Aaaarrgghhhhhhhhh!!!! Help me, oh great and wonderful car rental wizards!!!!

[goofy4tink]

I had this terrific rate with National...dh's company has a good deal. Got a nice standard size car, for Oct 16-23, for $153!!! Picking the car up in Sanford at 3:30 on 10/16, and returning it at 7:30am, prior to our 8:30 flight out on Direct Air. Okay..not so crazy with the wake up time, but the fare was wonderful.
So...today I get the notification from Direct Air that our departure time has been moved to 2:30pm!!! Yay, we can sleep in, eat breakfast at Boma, and relax. BUT...what to do about my car return!!! I called National and they told me that I could return the car anytime up to 3:30 on the 23rd and not pay addtl charges. But, I had already sent an email to National asking the same question. Got a response from them, telling me about grace periods and the addtl charges after an hour or so. They said that if I return the car more than 2.5 hrs after my official time, the charge is an addlt day. Okay.....I can live with that...but what is considered the fee for an addtl day??? Is it based on what I originally reserved?? Or is it the daily rate as of that moment in time????
I could make a new reservation with Dollar that would be just under $200, but I love National's policies for no credit cards needed (just return travel proof) and no cost for addlt drivers...so I don't really want to make a change.

Any thoughts as to what to expect here??? Hate it when I get two very different answers to the same question...

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

If you booked this under DH's contract then the daily rate is his contract rate. Too see that just make a "dummy" reservation using the contract ID for one day. If you changed the contract ID then "all bets are off"

Good Luck!

 

[dioxide45]

Try calling back and see if they can modify your rental with no increase in the rate. If not, you can try to do the same at the counter. Don't try to modify online.

 

[goofy4tink]

Yeah, I'm not changing anything online. Haven't changed anything as of yet. Will call again tomorrow and see what they say. Keeping dh's contract though. I can live with that daily rate...I mean, it's $153 for the week....less than $100 without the addlt fees/taxes. How high can the daily rate be?? Will do a dummy rate with the contract just to see what it comes up as.
Thanks guys.

 

[betterlatethannever]

How did that work out for you?

I have a similar situation. Continental moved our return flight in November (3-7) from 2:45pm to 6:55 pm.

An extra few hours at WDW can't be bad.

I have a full size (booked back in marcxh) for ~$145 + fees (noon to noon).

Currently National is running a special on Premium cars for $82 + fees (noon to noon). I plugged in noon to 5 PM. National didn't just add an extra day. The price went to $256 + fees.!!!!!???!!!!!

My full size rental is just as bad.

The car rental game is really a pain in and of itself. When you throw in the airline schedule changes, it is just frustrating.


Ed

 

[gmeh1]

I had this terrific rate with National...dh's company has a good deal. Got a nice standard size car, for Oct 16-23, for $153!!! Picking the car up in Sanford at 3:30 on 10/16, and returning it at 7:30am, prior to our 8:30 flight out on Direct Air. Okay..not so crazy with the wake up time, but the fare was wonderful.
So...today I get the notification from Direct Air that our departure time has been moved to 2:30pm!!! Yay, we can sleep in, eat breakfast at Boma, and relax. BUT...what to do about my car return!!! I called National and they told me that I could return the car anytime up to 3:30 on the 23rd and not pay addtl charges. But, I had already sent an email to National asking the same question. Got a response from them, telling me about grace periods and the addtl charges after an hour or so. They said that if I return the car more than 2.5 hrs after my official time, the charge is an addlt day. Okay.....I can live with that...but what is considered the fee for an addtl day??? Is it based on what I originally reserved?? Or is it the daily rate as of that moment in time????
I could make a new reservation with Dollar that would be just under $200, but I love National's policies for no credit cards needed (just return travel proof) and no cost for addlt drivers...so I don't really want to make a change.

Any thoughts as to what to expect here??? Hate it when I get two very different answers to the same question...

You will get the daily rate that appears on your contract. Your daily rate is good for 30 days for that rental. I just asked this question the other day from one of my managers.
BTW, if you return early, you are only charged for the days you have the car, no penalties.

 

[gmeh1]

How did that work out for you?

I have a similar situation. Continental moved our return flight in November (3-7) from 2:45pm to 6:55 pm.

An extra few hours at WDW can't be bad.

I have a full size (booked back in marcxh) for ~$145 + fees (noon to noon).

Currently National is running a special on Premium cars for $82 + fees (noon to noon). I plugged in noon to 5 PM. National didn't just add an extra day. The price went to $256 + fees.!!!!!???!!!!!

My full size rental is just as bad.

The car rental game is really a pain in and of itself. When you throw in the airline schedule changes, it is just frustrating.


Ed

They hold your reservation for 24 hours, the time starts ticking when you pick up the car.

 

[goofy4tink]

You will get the daily rate that appears on your contract. Your daily rate is good for 30 days for that rental. I just asked this question the other day from one of my managers.
BTW, if you return early, you are only charged for the days you have the car, no penalties.

