Just had to share!

[tlkkrados]

Hi, I'm a long time reader and a new poster on here. I just had to share an experience my husband and I had during our last trip to the World 10/12 - 10/18. I had searched for months on websites for the best deals on rental cars in the Orlando area. I finally stumbled across a rental company by the name of Americar and found out that the rate they were offering was about $90 cheaper than any other rate I had found. We discussed it and decided that a car was a car and the only thing we would be giving up was on airport pickup. We didn't mind taking the rental companies shuttle bus so we said what the heck! Boy did we get a shock when we were standing at the counter waiting to get our car and the gentleman behind the counter said "I have the compact that you reserved but I was just wondering if maybe you would be interested in getting an upgrade to a car with POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES!!!!" At that point I started laughing because apparently there really is a difference in car companies!!! Oh and to top it off I was able to BARTER the price difference from $9 a day extra down to $4 a day extra. The total price still came up quite a bit cheaper but it just cracked us up!!!!!

 

[CarolA]

Hmm... I think Power brakes are an absolute must for me! I have driven without power steering, but don't really want to.

I think this one may be too cheap for me.

 

[erikthewise]

Hmmm... I didn't think there were any Yugo's still running!

A car without power steering or brakes doesn't qualify as "compact", it would fall in the "subeconomy" classification.

 

[sgtdisney]

It would be interesting to know what kind of car that they had 'reserved' for you. I know there are some super low end economy cars without power steering, but I thought just about every car had power brakes these days. Did they tell you what kind of car that they were going to give you. It almost sounds to me like they were trying to talk you into an upgrade just to get more money and had you rejected they would have given you the same car. I know Dollar and a few others will try to 'upgrade' you to another car class when they don't have any of the kind you have reserved on the lot.

 

[inkkognito]

sgtdisney may be right. I saw a story similar to this on the Transportation board once. The person insisted on being given the vehicle that was "reserved" for them, and it turns out that it didn't exist and they were upgraded for free. Sounds like a trick pulled by unscrupulous companies. Bartering for a car rate reminds me of a flea market!
Did they pressure you heavily to take the insurance too?
We prefer to use Happy Limo, but sometimes we come down for a quickie Orlando weekend and like to have a car to bum around town. I get one of the MCO agencies via Priceline. I've had them try to get me to buy an upgrade when it turns out they had no cars in my class. I refused every time and got the upgrade free. Once, Hertz upgraded me from an economy to a RAV4! That was a fun vehicle.
I've seen Americar very cheap on Orbitz, but based on your experience, I'm (power)steering clear!
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[danny1649]

Thank you for sharing your experience I found it interesting and good info to know.Glad you still got a good rate.

 

[DJBounce]

You can laugh but....I had a similar experience last summer. It wasn't at MCO or any other airport. It was at the dealer where I purchased my car and took it in for a minor repair. SInce I hold car rental insurance, and since the repair was under warranty they gave me a loaner for free. I signed the paperwork and walked out to a chevy metro with no power steering or power brakes. I never left the lot before going back to the service manager and asking him what third world country he got his loaners from. Since the car I took in was an Olds Alero I asked for something comparable. No dice! I called my wife to pick me up as the repair was going to be finished later that day anyway. The bad thing was, the loaner cars at the dealer are through a nationwide rental car company.....yikes.

 

[tlkkrados]

Believe it or not they didn't pressure me at all to get the insurance. I was prepared for that too with all the insurance documents that I needed. They very well may not have had the kind of car I had reserved but since we were having to make a drive clear up to Tallahassee (my husbands a HUGE Seminole fan) and back we didn't want to take the chance that we might have to make that drive without the brakes and steering! Oh well, live and learn. I learned a long time ago not to get too worried about things like that anyway. It gave us a good laugh and something to talk about for years to come!

 

[Kevenswife2]

.....A Chevy Metro without the power stuff? You might see me sitting somewhere along I-4 crying as that's what I have reserved from "a national rental chain" . In this day and age I thought they ALL had the power stuff. I wouldn't mind driving a stick shift though, inside...say, a red convertible! What model year was this Metro because you're scaring me!

 

[Kevenswife2]

Uh oh! I just went back and REALLY read the options on my reserved car and nowhere does it mention any power options. All other types of cars have power-assist steering and anti lock brakes...mine will have air bags and a radio (not stereo)...woohoo.

I was only concerned with it holding the three of us and our luggage. I thought the only cars without "power" were the ones made before I was born. At least I now have a 'heads up' and know what might be waiting in MCO for me.

 

[DJBounce]

The metro in question was a late 90's model. I asked the rental guy about it and all he could say was "yeah well..."