Trustworthy Rental Car Company...recommendations?

[mershell]

Rental car companies are notorious for hidden costs and right now we have Dollar booked, which upon reading further, contains all manner of hidden fees they could assess at their will. I'm looking to book a trustworthy rental car with as few "surprises" as possible. Anyone have recommendations? Currently, I'm looking to pick up and drop off at MCO. It's actually the same price, if not cheaper, than picking up at Port and dropping off at MCO the same day. However, I'm open to that as well, as we really only need the car for our return day. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[MUN]

I don't believe the rental car companies have "hidden fees" that they can assess at their will. All fees should be noted when you reserve the car.

We have used Hertz, Budget, National, and Thrifty to get between MCO and PCC. All have been fine. On our past 2 cruises, we have had no wait when picking up a car from National at PCC.

 

[lanejudy]

I've never been hit with "hidden fees" for car rentals, and I rent for business travel and also personal/vacation use from a variety of the major rental companies. There are several optional add-ons available, and the rep will often review those choices at the counter when you do pick-up; just be aware of what you want/need, book just that, and give the same responses at pick-up. Don't add insurance unless you need it, don't add car seats unless you need them, don't add SunPass unless you need it, etc. These are all additional fees, but far from "hidden" as you have the option to select these items when you book so you'll be aware of the total cost. Make sure you fill the gas tank before returning the vehicle.

The only "hidden" fees I can think of are return time and mileage. Be sure to return the vehicle before the 24-hour day runs out so you aren't hit with extra hourly charges (for example, if you pick-up the vehicle at 10:00am, make sure to return it by 10:00am on the return date or you'll have extra hourly charges). Also, I always try to book a rate that includes unlimited mileage, but you do need to be aware of this especially if you plan a long drive with the rental as some rates include a set number of miles and per-mile fee after that. Again, all fees you should be aware of and can be controlled by you.

I think all of these fees are pretty much industry standard and will be possible regardless of which vendor you use. But all should be made known upfront when you book, and none should be a surprise. Just make sure you know what's included in the base rental rate and what's add-on.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[mershell]

Well we have had it happen on more than one occasion where we were quoted one price upon booking, only to be told of additional fees buried so deeply on the contract or made vague,so we are cautious. Even our AAA agent warned us. Anyway, we've decided to just shuttle/cab it. Thanks for your input. A car would be easier but we're on a very tight budget with limited credit, so a rental car is probably not our best choice.

 

[richmo]

I've never had problems with hidden fees. Sometimes agents will try to sell you addons, but you can always politely decline. I've found Alamo the easiest to deal with, since you can do the entire transaction without any intervention except at the exit gate.

If you decide to keep your MCO-MCO Dollar rental, remember to add in parking at the Port. However, when we cruised, I also found the MCO-MCO rental less expensive than two one-way rentals, even after adding in parking. Results on that vary though.

I don't think you would have a problem renting a car...just stick with the onsite agencies at MCO....Dollar should be fine if that's what you want to go with.

 

[MUN]

Well we have had it happen on more than one occasion where we were quoted one price upon booking, only to be told of additional fees buried so deeply on the contract or made vague,so we are cautious. Even our AAA agent warned us. Anyway, we've decided to just shuttle/cab it. Thanks for your input. A car would be easier but we're on a very tight budget with limited credit, so a rental car is probably not our best choice.

Depending on the number in your party, a rental car can be much less expensive than a shuttle or taxi.

I would be curious to know which rental car companies or companies your AAA agent believes are notorious for "assessing hidden fees at their will".

MUN

 

[southerngirl528]

I'm with the others. There really are no "Hidden" fees with rental car companies. I always, always have a hard copy of my rez to pull out if for any reason the price was different at pickup. I don't recall ever having to take it out, but it just gives me peace of mind.

There ARE a truckload of add-on fees no matter where you rent. Just be sure that the price you are looking at is the actual sum total with all associated taxes, fees, airport fees, etc., etc. It seems those fees just keep climbing and the add-on fees can almost double the baseline rental fee depending on where you are renting.

Richmo is correct that the agent at the counter will always try to upsell you on fuel, GPS, CDW insurance, etc., etc. If you don't want or need any of these just keep saying, "No thank you". You will have to initial several places on the contract that you have turned down these options. I think it is very important to take time to look at the bottom line price on that contract they present you with and make doubly sure it is the price at which you booked the car.

Lastly, and I think this is SUPER important: do NOT drive the car until you have done a good walk around inspection of the car for any damages and if there are any, make certain you get an employee to notate that they saw the damage and that they note on your contract where that damage is located. I'm big on the ounce of prevention beats a pound of cure any ol' day!!!

 

[Pooh2]

We have had good success with Enterprise at MCO. We do check the car over very carefully and note all dings, dents,scratches.

 

[GoofyNewfie]

I've had mixed experience at rental counters where some try to strong arm me into extra insurance and such. Make sure you know what you're already covered for. They're interested in making money and try quite hard, at times, to make a little extra. I've had great experiences too where I've even been talked down by the agent on some items because they didn't really feel I'd need it.

But what scares me, and why I often go for the extra insurance, is how you're at their whim when in an accident. A close friend of mine was side-swiped in Florida and even though the other driver admitted fault and there was an official police statement, the rental company keeps coming after my friend for damages. The other driver's insurance has been great to deal with trying to straighten it out, but the rental agency seems to be acting like they can get more money from my friend. For example, the rental contract says that they can claim loss of use against you which the rental company is trying to get from my friend. After calling up the other driver's insurance they said that the rental company declined to get them to pay it - the insurance agent suggests its because they can't prove they lost revenue because of it. So the rental company is either too lazy to prove loss of use or just wants the extra $$ from my friend. I'm totally sure that it doesn't always happen that way, but it's just too much hassle for me.

 

[MUN]

When renting from National at PCC, I've never had them attempt to "strongarm" me into extra insurance, etc. In and out, they are very efficient.

MUN

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

The big problem using your own insurance when renting a car is to make sure your completely covered. One of the *hidden costs* is that if you damage the car and you do not have the rental company insurance, they can charge to the daily rental cost until the car is repaired. You have to check and see if your own insurance covers this...MOST DO NOT!

I know its expensive, but I always take the rental car insurance and if there is a problem, I just hand them the keys and its their problem.
AKK

 

[Bear3412]

This insurance is awesome and is primary at the $25/rental level.
https://www295.americanexpress.com/...al insurance&gclid=CPjO35XQiMkCFdcRgQodt5QAkQ