Car Rental Question

[BuzznBelle'smom]

We're going to WDW in July, and I booked a rental car (actually a minivan) a few months ago. I've found the prices bottom out about 6 months out. Since then, the prices have gone up. So, here's the issue: I have the van reserved Sat-Sat, but we've decided to actually fly in on Friday. Of course, we decided this after the rental price went up. Our current plan is to fly in Friday evening, stay at a hotel near the airport, then take the hotel shuttle to the airport to pick up the rental on Sat.

So, here's the question: Does anybody know if you can show up at the car rental counter a day early, and have luck getting a vehicle? Obviously, we'd pay for the extra day. I'm afraid that, if we try this, they'll want to charge us a much higher rate than the one we have locked in for our Sat-Sat rental. That's why I havent' cancelled the existing reservation toi try to book a new one.

TIA for any advice.

 

[bbwhos]

I don't know really for sure but one time we went to check in 5 min early with Alamo on a weekly rental and the kiosk automatically changed our ressie to a more expensive fee. I asked the counter staff who said I had to wait the 5 min to get the price I reserved. Go figure ...

 

[cmhguy]

Last year, I extended a vacation from 5 to 7 days a few weeks before my departure. I too had a very low Alamo rate for the 5 days. I was given two choices: I could extend my rez resulting in the price going up to the current rental rate for all 7 days (which was a huge price jump), or I could keep my original 5 day rez and make a separate/new rez for the additional 2 days. The later was cheaper. I had to return my 5-day rez car to the airport and pick up a new one (a new rez). Took about an hour 'ish of my time, but it was worth it for the savings. Think about making a 1-day rez if you have the time to go back to Alamo and go through the return/pick up process.

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

I was considering making a second reservation for the one day. I'd really rather not have to go back the second day, but we could probably do that. I'm going to talk to AAA tomorrow, see if they can help at all, and I'd consider calling the rental agency, too, and see if I would have to actually show up on the Saturday.

A side issue, too, is that we're not supposed to pick up the van until noon on Sat. I definitely will be smarter about this next time.

 

[Rpsemont]

Keep checking rental rates. For our last two trips, I have gotten my lowest rates about 7 weeks before the trip.

If you have a really good rate, don't change it; just make more reservations.

We leave today, but three weeks ago I had 6 car rental reservations, some for pick up at MCO, some for pick up at DTD, some were 8 days, some were 12 days, some for mid size, some for full size. I narrowed it to two reservations then, and just 3 days ago, cancelled all but the least expensive one. We ended up with a full size car, for 13 days for $291 totoal cost, extra driver free. Believe it or not, I did better at Christmas (17 days for $287) but overall I'm happy with it.

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

Thanks for the input.

This is what we've done so far: A big bugaboo for that Sat. is, we were supposed to arrive, go to Epcot, and have dinner at Akershus. Then, leave Epcot, check in to the rental house, unpack, shop, etc. We added a second Akershus reservation for later in the trip--haven't cancelled the first one yet, but we'll only go once. We're thinking the kids may have enough of Epcot for that day by mid-afternoon, so then we can leave, do the rental car swap, check in to the house, etc. So, even if we can't get a low rental rate, we'll only have to pay the higher rate for the one day. Last time we were in Orlando, our younger DD couldn't relax and enjoy the parks until she got to swim in the pool at the rental house. She kept bugging us to go swimming. So, a shorter first day at Epcot wouldn't be a burden at all. Plus, we're going for 16 days--we have plenty of park time.

I will continue to look for low rates, and definitely check 6-8 weeks out.

 

[tano7ah]

i have the opposite issue , i got a great price from alamo ! but unfortunately they dont have an office at port canaveral ! so we decided to book a car from avis or budget for the same periode ! and a car from alamo office in the city starting from the second day !
my husband dont like to switch cars ! he said its will be wasting of time unless he didnt like the car rented from avis or budget
so we maybe return the car to them the second day if the car is old or not worth the rates
the Q if we return the car a week earlier ! what rates they'll charge us ? is it ok to do it ?

 

[azdizzymom]

i have the opposite issue , i got a great price from alamo ! but unfortunately they dont have an office at port canaveral ! so we decided to book a car from avis or budget for the same periode ! and a car from alamo office in the city starting from the second day !
my husband dont like to switch cars ! he said its will be wasting of time unless he didnt like the car rented from avis or budget
so we maybe return the car to them the second day if the car is old or not worth the rates
the Q if we return the car a week earlier ! what rates they'll charge us ? is it ok to do it ?

If you return the early the will charge you LOTS more than your quote as you are changing the terms of the rental agreement. Most likely it would be the walk-up rate which is more than your discounted rate you have. Any time you change the terms of the rental agreement they will charge you more. Some people try and do a weeky rental and return a few days early...get charged more. Now a couple hours or so...probably no biggie but days early you are going to get charged more. Call and ask the rental company what the new rate would be or book a new reservation. No one here can tell you exactly what the new rate would be but to answer the question you can return early BUT you will pay more!

 

[tano7ah]

If you return the early the will charge you LOTS more than your quote as you are changing the terms of the rental agreement. Most likely it would be the walk-up rate which is more than your discounted rate you have. Any time you change the terms of the rental agreement they will charge you more. Some people try and do a weeky rental and return a few days early...get charged more. Now a couple hours or so...probably no biggie but days early you are going to get charged more. Call and ask the rental company what the new rate would be or book a new reservation. No one here can tell you exactly what the new rate would be but to answer the question you can return early BUT you will pay more!

