Archive for December, 2007

My experience with an independent car rental agency

This is a fax received from Shenni Bubb. 

shenni_bubb.jpg

We’d traveled a fair way, and now we were right in the heart of bustling Fort Lauderdale. Almost time to stretch the legs, refuel the car and change drivers. But first and foremost, I was going to choke the life out of Lola and Tahlia my two best friends. ‘Summer Holiday’ is an excellent song, yet my driving companions had killed my love for it hours ago. Lola certainly had a nice voice, and Thalia should not give up her day job, but her singing was tolerable. But, there’s definitely a limit to how many versions of one song you can tolerate. I’d hate to think what they both do for an encore!

The sun was strong and the skies were that typical aqua blue, with not a cloud to be seen. It was my turn to sing “New York.” This was what I’d be saving up for, for so long. A vacation to beautiful New York with my best friends. The fun we’d had along the way was awesome, the scenic views a treat indeed, and the panoramic mountain views were magnificent. Yet we were now in Fort Lauderdale, and this is where the trouble began. We’d no sooner refueled, grabbed a burger and coke, turned the car on and then realized we had trouble. Expensive trouble, the car kept holding back, it was the motor. Yes, Lola’s little Volkswagen had gone to Herbie Heaven.” It was expected eventually, but right now wasn’t a good time at all.

Fortunately Lola had been born and bred in Lauderdale, she knew where an excellent independent car rental establishment was. Tahlia and I couldn’t comprehend why Lola was laughing so hard, until we realized that we were right across the road from it! There it stood, ‘Quality Car and Van Rental.’
An independent, family owned business, which had been there for seven years. Not only family owned, but family operated as well. We had cash, but none of us had credit cards, would they rent a car to us? They sure would, and they also offered an airport shuttle service as well. But usually prior arrangements must be made.

We were all over the required age of twenty one, although we had wished they’d ask for proof of age. Well there’s no harm in hoping, when you’re fifty and a bit I guess! But they did want other identification of course. We had a wide range of cars to choose from and these were: Vans, luxury cars, Suvs, trucks, and a medley of economy rated vehicles as well. We chose a luxury car, well why not, for years we’d saved up for this holiday!

The service was second to none, fast and friendly. We also were given a rate which was excellent in comparison to what we later found the larger hire companies charged, such as Dollar, Hertz and Thrifty. In actual fact, Thrifty is not thrifty, unless you’re used to paying with gold nuggets and have the name of Rockefeller.

We were close to the Ft Lauderdale airport as well as Port Everglades. And having been told that the company also offers a shuttle bus service, both to and from there bought music to the ears. That’d certainly save on taxi fares from our motel.
They certainly are a company that goes out of their way to gain your business. They also offer transportation to Miami International and West Palm International Airports.
Our holiday was excellent, the rates we payed for the car rental saved us in excess of $150 in comparison to elsewhere. The service was excellent, and we also understood why the company rates a three star for customer service, and expertise, in the car rental business.

1 comment December 26th, 2007

Personal Accident Insurance

This provides coverage to you and your passengers for medical/ambulance bills. This type of insurance, usually costs about $1 to $5 per day, but may be unnecessary if you are covered by health insurance or have adequate medical coverage under your auto policy. PAI protects you in the event of accidental death or bodily injury for the duration of the rental. This coverage provides medical, ambulance and death benefits for the renter and passengers of the rental car in the event of an accident.

Add comment December 13th, 2007

Supplemental Liability Insurance

Supplemental Liability Insurance (SLI) is another type of coverage that you will encounter while renting a car. This provides liability protection for up to $1 million. Rental companies are required by law to provide the state required amount of liability insurance. For a fee of approximately $10 per day, the car rental company will supplement the liability insurance that the company must, by New York law, provide. If you are a renter who has minimal assets, the minimum coverage that car rental companies provides may be adequate to protect you from lawsuits by victims of accidents involving the rental car. If you have your own automobile insurance policy with coverage above the minimum amounts, your policy should cover you when you operate a rental vehicle, so SLI is likely not needed. However, since SLI usually provides $1 million of liability protection, considerably more coverage than most consumers have under their own automobile insurance policies, if there is a reason that you want more coverage for the rental than you ordinarily carry for your own car or you do not have an automobile insurance policy, buying the SLI may make sense.

Add comment December 13th, 2007


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