{"id":2672,"date":"2011-05-16T09:00:50","date_gmt":"2011-05-16T14:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/?p=2672"},"modified":"2011-05-16T01:38:47","modified_gmt":"2011-05-16T06:38:47","slug":"consumer-reports-warns-against-rental-car-gimmicks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/2011\/05\/16\/consumer-reports-warns-against-rental-car-gimmicks\/","title":{"rendered":"Consumer Reports warns against Rental Car Gimmicks"},"content":{"rendered":"

What consumers can do to avoid gotcha pricing, aggressive sales pitches and hidden fees<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Consumer<\/em><\/span>Yonkers, NY<\/strong> – As the weather heats up and fuel prices continue to rise, the last thing travelers want is to have pay even more when they hit the road this summer. Rental car companies used to try harder to put the consumer in the driver seat with ease, but today\u2019s rental car companies are putting the gas on gotcha pricing, pushy pitches and costly extras.<\/p>\n

In its June issue, available online at www.ConsumerReports.org<\/a> and on newsstands May 10th, 2011, Consumer Reports outlines some costly and common car-rental hassles and how consumers can fight back.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt used to be that car-rental companies made it as easy as possible to get you signed up and on the road,\u201d said Consumer Reports senior editor Jeff Blyskal. \u201cThese days consumers need to slow things down and be more guarded to make sure they don\u2019t pay more than necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n

Common Hassles<\/h3>\n

Consumers have a choice when it comes to pricey add-on services and liability coverage. Consumer Reportsrecommends watching out for these gotchas the next time a salesperson puts the pressure on.<\/p>\n

1. There is a fee for every extra<\/strong>. Treat a rental car like a hotel mini bar: Don\u2019t take any goodies without knowing the price. This includes GPS navigation, satellite radio, and child safety seats. One Consumer Reports reader was charged $9.50 for $2.00 worth of tolls after he used an EZ-Pass toll payment transponder he found inside his Hertz rental.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t take it<\/strong>: Consumers faced with undisclosed surcharges should dispute them with their credit card company. Be sure to ask about these possible hidden fees: late or early return of the car, going through an unmanned, electronic-only toll gate, road service in case the driver runs out of gas or locks keys in the car, and administrative fees related to parking tickets and moving violations.<\/p>\n

2. The insurance hard sell<\/strong>. Rental agents might strongly sell renters on a loss damage waiver that limits the renter\u2019s liability for damage for $60.00 to $250.00 a week.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t take it<\/strong>: Consumers may already be covered on their own auto insurance policy if it includes collision and\/or comprehensive coverage. Some credit cards also provide protection. Just make sure the personal policy covers rentals and business travel and that it pays the \u201cfull value\u201d of a loss, administrative fees, towing and \u201closs of use.\u201d Also check if it\u2019s valid abroad and covers a second driver or comprehensive claims (such as fire, theft and vandalism).<\/p>\n

3. Scratch-and-dent claims<\/strong>. Always pay by credit card so any inaccurate charges can be disputed. One Consumer Reports reader was billed $304.00 for \u201cdamage\u201d after he dropped off an Avis Rental in Lyon, France, at the locked return lot before business hours.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t take it<\/strong>: Fully inspect the car at pick up time, noting any damages in the paperwork and request a signed, dated copy. Do the same at drop off. If it\u2019s before or after business hours, take photos to document the car\u2019s condition.<\/p>\n

4. Return the car with gas<\/strong>. If not, expect to pay as much as $8.00 per gallon to have the rental agency fill the tank. Other gas overpricing might not be so obvious. For example, Hertz\u2019s fuel purchase option\u2014buy a full tank at the prevailing local per-gallon price\u2014might seem like a good deal, but the renter pays for a whole tank even if they only use a fraction of it.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t take it.<\/strong> Always fill it up before returning the car.<\/p>\n

5. Decline the upgrade pitch<\/strong>.In good economic years, agencies had more cars than they could rent. Now inventories are tighter, so don\u2019t expect to be offered a roomier car at no extra cost. Worse, agents might try to convince the renter into taking a costlier car.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t take it<\/strong>. If the agent talks down a specific model, ask about other cars in the same group.<\/p>\n

Consumer Reports also suggests looking for deals on websites like Travelocity and Expedia and then calling a specific location to negotiate the cheapest rate. Also check off-brand companies like Ace Rent a Car, Pay Less, and Midway. Groups like AAA, AARP, Costco, labor unions and other groups might offer discounts. For more tips on how to get the best deal on car rentals log on to www.ConsumerReports.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What consumers can do to avoid gotcha pricing, aggressive sales pitches and hidden fees Yonkers, NY – As the weather heats up and fuel prices continue to rise, the last thing travelers want is to have pay even more when they hit the road this summer. Rental car companies used to try harder to put […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[3645,678,3215,3643,1380,2291,3642,3644,3095],"class_list":["post-2672","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-community","tag-child-safety-seats","tag-consumer-reports","tag-gas","tag-gimmicks","tag-gps","tag-insurance","tag-rental-car","tag-satellite-radio","tag-scams"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2672","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2672"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2672\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2673,"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2672\/revisions\/2673"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2672"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2672"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2672"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}