Thank you so much do you think if i call them i'll know what's exactly the available cars from the category we reserved ? its will help us to know wich model to compare the prices

 

[tano7ah]

still waiting

 

[tano7ah]

if i call them i'll know what's exactly the available cars from the category we reserved ? its will help us to know wich model to compare the prices

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

I went to AAA yesterday, to buy tickets and I mentioned my car rental dilemma. She was able to get a minivan rental, including the extra day I needed, for only $10 more than if I booked a second car for the one day, then returned it and got my cheapo rental. So, the $10 saves us the time and hassle of returning to the airport--we figured it was a bargain. She's also checking to see if Hertz will do a price match. I haven't cancelled the original reservation yet, and I have the Dollar one, and a Hertz one. We'll likely go with Hertz, assuming they price match.

So, I learned my lesson, which is "book several vehicles if your plans aren't completely firm". In addition, people should be checking with their travel agent--she may be able to get you a great deal on a car rental!

 

[kaytieeldr]

So, I learned my lesson, which is "book several vehicles if your plans aren't completely firm".

Actually, that's not the lesson - and as soon as jlewininsyr sees this thread he'll explain why . He does it much better than I. But the primary lesson is "don't book a rental car until your plans are firm" or "book rental cars consecutively, not concurrently".

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

Well, here's the problem with that--the rental costs were much, much lower before the flights were posted on the Southwest website. Since we could potentially fly out of 3 different airports (4 if you count Albany, but it's never had competitve fares), into potentially 3 airports (I look at Daytona, too), and can consider a late afternoon Friday flight--the flights alone get complicated.

However, I would be quicker to talk to my travel agent next time.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

Actually, that's not the lesson - and as soon as jlewininsyr sees this thread he'll explain why . He does it much better than I. But the primary lesson is "don't book a rental car until your plans are firm" or "book rental cars consecutively, not concurrently".

BWHAHAHA...

And to explain, rental companies are similar in inventory pricing control as airlines, the less inventory left unbooked, the higher the prices go to reserve the remaining limited inventory.

There is a difference in the inventory model for car rentals, is that they don't impose fees under most rentals for no-shows (yet, I'm looking forward when they do). So car rental companies have to predict inventory with more of a hedge then airlines (airlines do have no shows but the amount is a little more predictable and is compensated through fees and fares that are higher for flexibility).

The more rentals people make "to hold a price" the less inventory there is. This seems to be even more prevalent in cities where there is a higher tourist market because tourists typically are more price sensitive and less brand loyal (business travelers are to a point the opposite). The DIS also points out many people book multiple rentals playing with codes/discounts that they probably are not eligibile for, but still book (unethically may I add) to save a "buck."

So in the end, the OP and others like them who often hold more then one rental are part of the increasing problem of higher and higher rates (add to it that rates are also going up due to reduced inventory that has been planned by the companies and a stead increase in demand by consumers).

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

BWHAHAHA...

And to explain, rental companies are similar in inventory pricing control as airlines, the less inventory left unbooked, the higher the prices go to reserve the remaining limited inventory.

There is a difference in the inventory model for car rentals, is that they don't impose fees under most rentals for no-shows (yet, I'm looking forward when they do). So car rental companies have to predict inventory with more of a hedge then airlines (airlines do have no shows but the amount is a little more predictable and is compensated through fees and fares that are higher for flexibility).

The more rentals people make "to hold a price" the less inventory there is. This seems to be even more prevalent in cities where there is a higher tourist market because tourists typically are more price sensitive and less brand loyal (business travelers are to a point the opposite). The DIS also points out many people book multiple rentals playing with codes/discounts that they probably are not eligibile for, but still book (unethically may I add) to save a "buck."

So in the end, the OP and others like them who often hold more then one rental are part of the increasing problem of higher and higher rates (add to it that rates are also going up due to reduced inventory that has been planned by the companies and a stead increase in demand by consumers).

I only agree with you to a point. When you call and book, say, 4 car rentals 6 months out, you know you're going to ditch at least 3 of them. Speaking only for myself, I'm going to firm up my plans at least 3 months out--by that point, I know my flights, work issues are smoothed out, and so forth. Once that is set, I have no need for 3 of the rentals, so I cancel. That inventory goes back into circulation for re-rental. I'm not seeing the harm in that.

I would also point out that what I'm doing is perfectly acceptable to the industry, or they would change their policies of raising rental rates 5 months out, and allowing a 48-hour cancellation. But, I think the 48-hour timeframe is meant more for the business traveller, which is where their real profit is. They could potentially go to the airline strategy of having a lower price but no cancellation or changes. They choose not to do this. So, I really don't understand your argument. I'm not trying to give you a hard time, but I see this as perfectly within my rights as a rental customer.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

I only agree with you to a point. When you call and book, say, 4 car rentals 6 months out, you know you're going to ditch at least 3 of them. Speaking only for myself, I'm going to firm up my plans at least 3 months out--by that point, I know my flights, work issues are smoothed out, and so forth. Once that is set, I have no need for 3 of the rentals, so I cancel. That inventory goes back into circulation for re-rental. I'm not seeing the harm in that.

I would also point out that what I'm doing is perfectly acceptable to the industry, or they would change their policies of raising rental rates 5 months out, and allowing a 48-hour cancellation. But, I think the 48-hour timeframe is meant more for the business traveller, which is where their real profit is. They could potentially go to the airline strategy of having a lower price but no cancellation or changes. They choose not to do this. So, I really don't understand your argument. I'm not trying to give you a hard time, but I see this as perfectly within my rights as a rental customer.

You are in your rights to do as you say, but understand that you are part of the problem with leisure rates increasing. If it was just you who did this, it wouldn't have hardly impact, but if you have 1,000s of people doing this, it has an effect. It doesn't matter if you're doing it 2 days out or 365 days out, it still all comes down to inventory management.