Rental car hidden fees ?

[JollyHoliday]

I don't know maybe I was ripped off. I went to WDW in 2003 and rented a Caravan from Dollar Rent a Car at MCO Airport.I booked it with a discount code rate of $199.99 for the week.When we picked up the van we where in rental agreement SHOCK!!Our $199.99 fee now was $497.52. The guy at the counter told us that Florida has a no fault car accident policy and our own car insurance would not cover it. So we paid for the additional coverage.Is this true? I would like to rent a car again ,but with not all the hidden fees.
Thanks,JollyHoliday

 

[JimmyJackJunior]

No, I brought proof of insurance and budget did not charge me. I have also rented cars serveral times in Hawaii who have no fault insurance and not been charged except one year when I forgot the proof of insurance. My insurance agent provides me with a drivers licence sized laminated card for proof.

 

[missmulan]

Most major credit cards have automobile rental coverage (liability). You might want to dispute that charge with Dollar's Corporate office AND with your credit card company.

 

[mom23]

YIKES! I would have had a heart attack right then and there!

 

[JollyHoliday]

Thanks guys for your input.I will bring my car insurance card next time.That was our first time renting a car and we did not expect that!

 

[mmouse37]

You should definately fight that charge.....they always ask...we always decline the insurance. Don't let them bamboozle you into buying their insurance.....

But, $199 rate will have $40-$50 in taxes added on....can't help that one!!!

We always do ressie online and at the end of the booking process it will show the estimated total amount....that amount will include the taxes so you can see how much the total will be.

The only extras then would be if you pay for gas upfront or take the insurance.

MJ

 

[Tigger&Belle]

The last two times that I've rented a vehicle I've had proof if insurance and have not had to show it. This is with Dollar. Last time I had a midsize rental for one week and presented an upgrade coupon and ended up with a minivan for my $137 inclusive fee (they didn't have the fullsize upgrade and offered the minivan).

If you still have the paperwork and proof of insurance (your insurance company should be able to provide that for the dates of your 2003 trip) , I would also dispute the charge, not to mention an e-mail or snail mail blitz to any and everyone within the company that you can find an address for.

T&B

 

[DVC Minnie]

Definitely dispute the charge with your credit card company. It may be too late since the rental was in 2003.

The Diners Club credit card is a neat card to have for charging your car rentals to. They become the primary insurer instead of your own personal auto insurance policy for most types of vehicles.

 

[inkkognito]

I too would dispute it. That's a total lie and utterly ridiculous! I have never dealt with Dollar, but if I did and they tried to pull that, I would laugh in the agent's face. Hopefully by disputing it and complaining to the corporate office, you can get a credit.
Barb

 

[Par8hed]

I rented from Dollar 2 weeks ago. Declined the insurance and did not have to produce proof of any sort. "Almost" all personal policies cover rentals. Check with your agent.

 

[G00fyDad]

"Almost" all personal policies cover rentals.

Not really. I know lots of people that have cars that may be 5 or more years old with full coverage insurance and they cannot trandfer their policies to rentals. The reason is that if you own a car that is even one year older than the car you are renting then the insurance company will not cover a "more expensive" vehicle. The rates you pay reflect (among other things) the year of car you have. If you have a 2004 and are renting a 2005 then the 2005 is obviously going to cost more to buy or total out than the 2004. A lot of insurance companies will only transfer liability and NOT your full coverage. Liabilty is not sufficient because if you have a wreck and it is your fault then you will owe the price of the repairs, plus any and ALL costs lost by the rental company while that vehicle is in the shop. And they do ream you there. They will charge the vehicles rate per day each day it is in the shop. (about $50 a day) And the shop has no obligation to get done fast. If they take a couple of weeks then it will be $700.

I would rather pay the extra $150 I am paying in October for the reassurance that if I hit someone then I dont have to pay a dime. I havent driven in Florida since I was 17. Thats 15 years ago. And as I remember the roads around there (Jacksonville anyway) were really confusing. Lights above the streets disctaing what lanes to be in by red X's and green arrows, big huge metal disks in the middle of the road to corral you in to the correct lane, etc...

For your case though (JollyHoliday) being that the incident is 2 years old, you may not be able to do anything about it.