Thanks! That's what I'm hoping. Since it's dh's corporate discount, I'm not sure what the daily rate is...it doesn't really show on the reservation. It only shows the weekly rate....about $103...total of $153 which includes all that other stuff. So, hoping for something less than $30 a day. Fingers crossed.
Thanks again.

 

[betterlatethannever]

... the time starts ticking when you pick up the car.

Thank you.

Is this a recent change?. I've been told by a National counter employee that the time starts from the previous hour.

About 10 years ago (when the grace period was 1 hour), I rented for 4 full days+1 hour (noon to 1pm) planning on returning it around 1:30 (using 30 minutes of the grace period). Well I checked out at 11:55am and returned at 1:20pm four days later. The cost on the receipt from the employee in the garage was higher than the reservation. I went to the desk, and that is when they said they used 11:00 am as the check out time. Thus, I was over my grace period.

Now I always make sure I check out a few minutes after noon, not a few minutes before noon.

You will get the daily rate that appears on your contract. Your daily rate is good for 30 days for that rental. I just asked this question the other day from one of my managers.
QUOTE]

So, in my case, ($82 for a Premium returning at noon) National is only going to charge me another day (~$20 + fees, $102 + fees total) if I return the car at 5pm. Not the $256 + fees, which is what the cost would have been if the reservation was originally made using the later return time.

Ed

 

[lawgs]

Thank you.

Is this a recent change?. I've been told by a National counter employee that the time starts from the previous hour.

About 10 years ago (when the grace period was 1 hour), I rented for 4 full days+1 hour (noon to 1pm) planning on returning it around 1:30 (using 30 minutes of the grace period). Well I checked out at 11:55am and returned at 1:20pm four days later. The cost on the receipt from the employee in the garage was higher than the reservation. I went to the desk, and that is when they said they used 11:00 am as the check out time. Thus, I was over my grace period.

Now I always make sure I check out a few minutes after noon, not a few minutes before noon.

You will get the daily rate that appears on your contract. Your daily rate is good for 30 days for that rental. I just asked this question the other day from one of my managers.
QUOTE]

So, in my case, ($82 for a Premium returning at noon) National is only going to charge me another day (~$20 + fees, $102 + fees total) if I return the car at 5pm. Not the $256 + fees, which is what the cost would have been if the reservation was originally made using the later return time.

Ed

what are your dates for the 82$ premium rental and or where can one find this on the national car website?

thanks in advance

 

[betterlatethannever]

...what are your dates for the 82$ premium rental and or where can one find this on the national car website?

thanks in advance

Nov 3-7 noon to noon. no special contract number needed. as of this post date it is still listed.

Ed

 

[dioxide45]

They hold your reservation for 24 hours, the time starts ticking when you pick up the car.

I remember reading on the Alamo website that they only hold your reservation until midnight the day of the rental.

 

[Lady Lady]

"I called National and they told me that I could return the car anytime up to 3:30 on the 23rd and not pay addtl charges."

The above is correct. If your rental start time was 3:30 pm and your reservation has 3:30 as the pickup time, the you have until 3:30 pm on your return day. A day (24 hours) starts at pickup time.

I think you received a canned response to your email. Either the email response was computer generated or the reader/responder really did not read the details of your question. The question, that is usually asked, is what happens when the plane is later, so I am keeping the car longer, and when would they start charging for an extra day. This answer usually includes something about grace periods.

The grace period has to do with missing the 24 hour return time window by up to 1 hour. Then they will start charging for another day. You should not have any additional day added unless you did not return until after 3:30 (or 4:30 with the grace period).

 

[gmeh1]

"I called National and they told me that I could return the car anytime up to 3:30 on the 23rd and not pay addtl charges."

The above is correct. If your rental start time was 3:30 pm and your reservation has 3:30 as the pickup time, the you have until 3:30 pm on your return day. A day (24 hours) starts at pickup time.

I think you received a canned response to your email. Either the email response was computer generated or the reader/responder really did not read the details of your question. The question, that is usually asked, is what happens when the plane is later, so I am keeping the car longer, and when would they start charging for an extra day. This answer usually includes something about grace periods.

The grace period has to do with missing the 24 hour return time window by up to 1 hour. Then they will start charging for another day. You should not have any additional day added unless you did not return until after 3:30 (or 4:30 with the grace period).

The "grace period" is no longer 59 minutes, it is now 29 minutes.

 

[gmeh1]

Thank you.

Is this a recent change?. I've been told by a National counter employee that the time starts from the previous hour.

About 10 years ago (when the grace period was 1 hour), I rented for 4 full days+1 hour (noon to 1pm) planning on returning it around 1:30 (using 30 minutes of the grace period). Well I checked out at 11:55am and returned at 1:20pm four days later. The cost on the receipt from the employee in the garage was higher than the reservation. I went to the desk, and that is when they said they used 11:00 am as the check out time. Thus, I was over my grace period.

Now I always make sure I check out a few minutes after noon, not a few minutes before noon.

