Sometimes you may think that you have found the perfect car rental company after the introduction of the company workers. Yes they indeed offer you their best services, but no matter how perfect their service would be, they will never tell you ten truths about their car rental.
1. "We're a tax magnet."
With the growing need for travel or business communication, customers are paying more for their car rental services, due to an unprecedented slew of taxes and fees. All these extra money don’t go to the rental car company but into city and state coffers, where it’s used to fund municipal projects.
2. "We track your every move."
Over the past few years, rental agencies have began to install GPS devices in their vehicles. Besides allowing companies to track cars that are lost or stolen, it will also let them know when you have been speeding or have taken a car into another city. Some companies will charge customers for speeding, in the reason of protecting their vehicles.
3. "Our prices are etched in sand."
In fact the rental car agencies use something called yield-management technology. They will adjust pricing depending on how many cars are available. All this will make you frustrated when you try to find the best rental deal. Even the way you book can affect prices.
4. "You probably don't need our insurance."
Most companies make reserving and renting a car very easy—until it comes to the issue of insurance. What the overeager reps won’t tell you is that you may already be covered, either partially or completely.
5. "Your reservation doesn't mean bupkis."
A reservation is not a guarantee. The rental agreement is contingent on availability. In fact you’re not reserving a specific car model, but simply a class of car. What a reservation actually means is that the company is supposed to have some kind of vehicle on the premises for you to rent.
6. "Special orders are our bread and butter."
Just like supermarkets, rental car companies bank on getting their customers to do some impulse buying at the checkout counter. A rental vehicle tricked out with extra features could run you much more. Pushing specialty cars is a common way the companies will use.
7. "The little guys charge less."
Some people would choose to rent vehicles from big car rental companies, but there are hosts of smaller, independent companies that offer significantly better rates The prices they offer will be 15 to 30% cheaper than the large chains.
8. "We're cutting corners anywhere we can."
Over the past few years the fine print on rental contracts has not so subtly been changing. In another move to cut corners, rental companies have began making customers liable for some natural damage.
9. "Think gas prices are high at the pump? Look what we charge."
Rental car companies generally charge a little more for gas. Not filling the tank can tack on an additional expense. You are paying for the gas plus the luxury of not having to pump it yourself.
10. "We offer some terrific deals — on Thursdays when the moon is full."
On every rental car company website, there are ads flaunting the companies’ latest deals. But there are so many rules and restrictions involved that it's often impossible to get exactly the deal that's being advertised.