i know this has been asked before - Alamo Roadside Plus

[disneyholic family]

i've put this question on the transportation board as well.

But since people on this board are Alamo experts, I'm posting here as well.

Can someone explain to me what Alamo Roadside Plus is?

I thought the advantage of renting a car is that if something goes wrong, they come to get you and fix it or give you a new one.

I thought that's included in the price of the rental.

So what is roadside plus?

Also, is the same true of the other companies (hertz, avis, national)?

 

[disneyholic family]

i just checked hertz, national and avis....very interesting..

national also has roadside plus (makes sense, since national and alamo are the same company)....
and national rates are identical to alamo's..


hertz and avis didn't have anything resembling roadside plus, and very interesting to me - hertz was only slightly more expensive than alamo/national (avis was strangely a LOT more expensive).

i wonder what hertz's take on roadside plus is....hmm....because if you add in roadside plus to the alamo rate, you get to the hertz rate (almost to the penny)...

but i guess that at hertz, you don't get to pick the car, like you do at alamo.
Does anyone know about that? Also is hertz inside the airport?

 

[paulfoel]

i've put this question on the transportation board as well.

But since people on this board are Alamo experts, I'm posting here as well.

Can someone explain to me what Alamo Roadside Plus is?

I thought the advantage of renting a car is that if something goes wrong, they come to get you and fix it or give you a new one.

I thought that's included in the price of the rental.

So what is roadside plus?

Also, is the same true of the other companies (hertz, avis, national)?

Hmm. So you pay them to hire a car and then you pay them extra to come and collect it if it breaks down.

Doesnt seem right to me....

 

[disneyholic family]

Hmm. So you pay them to hire a car and then you pay them extra to come and collect it if it breaks down.

Doesnt seem right to me....

yes, it seems so strange to me...
i don't understand it.

I know that when you rent a car here, whatever goes wrong they come and get you or bring you a new car.
they're really good about it. My mom rents when she comes to visit me, so i'm very familiar with Avis here (she's here every other month for a month at time - so we know it really well - actually, they're so good, that when they have to rent her a car with more mileage than she likes, the moment a better car is returned they call her up to exchange it - and if a brand new car comes in, they call her up to give it to her - so nice...)

getting back to alamo.,..
i can't remember if they had this roadside plus thing the last time i rented from them (2 years ago)...
i don't remember adding on for it, so either they had it and i didn't add it, or they didn't have it back then...

 

[Paula WBA]

I was offered this a couple of weeks ago whilst at International Airport and picking up the hire car. I said that I wasn't going to pay extra for something I was already covered for. The lady just smiled and carried out sorting out my booking and told me which row to collect my car from.

I think that it is just another try on to get more money out of you and if you don't know the tricks then you get caught out. As far as I am concerned I always have Gold insurance which should cover me for everything with regards to the car insurance so I shouldn't need to be asked to cough up any extra $$$.

I actually read on the paperwork whilst the lady was finishing up that if the car broke down then another would be sent out etc etc.

 

[disneyholic family]

I was offered this a couple of weeks ago whilst at International Airport and picking up the hire car. I said that I wasn't going to pay extra for something I was already covered for. The lady just smiled and carried out sorting out my booking and told me which row to collect my car from.

I think that it is just another try on to get more money out of you and if you don't know the tricks then you get caught out. As far as I am concerned I always have Gold insurance which should cover me for everything with regards to the car insurance so I shouldn't need to be asked to cough up any extra $$$.

I actually read on the paperwork whilst the lady was finishing up that if the car broke down then another would be sent out etc etc.

that is so irritating.....i'm sure you're right that it's just a scam to get more money from you...
and i hate it when they try to get you to upgrade the car at the airport...

 

[Jakey Rowling]

i wonder what hertz's take on roadside plus is....hmm....because if you add in roadside plus to the alamo rate, you get to the hertz rate (almost to the penny)...

but i guess that at hertz, you don't get to pick the car, like you do at alamo.
Does anyone know about that? Also is hertz inside the airport?

When my Hertz car refused to start 3 years ago in Seaworld car park, Hertz sent out the AAA to get it sorted, no problems. I still think this is the case.
https://www.hertz.co.uk/rentacar/by...rSelection=globNav_3_5_1&region=United States

You can pick your car with Hertz, they'll offer you one and if you don't like it you can swap it for something else available in the same class.

It's off airport, about 5 minutes in the shuttle which is very regular.

 

[disneyholic family]

When my Hertz car refused to start 3 years ago in Seaworld car park, Hertz sent out the AAA to get it sorted, no problems. I still think this is the case.
https://www.hertz.co.uk/rentacar/by...rSelection=globNav_3_5_1&region=United States

You can pick your car with Hertz, they'll offer you one and if you don't like it you can swap it for something else available in the same class.

It's off airport, about 5 minutes in the shuttle which is very regular.

thanks!
i'm going to rent an economy car this time, since it's just DD and me (we usually take the minivan)..
the last time it was just DD and me, i rented an economy car and alamo had only 2 cars available (as opposed to the 20 minivans they usually have)..
both of the economy cars were in terrible condition (smoking odor inside, very high mileage)..
so i'm not sure they're the best company for an economy car...
maybe i will try hertz..
DD and I used hertz when we were in chicago two years ago...we rented it in chicago and dropped it off in detroit....the car was excellent and the service was superb.....so maybe i should try them...

i was toying with the idea of renting a car in detroit (our first stop in the states) and driving to orlando and back...it's two days each way....
since the mileage is unlimited, the whole thing turns out really inexpensive...not all that much more than renting it for the same amount of time in orlando (since the detroit rates are cheaper than the orlando rates)..
but i'll save the road trip for the next time all 4 of us are in the states together...

 

[Jakey Rowling]

Join their #1 club, not sure if you would rent often enough to get the gold upgrade but its worth it (you don't need to speak to anyone, just turn up,find your bay # on the board and drive off).

There is a bonus 10% off your next rental if you join #1 club before 15 Dec.

https://www.hertz.co.uk/rentacar/em...Overview.jsp&leftNavUserSelection=globNav_4_2

You can try Virgin, BA etc CDP numbers for discounts but I've never found them better than the internet price anyway but it's worth a try.

 

[paulfoel]

that is so irritating.....i'm sure you're right that it's just a scam to get more money from you...
and i hate it when they try to get you to upgrade the car at the airport...

Car rental agents are generally scumbags who are trying to get more dosh off you.

I always have my own insurance (www.insure4carhire.co.uk) and this always winds them up. I've had a couple of them telling me that this insurance is not valid. yeh? right?