You will get the daily rate that appears on your contract. Your daily rate is good for 30 days for that rental. I just asked this question the other day from one of my managers.
QUOTE]

So, in my case, ($82 for a Premium returning at noon) National is only going to charge me another day (~$20 + fees, $102 + fees total) if I return the car at 5pm. Not the $256 + fees, which is what the cost would have been if the reservation was originally made using the later return time.

Ed

10 years ago National was not owned by Enterprise Holdings, Inc

I cannot say what your extra day cost will be as I don't know what your contract states. But, what I told you is what I was told by managers at OIA/MCO.

 

[gmeh1]

I remember reading on the Alamo website that they only hold your reservation until midnight the day of the rental.

I am only repeating what I was told by my managers.

 

[bumbershoot]

Twice now I have had to keep a National car for longer than originally reserved. Both times they have been incredibly gracious, letting me have the same rate I had booked. Absolutely no problem at all.

This was once at MCO, and once during a rental where I picked up in Phoenix and dropped off in Anaheim. March for the latter, September for the former, both this year.

 

[dioxide45]

I am only repeating what I was told by my managers.

It looks like I had my info wrong. This is from the Flight Delay section in the Help area at Alamo.com

Flight Delay
What do I do if my flight has been delayed?

Airport Rental Locations in the US and Canada:

Vehicles will be held until the end of the business day on the scheduled pickup date or for 12 hours, whichever comes first, for any delayed flights.

If you are going to arrive after closing the pickup date and time should be changed to the next day.

When booking your reservation on-line or with an agent include your airline and flight information. Providing us with your flight information allows us to serve you better because we can check with the airline to see if your flight has been delayed.

Please Note: Frequent flyer points are not automatically paid if you provide your flight information. To receive credit for your miles you must add your Frequent Flyer number to your profile and include the information with your reservation.

I can't link directly to the page, but it is in the Help section by typing in "Flight Delay" in to the search box.

 

[betterlatethannever]

goofy4tink - sorry to hijack your thread, but since you are now at WDW, you probably don't mind .

I cannot say what your extra day cost will be as I don't know what your contract states. But, what I told you is what I was told by managers at OIA/MCO.

(4) Time & Distance ($21.00/Day) $84.00
Discount ($8.40)
Inclusive Rate Items
Guaranteed Base Rate Included
Unlimited Miles Included

For information on coverage products, ex:Loss Damage Waiver(LDW) click here

Subtotal $75.60

Taxes, Surcharges and Fees Customer Facility Charge 2.50/day $10.00
Airport Access Fee 10 Pct $7.84
Florida Surcharge 2.00/day $8.00
Tire/battery Fee .02/day $0.08
Vehicle License Fee .69/day $2.76
Sales Tax (6.50%) $6.78
Subtotal $35.46
Estimated Total Estimated charges are confirmed based on the information you have provided; only taxes, fees, and surcharges are subject to change. $111.06

The above is for Nov 3 noon to Nov 7 noon

I would be very pleased of I only have to pay an additional $21.00+fees if I return it at 5pm.

However, if I put in Nov 3 noon to Nov 7 5 pm, the price is not $111.06+$21+fees, it is $271.09.

Ed

 

[gmeh1]

goofy4tink - sorry to hijack your thread, but since you are now at WDW, you probably don't mind .




(4) Time & Distance ($21.00/Day) $84.00
Discount ($8.40)
Inclusive Rate Items
Guaranteed Base Rate Included
Unlimited Miles Included

For information on coverage products, ex:Loss Damage Waiver(LDW) click here

Subtotal $75.60

Taxes, Surcharges and Fees Customer Facility Charge 2.50/day $10.00
Airport Access Fee 10 Pct $7.84
Florida Surcharge 2.00/day $8.00
Tire/battery Fee .02/day $0.08
Vehicle License Fee .69/day $2.76
Sales Tax (6.50%) $6.78
Subtotal $35.46
Estimated Total Estimated charges are confirmed based on the information you have provided; only taxes, fees, and surcharges are subject to change. $111.06

The above is for Nov 3 noon to Nov 7 noon

I would be very pleased of I only have to pay an additional $21.00+fees if I return it at 5pm.

However, if I put in Nov 3 noon to Nov 7 5 pm, the price is not $111.06+$21+fees, it is $271.09.

Ed

Ed, were you trying to modify the existing reservation or make a new one?
As I said, I am only repeating what my manager told me.
I went to the National site and this is what I found when I typed in "late returns"
Grace Period
Will there be an additional charge if I am late returning the rental vehicle?

The Grace Period for National is as follows:

You will not be charged for the first 29 minutes that you are late.

You will be charged for one hour if you are 30-89 minutes late.

You will be charged for two hours if you are 90-149 minutes late.

An additional day is charged if you are 2 1/2 hours or more late.

Additional fees are based on the daily rental rate.

Your daily rental rate is 21.00 plus all the tax etc.

I have, in the past, extended my rental via the phone and have always been charged the daily rate that my contract stated.

I would suggest you give them a call and perhaps they can modify the reservation without changing the rate. 1(877) 222-9058

Please, let me know how you do.