| reply to runnoft
Re: Car rentals "The good deals on car rentals have gone away since the rental car industry has consolidated sharply the last few years with the feds saying, Right thi$ way, boy$."
I'd be curious to know what is meant by this if you care to respond. Or anyone else's thoughts. Thanks in advance. |
|
 pikePremium,MVM
join:2001-02-01
Washington, DC
kudos:3 | Sure, I'll bite.
Over the past decade nearly all the major rental car companies have combined into three megacorps. You now have Hertz-Dollar-Thrifty as one, and then Enterprise-National-Alamo as another, and finally Avis-Budget-Zipcar. Hence sharp consolidation.
The Federal Department of Justice is supposed to enforce anti-trust law, thereby ensuring competition exists so that consumers pay a fair price. But many consumers, presumably including runnoft  , feel the DoJ is just another corrupt bureaucracy offering its seal of approval to the highest bidder. Hence the $$$ signs. |
|
 runnoftPremium
join:2003-10-14
Deerfield, IL
kudos:1 | pike said it better than I would have, but that was it in a nutshell. Thank you. I'm really not some socialist radical, but our government has become of, by, and for the corporation instead of the people, bought and paid for with campaign contributions and PACs. Corporate mergers that would not have been allowed in Nixon's day are routinely approved now. It's happened with car rentals just as it has in telecom. |
|
|
|
| reply to runnoft
Re: Car rentals Thanks for the response Pike and runnoft... Interesting. |
|
 GrumpyPremium
join:2001-07-28
NW CT
 ·Comcast
 ·AT&T Yahoo
 ·Callcentric
1 edit | reply to fartness
Re: Car rentals Most rental agencies have surplus vehicles during off peak non holiday periods. I've gotten as low as $15 per day for a sub compact with unlimited mileage via Priceline, that was 10 years ago though. The Priceline site scripts told me I was bidding too low, but one of the majors took my $15 offer.
Forgive me if way off topic - Passage into Canada is often prohibited if any non traffic arrests are within one's past. DWI, ancient Marijuana issues, shoplifting - or any similar convictions will often prevent passage. Not preaching, just that some travelers are not aware of this. Car rental firms will usually run your MVR prior to lease as well. A bad MVR, like a DWI or excessive moving violations means no rental. I've seen their MVR checker work in less than 30 seconds. Don't know how they can do it that fast, but they do. An online reservation is not a guarantee of car availability if a bad MVR surfaces at time of actual rental at agency desk. |
|
pikePremium,MVM
join:2001-02-01
Washington, DC
kudos:3 | reply to Grumpy
Re: Car rentals Good points, Grumpy . I have a co-worker that was to be the best man at a wedding in Niagara Falls last year. When he went to cross the border, he was denied for a decade-old DUI.. Apparently anything that can be classified as a felony in Canada will disqualify you from visiting without first getting permission from the Consulate.
If I'm not mistaken, the car-rental firms all share a database of drivers license numbers they'd prefer not to deal with. So I don't think a real-time MVR check is taking place but rather a check against the database they all subscribe to with "bad" drivers. |
|
 ArgyleDSLCute and CuddlyPremium
join:2002-07-04
Flushing, NY | reply to PhoenixDown
said by PhoenixDown:I believe you are not allowed to rent at the airport if you are "local".
I rented a car at the Lagaurdia Entreprise on a Sunday and since i was a local (live in Queens), they didn't charge me the airport fee. I had to rent from there since all other Queens locations are closed on Sunday.
--
My heart is old, it holds my memories, my body burns a gemlike flame. Somewhere between the soul and soft machine, is where I find myself again |
|
| reply to fartness
said by fartness:I want to take a weekend trip to either Toronto or NYC where I don't want to drive my own vehicle. Take Amtrak. Could be cheaper than renting a car. |
|
 japPremium
join:2003-08-10
038xx | reply to fartness
Enterprise has long used their 3-day unlimited weekend deal to set themselves apart from the others. It's been 20 months since I've used them (I bought a high mileage car) but previous to that I frequently rented for long distance tripping as it was cheaper (and in my case more comfortable) to put miles on their cars.
Officially the weekend was defined as any 72 hour block of time falling between opening on Friday and closing on Monday. In practice all the franchises I dealt with would start Thursday at closing and end Tuesday at opening, if you asked. Often I'd opt for a Saturday morning pick-up and a Tuesday 7-8am return.
Somewhere around 2006(?) Enterprise slapped-on range restrictions precisely because of people like me: we'd rent only if we were going to run-up the miles. But they did it stupid-like by defining range as the state you were in + all bordering states. Great if I rented in Seattle and was headed for Southern Idaho (really far! but inbounds) but crappy if renting in NH headed for RI.
I can't speak to their current rates but they are the first ones to call for the weekend thang. Let me know what you learn.
---------------
* Seattle, Boston, North Conway-NH, Durham-NC. Never airports (very high tax hits, no rules flexibility). |
|
japPremium
join:2003-08-10
038xx | reply to Frederick
said by Frederick:Thanks for the response Pike and runnoft... Interesting. Indeed. No safe quarters. |
|
 Hayward K A R - 1 2 0 CPremium
join:2000-07-13
Key West, FL
kudos:1 | reply to fartness
I have to agree with others in that neither place is a car needed other than to get there if you aren't going to fly.
Once there park it and take exceptional public transit even more so Toronto.... I did drive to from Albany NY but left parked in a free place I was staying and did not use but to get outside the city, totally mass transit and walk in Toronto, and NYC too.
Drives me nuts here too almost killed by dumb tourists not paying attention in Key West on a bike.... its a 2x4 mi island... you have no need of a car...walk or bike especially if staying in old town.
Parking real expensive... and you are moving to go 3 blocks away you will spend more time looking for than to walk to?????
--
|
|
| reply to fartness
Enterprise generally gives weekend discounts which offsets this problem.
--
CompTIA Network+ Certified |
|
 fartnesscomputersoc dot comPremium
join:2003-03-25
Look Outside | reply to fartness
Enterprise is open:
Friday: 730A to 600P
Saturday: 9A to 12P
Sunday: Closed
Online when scheduling a reservation (it didn't ask me for my credit card number, wtf), I put pickup 4PM Friday and drop off 4PM Saturday. It said to leave the keys in the drop box. That means I can keep it till Monday morning and only paying for a day? Price only shows for 1 day but said to put the keys in the drop box since they're closed 4PM Saturday. Will I get there tomorrow and they'll tell me to eff off? |
|
japPremium
join:2003-08-10
038xx | said by fartness:Online when scheduling a reservation... Recommend you consider the central office and website non-existent: deal 100% with the humans at non-airport locations. They have strong neighborhood sensibilities built-in to the franchise biz model. Can't say anything good about the online/call center side or the airport ops. |
|
 CylonRedPremium,MVM
join:2000-07-06
Bloom County | reply to fartness
It means to drop off the car and put the keys in the box. That is the only way for them to know you dropped it off on time.... Or - call them and ASK if you can bring it in first thing the Monday morning (like as soon a the shop opens) No they won't have you eff off but worse case - they charge for an extra day.
Or follow what you requested on the site and drop off the car on time.
Why make this harder then it needs to be...?
--
Brian
"It drops into your stomach like a Abrams's tank.... driven by Rosanne Barr..." A. Bourdain |
|
