Can you name your own price for Car rentals out of Sanford Airport?

[ForTheLoveofDisney]

I have to fly into Sanford airport (SFB) because that is the only airport that my carrier flys into in the Orlando area therefore I have to rent a car. Either that or hire a driver which in the end will probably cost me almost as much as renting a car.

Anyway, I think the prices are high, at least higher than I want to pay. My dates are 2/1-2/6/2007. I have sat at this computer for hours researching Mousesavers, going through my Sam's Club codes and contacting AAA. I've plugged in many different variations of codes and the cheapest rental that I've been able to get is through Dollar, compact with all taxes and fees: $180.08.

The base price is: 1 Week at $139.99 per week. Unlimited mileage.

So, I figure that's about $27.99 a day.

I've read where many people have been able to get compacts for around $12 a day through priceline. I'd even be happy with $20.00 a day if I could get it.

So, I went to Priceline, and was going through the steps but when it gets to:

Your pick-up/drop-off location
You've selected Orlando, FL as your pick-up/drop-off location. (Change)

• Orlando Intl (MCO)

• Downtown Disney (Details)

But, I've repeatedly put in SFB or Sanford, FL or some variation thereof. I've clicked the change link and have changed it but inevitably it comes back to the above!!

I've contacted Priceline to see if I'm doing something wrong but they've not gotten back to me yet.

So, I thought I'd come and ask all of you your experiences.

Thanks for your help.

 

[CarolA]

If Priceline does not list the location then you cannot pick it as a "name your own price" So it appears Sanford is not an airport where the offer the service.

I think your current price is pretty good for Sanford, the rental cars are just higher there.

You might check Hotwire. I don't know if they service Sanford or not.

 

[ForTheLoveofDisney]

Thanks, CarolA!

Your explanation makes much more sense than Priceline's did.

This is the email that they sent me:

Dear Ms. Xxxxx,

Thank you for taking the time to send us an e-mail. We understand that
you are unable to remove your pick-up locations for your rental car
reservation. You would like to know whether you can Name Your Own Price
from SFB.

We apologize if you are having difficulty using our website. We work
hard to make our service convenient and accessible for all customers;
however, technology is not uniform across all Web browsers (i.e.
Netscape, AOL, Internet Explorer, etc.) and operating systems (i.e.
Windows 95, Macintosh). Technical difficulties can occur.

There may also be a temporary slowing of the request process due to
scheduled maintenance. You might want to try waiting a half hour and try
your request again.

If you continue to experience technical difficulties while using the
website, we suggest that you try to access our site from an alternate
computer, either at home, at work, or at a local library. At this time
we are not able to accept hotel or car rental requests over the
telephone.

We apologize for the inconvenience.

Sincerely,

Ashish A.
Customer Service Specialist

Very confusing if you ask me. Either you offer Name your own price or you don't. I don't know WHAT they were trying to say in this email.

ETA:: Just checked Hotwire.com but their lowest daily rate is $33.99. So, my $27.99 is still cheaper. Thanks again.

 

[CarolA]

Thanks, CarolA!

Your explanation makes much more sense than Priceline's did.

This is the email that they sent me:

Very confusing if you ask me. Either you offer Name your own price or you don't. I don't know WHAT they were trying to say in this email.

ETA:: Just checked Hotwire.com but their lowest daily rate is $33.99. So, my $27.99 is still cheaper. Thanks again.

Sounds like a canned response to me. They didn't even really read your question. I hate it when companies do that, but PL is not known for Customer Service.

 

[ForTheLoveofDisney]

OK, Priceline did confirm for me that you can not name your own price at Sanford. Thought I'd add this post in case anyone else ever has this question and happen to do a search.

Dear Mr. Xxxxx,

Thank you for taking the time to send us an e-mail. We understand that
you would like to know if you can Name Your Own Price at all airports
including the Sanford Airport in Florida or there are some places that
you just cannot Name Your Own Price.

At this time, the Name Your Own Price option is not available for your
desired location of the Sanford Airport, FL. We suggest that you try the
next closest major city. If we recognize the city, our system returns
the closest city that we serve.

If there is no city that is convenient for you, we recommend you choose
an itinerary from a list of our participating partners. Either way, you
will get an excellent deal.

We apologize for the inconvenience and hope this information is helpful
to you.

Sincerely,

Jayaraj M.