If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#101
|
|||
|
|||
"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). |
#102
|
|||
|
|||
"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). |
#103
|
|||
|
|||
"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. |
#104
|
|||
|
|||
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 |
#105
|
|||
|
|||
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. |
#106
|
|||
|
|||
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. |
#107
|
|||
|
|||
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. |
#108
|
|||
|
|||
"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. |
#109
|
|||
|
|||
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. |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Ethiopia - Car Rental ? | Thomas Kunz | Africa | 2 | June 8th, 2004 12:05 PM |
Tricks of the Car Rental Trade | None | Air travel | 0 | February 9th, 2004 11:47 PM |
Affordable, Cheap Travel Insurance | GaramChai | Air travel | 0 | November 30th, 2003 01:58 PM |
Fleet Maintenance Pro v9.0.19 Enterprise 100 users, STRACfastMaintenance 2.5c, Auto Maintenance Pro v9.0 Professional Incl Keygen,various other AUTO and BOAT Maintenance progs ... | [email protected], [email protected] | Africa | 0 | October 26th, 2003 11:06 AM |