 

[cjsmith]

Here is Florida it is the driver that is insured so you can use your own insurance towards your rental car. My husband rents cadillacs from our local Enterprise every week to travel for work so we don't put mileage on his car. He is covered under our insurance from Nationwide so we dont' need to take out the extra coverage from Enterprise. I reconfirmed this with our agent prior to his first rental.

 

[G00fyDad]

Here is Florida it is the driver that is insured ...

What do you mean? I dont understand.

 

[beattyfamily]

Wow! Sounds like you were majorly ripped off but I think it's too late to fight it.

Never buy the insurance (since you are covered by your own policy or your CC) and make sure you have your confirmation print out so the total matches.

Luckily I've never had a shock like that. My grand total has always matched what was on my confirmation.

I would have put up a BIG stink if my grand total went up that much!!!

 

[lbgraves]

GoofyDad, please check with your credit card company if you will be using one to pay for the rental car. All of the major Visa & MCs that I know of include coverage of this insurance when you rent a car so you can decline the rental company's expensive coverage & still be covered. I used to work for HCS, who opperates many of the major cards and this was the case with our CCs.

 

[Par8hed]

Not really. I know lots of people that have cars that may be 5 or more years old with full coverage insurance and they cannot trandfer their policies to rentals. The reason is that if you own a car that is even one year older than the car you are renting then the insurance company will not cover a "more expensive" vehicle. The rates you pay reflect (among other things) the year of car you have. If you have a 2004 and are renting a 2005 then the 2005 is obviously going to cost more to buy or total out than the 2004. A lot of insurance companies will only transfer liability and NOT your full coverage. Liabilty is not sufficient because if you have a wreck and it is your fault then you will owe the price of the repairs, plus any and ALL costs lost by the rental company while that vehicle is in the shop. And they do ream you there. They will charge the vehicles rate per day each day it is in the shop. (about $50 a day) And the shop has no obligation to get done fast. If they take a couple of weeks then it will be $700.

As I stated, check with your agent for the specifics on your individual policy. There are specific provisions for rental coverage. With my policy the only cost I would incur is the deductible, the same as if I wreck my personal car. I can not and will not be charged for any "lost time" the rental company incurs. Again I urge you to go over your policy. The rental companies, as we see by the OP, love to take advantage of people. I suspect that there is a good chance you are either paying that extra $150 for nothing or that you could upgrade your policy to cover you fully for LESS than that $150 you are handing over to the rental company.

 

[momofgrrr8kids]

BE CAREFUL!!
At the rental counter in Orlando the woman at Budget INSISTED I needed extra insurance. Would not take NO for an answer, even as I calmly explained we already had coverage from our carrier at home AND through our credit card.........she finally said "okay, initial here to decline insurance" and I stupidly did so......without reading what I was initialing! DUMB! DUMB! DUMB!When I returned the car a week later the $$ total was sky high due to that insurance. Took MANY phone calls over months to finally be credited with the difference. I learned a very valuable lesson!!!!

 

[G00fyDad]

... I suspect that there is a good chance you are either paying that extra $150 for nothing or that you could upgrade your policy to cover you fully for LESS than that $150 you are handing over to the rental company.

I actually stated in my previous post:

A lot of insurance companies will only transfer liability and NOT your full coverage.

Mine does NOT transfer my full coverage. My wife and I both have 2003 vehicles with full coverage insurance. And the insurance agent told me that they will only transfer over the liability, not the full coverage.

As for the credit card thing, I prefer not to use our credit cards unless it is an emergency. Renting a car doesnt qualify as an emergency.

 

[Par8hed]

BE CAREFUL!!
At the rental counter in Orlando the woman at Budget INSISTED I needed extra insurance. Would not take NO for an answer, even as I calmly explained we already had coverage from our carrier at home AND through our credit card.........she finally said "okay, initial here to decline insurance" and I stupidly did so......without reading what I was initialing! DUMB! DUMB! DUMB!When I returned the car a week later the $$ total was sky high due to that insurance. Took MANY phone calls over months to finally be credited with the difference. I learned a very valuable lesson!!!!

I'm confused. What exactly did you initial? Did you verbally decline the insurance and then get misled into accepting it on paper? If that's the case I would be raising some major @#$% with Budget.

 

[Par8hed]

As for the credit card thing, I prefer not to use our credit cards unless it is an emergency. Renting a car doesnt qualify as an emergency.

Might I suggest an American Express card which you pay off in full and will give you the protection of a credit card.
BTW...How do you manage to reserve a car without a credit card?