Rental Car while in Florida Questions???????

[dfchelbay]

Hi everyone. I hope you can help/guide me with hire car questions. My friend, who lives in England is in Florida right now. We called and reserved a car last month to pick up today, for three weeks in Orlando. When we made the reservation, they said the cost would be about $535 USD total. Today, when he picked up the car they said he had to pay an additional $1000 for insurance. We specifically asked when making the reservation if there were any other costs for a foreign driver (with auto insurance) when renting the car and was told as long as their license was in english, they would be treated the same as a US driver with no additional charges.

What are your experiences with renting a car in Florida? Do you pay extra for insurance and if so, how much? Who do you rent your cars from...what company? This $1000 is so excessive. A one year policy if you own a car in the USA isn't even $1000. Can anyone recommend where to call and rent a car in Orlando. He is going to return this car ASAP, he had to have it for today tho. Thanks

 

[Samaya]

Hi everyone. I hope you can help/guide me with hire car questions. My friend, who lives in England is in Florida right now. We called and reserved a car last month to pick up today, for three weeks in Orlando. When we made the reservation, they said the cost would be about $535 USD total. Today, when he picked up the car they said he had to pay an additional $1000 for insurance. We specifically asked when making the reservation if there were any other costs for a foreign driver (with auto insurance) when renting the car and was told as long as their license was in english, they would be treated the same as a US driver with no additional charges.

What are your experiences with renting a car in Florida? Do you pay extra for insurance and if so, how much? Who do you rent your cars from...what company? This $1000 is so excessive. A one year policy if you own a car in the USA isn't even $1000. Can anyone recommend where to call and rent a car in Orlando. He is going to return this car ASAP, he had to have it for today tho. Thanks

First of all, phone the car rental company right away and explain your problem and that you want to return the car right away or at the latest tomorrow and hopefully to receive a full refund of the unused days. This might not be that easy but if you are lucky and you do get a refund then go online and make a reservation from one of the UK web sites such as Holiday Auto's www.holidayautos.co.uk/

It is best to be done online rather than by phoning a UK number and a booking can be made for tomorrow quite easily; an example for 21-days and a 4-door intermediate is £379 which covers airport fee, breakdown assistance, collision damage waiver, environmental tax, local taxes, supplementary liability insurance, theft waiver, third party liability insurance, unlimited mileage and loss damage waiver.

There is an optional total damage excess waiver (TDEW) for a cost of £104.79 but most decline this option and to do so just un-tick the box in option 3.

This is only one of many rental companies that offer UK residents reasonable all inclusive rates but it must be booked through a UK company so to get the better rate. Booking directly from a US company-website will nearly always result in a UK resident paying extra for the insurance cover. (Hope that makes sense)

Here's another web site to check which searches from a list of rental companies, http://www.travelsupermarket.com/c/cheap-car-hire/usa/florida/

But do make sure you can get a refund first before making a new reservation and if not refunded straight away and back onto a credit card then make sure you have written confirmation of the refund and the amount.

Your friends will need access to a computer and printer so to print off the voucher that they will normally need to take to the rental company.

What is the name of the rental company and size of car they have booked and hopefully you will soon get other DIS members offering more advice on who best to make a booking with.

Good luck, keep us posted and hope your friends have a great vacation.

 

[Samaya]

Forgot to say, the hire company through a Holiday Autos booking is more often than not an Alamo rental.

Also, if using Holiday Auto's please use the following link for a discount, a 4-door intermediate will then only cost £322 instead of £379 from the link I previously posted.

http://www.holidayautos.co.uk/cgi-bin/liveweb.sh/QSearch.w?ctryref=GBR&lang=EN&aff=xoneaccount

Happy New Year

 

[dfchelbay]

OP here: Thanks for your response I forwarded it to him so that he can make the appropriate changes. Thanks so much for your help.

 

[Samaya]

OP here: Thanks for your response I forwarded it to him so that he can make the appropriate changes. Thanks so much for your help.

Hope it can be sorted out quickly, best of luck and good night....... Samaya

 

[wayneg]

Hope they get it sorted out. Worst way possible for a UK resident is renting direct with a US rental company. They charge approx 3 times the amount compared to booking thru a UK agent.

 

[bex7583]

what does the tdew cover you for thats not included in the cdw??

 

[Samaya]

what does the tdew cover you for thats not included in the cdw??

The following is taken from Holiday Auto's web site.......

6.3 total damage excess waiver
Inclusions
The excess otherwise payable under the Collision Damage Waiver
The excess otherwise payable under the Theft Protection
Damage to:
Wheels & Tyres
Windows/Windscreen
Interior
The underside or roof of the car
Replacement Keys
Exclusions
Damage occurring as a result of your or a member of your party's negligence (including, but not limited to, where any rental vehicle has been driven off-road, has been driven on unsealed roads, has been driven without due care and attention, or has been driven negligently)
Where the driver is under the influence of alcohol or drugs
Where the driver(s) has not been named on the rental agreement
Damage caused by the rental vehicle being towed away by anyone not authorised by the rental company.
If any of these exclusions apply, your liability to pay for any damage may not be waived and you could be liable for the full cost up to and exceeding the excess.

 

[Samaya]

what does the tdew cover you for thats not included in the cdw??

Forgot to add, this is what CDW covers and also what isn't covered, again taken from the Holiday Auto's web site......

5.1 collision damage waiver
Your rental will always include Collision Damage Waiver. Collision Damage Waiver will waive your liability to pay for damage to the vehicle during the period of hire, subject to the exclusions listed below.

Your liability is waived subject to you paying a charge, referred to as an 'excess' which limits your liability to the excess itself. In some instances, an excess will not apply and you will be advised of this at the time of making your booking.

Where damage is caused to the vehicle on separate occasions, each incident will be considered as a separate claim, and therefore you may be liable for more than one excess.

Collision Damage Waiver covers most circumstances where damage has been caused to the vehicle during the period of hire.

However it is subject to certain exclusions which may differ between car rental companies, so we recommend checking these with the rental company on picking up the car.

Common exclusions are listed below.
Exclusions
Damage to the windows/windscreen, interior, wheels, tyres, underside or roof of the car
Damage occurring as a result of your or a member of your party's negligence (including, but not limited to, where any rental vehicle has been driven off-road, has been driven on unsealed roads, has been driven without due care and attention, or has been driven negligently)
Where the driver is under the influence of alcohol or drugs
Where the driver(s) has not been named on the rental agreement
Damage caused by the rental vehicle being towed away by anyone not authorised by the rental company.
In any of these circumstances, your liability to pay for any damage may not be waived and you could be liable for the full cost up to and exceeding the excess.

To give you more peace of mind, we offer two levels of optional protection whereby you can receive a refund of the excess even in the event of damage to the car. See 'Damage Excess Waiver' products below.

 

[wayneg]

TDEW is not something I have ever bought, rented around 40 cars totalling 70-80 weeks in the states, never needed it so wouldn't buy it.