Thought I'd take the time to warn travelers coming to America about a ripoff scheme being used by one of the major American car rental companies (Advantage). Got conned on this one myself when I finished my trip (with my wife) to visit Austin and San Antonio (Texas).
I am actually on the one hand not surprised by this (it's common with others too in some cases) and on the other hand surprised that you mention this as it does sound pretty normal to me. And you are an experienced traveller on these road trips in the USA so figured it would be not a big surprise to you either.
1: Advantage is not a big one and usually when going with broker websites, you will get a car from Alamo, National, Hertz, Avis, Budget, Europcar, Enterprise or Thrifty. And considering the fact they charge per hour after one minute too late is proof of them being not competitive with others. Although with some big ones and showing up way to late (an hour or so) you might pay for a whole day. Also normal!
2: If you know you are just going to drive several hundred miles or less, people should think about the first tank of gas indeed. But is that a rip-off then? In my opinion it's not.
3: The 'they will fill it up' option is a rip-off if they don't tell you it's going to cost you a lot more per gallon, and it's good to let people know, but this will also be the case at other places, although they might actually tell it of course. But begin to late for a flight...no never actually, also to do with experience and there gas stations close to pretty much any (bigger) airport too.
Also all the other things are good advices, but prett obvious and not something I consider rip-offs either. It's the same as with budget airlines and then complaining about charges for suitcases or stuff. I understand people make mistakes, but no...not a rip-off to be honest, sorry.
O, about liability: that's a nasty one in the USA mainly. In most countries for third party accidents the amount up to which one is insured is like a million or more sometimes. But in the USA it depends on the state, but is rarely more than 50,000 dollars and sometimes even just 5,000-10,000 dollar. That's just not enough so Supplemental Liability Insurance is usually something to consider in the USA. Mostly not other countries. But checking with your own car, health or even creditcard insurance is a good idea.
Cheers
Michael.
Michael,
The reason I consider it a ripoff mostly relates to the way it is hidden in the contract and in the advertising. Handing one a five page contract at the counter and asking them to sign it on the spot--and then finding in the fine print on the bottom of page 4 that the fuel cost is $8.99 a gallon to me is far from the ethical way to do business. Also, not mentioning all this anywhere when the reservation is made is not my idea of "above-board" business.
Seems to me that any company that does this is just trying to trick people into paying lots of money on a first rental with the knowledge that return customers will be few. I'm sure that Advantage will soon be out-of-business as a result;--at least here in the US where people travel often by plane and will quickly refuse to do business with them as a result--regardless of any promotional rates or discounts they may offer in the future.
As far as the $9 charge on late returns--I agree--this is just a standard charge done by all the rental car companies. I only mentioned it for less experienced travelers who might not be aware of it.
P.S. Thanks for the feedback. It is good to get a different perspective on these fees.
Your're welcome Gary And agree about first time customers.
It's definately on the thin line between what's officially allowed but also a bit consumer unfriendly towards customers not familiar with the concept of car rental and all the hidden fees.
I don't like the way they are trying to get more money that way either. But it might be the reason, just like budget airlines, why rates for customers who are used to this are relatively low. They try to make money in a different way. Again a bit vaguely sometimes. But if they go to far, they should run out of business like you mention.
Cheers
Michael
I always use Budget or Enterprise, and have no complaints. I always pay for my own gas and never get their insurance. My last 3-day Budget rental in March came to $106. total for a Kia Optima - I consider that an excellent deal (Portland, OR). Budget is owned by the group that also owns Avis and Zipcar (car sharing).
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