Auto rental optional insurance

"AJC" wrote in message
news
On Tue, 21 Sep 2004 11:40:37 +0100, "Miss L. Toe"
wrote:


"AJC" wrote in message
.. .
On Tue, 21 Sep 2004 10:19:38 +0100, "Mark Hewitt"
wrote:


"AJC" wrote in message
.. .

Renting cars in the US always seems so frought with complications,
it
seems one either has to spend ages studying the smallest of the
small
print, or just take full coverage and accept that it is going to
cost
significantly more than in many other countries. When I book for
elsewhere it is simply a question of reducing cdw and tp or not, the
rest is included.

Yes. The drawback of little regulation really.

It seems to be backwards too, for example.. in the USA car hire that
I've
seen you can take out insurance which will cover you up to a maximum
amount
of a claim. e.g. if you took out $10,000 worth of insurance and wrote
off
the car you would still have to pay for what the car is worth over
that.

In the UK it is the opposite, you are covered for everything but have
to
pay
the first £500 (depending on what option you chose).

Now the USA version is better if you have a small prang, you aren't
likely
to pay anything. The UK version is better if you have a big accident
because
you don't end up out of pocket to the tune of thousands,, much like
our
orginial poster.



The UK version as you describe it seems to be common across Europe,
plus Australia, New Zealand, and a few other places I have rented in.
Bearing in mind the differences with the USA version, combined with
some traffic rules and driving habits which are very different from
those in Europe and other locations, it always amazes me that so many
visitors try to cut corners on their rental car costs in the US. Go
for a cheap flight and maybe get more delays or missed connections, go
for a cheap hotel and get a lumpy matrass and a cockroach or two, but
saving money on car rental insurance can lead to serious problems. I
have known tour operators give their fly-drive customers A4 sheets
detailing exactly what they should sign up for when collecting their
car, what they might like to consider, and what they absolutely don't
need.

I guess that is part of the problem - most UK visitors to the USA dont
understand the options for insurance and which bits cover what, what the
legal minimums are and what maximum liability they face if they refuse a
particular option, and which bits might be covered by the holiday/travel
insurance they have already taken out.

And if you ask at the counter they talk so fast using terms you arent
familiar with that it doesn't help at all.

Maybe the UK travel insurance industry could add an optional car rental
cover choice to their packages.


But in the UK is it not the practice to insure known, specified
vehicles? Wouldn't it be a major step in to the unknown to insure any
vehicle that a policyholder chooses to drive, anywhere in the world?

But the law of averages will ensure that most people who choose to pay for
that extension and want to drive legally will not rent from someone hanging
around a street corner.

P.S. I am covered by a company insurance policy for any car rented for
business purposes in the USA.

(I dont have and have never seen a copy of that policy).

"AJC" wrote in message
news
On Tue, 21 Sep 2004 11:40:37 +0100, "Miss L. Toe"
wrote:


"AJC" wrote in message
.. .
On Tue, 21 Sep 2004 10:19:38 +0100, "Mark Hewitt"
wrote:


"AJC" wrote in message
.. .

Renting cars in the US always seems so frought with complications,
it
seems one either has to spend ages studying the smallest of the
small
print, or just take full coverage and accept that it is going to
cost
significantly more than in many other countries. When I book for
elsewhere it is simply a question of reducing cdw and tp or not, the
rest is included.

Yes. The drawback of little regulation really.

It seems to be backwards too, for example.. in the USA car hire that
I've
seen you can take out insurance which will cover you up to a maximum
amount
of a claim. e.g. if you took out $10,000 worth of insurance and wrote
off
the car you would still have to pay for what the car is worth over
that.

In the UK it is the opposite, you are covered for everything but have
to
pay
the first £500 (depending on what option you chose).

Now the USA version is better if you have a small prang, you aren't
likely
to pay anything. The UK version is better if you have a big accident
because
you don't end up out of pocket to the tune of thousands,, much like
our
orginial poster.



The UK version as you describe it seems to be common across Europe,
plus Australia, New Zealand, and a few other places I have rented in.
Bearing in mind the differences with the USA version, combined with
some traffic rules and driving habits which are very different from
those in Europe and other locations, it always amazes me that so many
visitors try to cut corners on their rental car costs in the US. Go
for a cheap flight and maybe get more delays or missed connections, go
for a cheap hotel and get a lumpy matrass and a cockroach or two, but
saving money on car rental insurance can lead to serious problems. I
have known tour operators give their fly-drive customers A4 sheets
detailing exactly what they should sign up for when collecting their
car, what they might like to consider, and what they absolutely don't
need.

I guess that is part of the problem - most UK visitors to the USA dont
understand the options for insurance and which bits cover what, what the
legal minimums are and what maximum liability they face if they refuse a
particular option, and which bits might be covered by the holiday/travel
insurance they have already taken out.

