A Few Tips on Renting Vehicles (or, "A Haggling Opportunity Without Having to go to Tijuana")
Okay, so since I started working for a rental car agency I've learned a few handy things.
First of all, make a reservation online beforehand for the cheapest care they have. You're not really reserving a car, you see, you're reserving a rate. Furthermore, they have hardly have any of them in their fleet so odds are you won't even be driving one. In fact, all week I have yet to have had an economy class car available at either counter. They are then REQUIRED to give you a free upgrade to the next available class. For free! So before you do anything, act like you WANT the economy car, and then find out, specifically, what car they will be putting you in.
THEN, if that's still not as cool as what you wanted, you can upgrade. Upgrades are tricky. You see, the sales agent will say there's a deal or something- but there's not. They get to make up whatever-the-hell deal they want to. The deals only exist according to the whim of the sales agent.
Oh, and they'll give you discounts for AAA or Sams club memberships- but they don't mention that they MAKE UP WHAT THE STINKING DISCOUNT IS. In fact, they'll ask what airline you flew in on, and regardless of what airline you say, they'll give you a discount just to make you feel like you're actually getting a deal. They're just trying to get as much upgrade $$ as possible.
Talk them down- they'll go down if they think you'll just settle for the free upgrade anyways. They NEED you to pay a little more, regardless of how much, because it affects their pay if they have lots of contracts with no upgrades or extra fees. The sales agent can decide whatever rate they want to give you on the car. The coverage fees (Loss Damage Waivers, Supplemental insurance, etc.) are set in stone and usually superfluous, but they can adjust everything. They also have the ability to waive the extra driver fees too. Be hardnosed, but treat them nicely, and you can get a freaking awesome deal.
So yeah. There you go.
First of all, make a reservation online beforehand for the cheapest care they have. You're not really reserving a car, you see, you're reserving a rate. Furthermore, they have hardly have any of them in their fleet so odds are you won't even be driving one. In fact, all week I have yet to have had an economy class car available at either counter. They are then REQUIRED to give you a free upgrade to the next available class. For free! So before you do anything, act like you WANT the economy car, and then find out, specifically, what car they will be putting you in.
THEN, if that's still not as cool as what you wanted, you can upgrade. Upgrades are tricky. You see, the sales agent will say there's a deal or something- but there's not. They get to make up whatever-the-hell deal they want to. The deals only exist according to the whim of the sales agent.
Oh, and they'll give you discounts for AAA or Sams club memberships- but they don't mention that they MAKE UP WHAT THE STINKING DISCOUNT IS. In fact, they'll ask what airline you flew in on, and regardless of what airline you say, they'll give you a discount just to make you feel like you're actually getting a deal. They're just trying to get as much upgrade $$ as possible.
Talk them down- they'll go down if they think you'll just settle for the free upgrade anyways. They NEED you to pay a little more, regardless of how much, because it affects their pay if they have lots of contracts with no upgrades or extra fees. The sales agent can decide whatever rate they want to give you on the car. The coverage fees (Loss Damage Waivers, Supplemental insurance, etc.) are set in stone and usually superfluous, but they can adjust everything. They also have the ability to waive the extra driver fees too. Be hardnosed, but treat them nicely, and you can get a freaking awesome deal.
So yeah. There you go.
Labels: Car problems, Ramble, work
posted by mags at 9:49 PM
1 Comments:
shaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaady...
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