costs you around $20. And, need i not to tell you, you can avoid these.
Inside Scoop/Secrets and tricks:
Car rental agents work for commission and they make more money on commissions than what the company pays them hourly salary. They dont have your best in mind, so be skeptical of their offerings. You can always avoid the additional items and get it either cheaper or not buy at all. Read the item that you want to buy again from the top and avoid through the tricks I provided you. If you want to get the best rate you would want to make a reservation month ahead of the pick-up date. I have also seen the third party sites that have better prices than the car rental websites itself. Sites like priceline, expedia and costco gives you really great deals. Look into those as well when you are setting up your reservation. You are going to thank me later.
These websites are now also doing the coverages as well, they are typically much cheaper than what you would find at the rental counter, Hence if you really need it, set a reservation through them and buy coverage from their site. They typically cover the vehicle itself for upto $40,000. The best way to avoid additional fees is to be aware and be educated on these topics. You would always want to ask the agent if the product is mandatory if they are trying to shove it down your throat, and I assure you their answer would be "NO, ITS NOT!"
Fellow Steemians, Please upvote and feel free to Resteem if you feel this is going to help the community. I would love for all my fellow steemians to give me feedback as well, as this is a learning process for me as well. Let me know if you support this type of content and I shall keep on Enlightening the community for the better.!!