And if you ask at the counter they talk so fast using terms you arent
familiar with that it doesn't help at all.

Maybe the UK travel insurance industry could add an optional car rental
cover choice to their packages.


But in the UK is it not the practice to insure known, specified
vehicles? Wouldn't it be a major step in to the unknown to insure any
vehicle that a policyholder chooses to drive, anywhere in the world?

But the law of averages will ensure that most people who choose to pay for
that extension and want to drive legally will not rent from someone hanging
around a street corner.

P.S. I am covered by a company insurance policy for any car rented for
business purposes in the USA.

(I dont have and have never seen a copy of that policy).

"Vitaly Shmatikov" wrote in message
...
In article ,
devil wrote:

I suspect most large rental car operations are self-insured. I.e., they
take the risk themselves. And *sell* you insurance.

I know that Hertz and Avis are self-insured, and I suspect most of the
others are self-insured, too. Rental car companies most certainly
don't negotiate ``a good price and a good procedure,'' and it costs
them very little to flog insurance. On the contrary, it's a source
of profit for them. Most people who buy it are already covered,
either through their personal policy, or through the credit card,
they just don't know it.

Correction. Most people in the USA are already covered. Other countries can
vary.

On Wed, 22 Sep 2004 12:14:19 +0200, AJC wrote:

Is there any excess on collision or theft?


no excess at all covers as they say from the 1st dollar of damage and has the
extended protection third party liability as well.


-
Lansbury
www.uk-air.net
FAQs for the alt.travel.uk.air newsgroup

In article ,
squire wrote:

Would a US visitor to UK intending to use their credit/charge card for
motor insurance expect their insurer to be a member of the (UK) Motor
Insurers' Bureau?

From what I am told by other posters, a US visitor to UK does not have
the option of declining the insurance included in the rental price,
so the point is moot.

In article ,
Mark Hewitt wrote:

I know that Hertz and Avis are self-insured, and I suspect most of the
others are self-insured, too. Rental car companies most certainly
don't negotiate ``a good price and a good procedure,'' and it costs
them very little to flog insurance. On the contrary, it's a source
of profit for them. Most people who buy it are already covered,
either through their personal policy, or through the credit card,
they just don't know it.

Correction. Most people in the USA are already covered. Other countries can
vary.

I would venture a guess that the majority of Hertz and Avis customers
are Americans or come from countries where personal auto insurance
policies cover rentals. But I don't know the actual breakdown.

In article ,
Mark Hewitt wrote:

I know that Hertz and Avis are self-insured, and I suspect most of the
others are self-insured, too. Rental car companies most certainly
don't negotiate ``a good price and a good procedure,'' and it costs
them very little to flog insurance. On the contrary, it's a source
of profit for them. Most people who buy it are already covered,
either through their personal policy, or through the credit card,
they just don't know it.

Correction. Most people in the USA are already covered. Other countries can
vary.

I would venture a guess that the majority of Hertz and Avis customers
are Americans or come from countries where personal auto insurance
policies cover rentals. But I don't know the actual breakdown.

"Vitaly Shmatikov" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Mark Hewitt wrote:

I would venture a guess that the majority of Hertz and Avis customers
are Americans or come from countries where personal auto insurance
policies cover rentals. But I don't know the actual breakdown.

That's an extrodinary and of course massively incorrect claim!

Hertz and Avis operate ALL OVER THE WORLD. They operate in many city centre
locations, including my home town, I would guess most customers are British
here, not American. To try and suggest most of their customers are Americans
is at best stupid and worst completely arrogant.

In article ,
Mark Hewitt wrote:

I would venture a guess that the majority of Hertz and Avis customers
are Americans or come from countries where personal auto insurance
policies cover rentals. But I don't know the actual breakdown.

That's an extrodinary and of course massively incorrect claim!

That's a guess, not a claim. As I said, I don't know the actual
breakdown. Do you?

Hertz and Avis operate ALL OVER THE WORLD.

I know. And I guess that the majority of their customers all over
the world are Americans or come from countries where personal auto
insurance policies cover rentals.

They operate in many city centre
locations, including my home town, I would guess most customers are British
here, not American.

If you count the number of customers, I would not be surprised if
half of their business is in North America, and that even outside
North America, a lot of their customers are Americans or come from
countries where personal auto insurance policies cover rentals.

To try and suggest most of their customers are Americans
is at best stupid and worst completely arrogant.

I did not suggest that most of their customers are Americans. What I
suggested is written in black and white (or whatever the colors of
your terminal are) above: I suggested that they are Americans or come
from countries where personal auto insurance policies cover rentals.