Why are car hire companies demanding payments for every additional driver?

On Wed, 25 Mar 2009 18:52:46 -0500, "K"
wrote:


I have yet to rent a car in the US where my spouse wasn't automatically
considered a valid driver. The OP should check his sources more carefully.
My experience has been over many years.

Keith

I'm pretty sure it was Alamo that did this to us a few years ago. And
Enterprise would only allow one driver.

Brian wrote:
On Wed, 25 Mar 2009 18:52:46 -0500, "K"
wrote:


I have yet to rent a car in the US where my spouse wasn't
automatically considered a valid driver. The OP should check his
sources more carefully. My experience has been over many years.

Keith

I'm pretty sure it was Alamo that did this to us a few years ago. And
Enterprise would only allow one driver.

The contract does say one driver, but the fine print allows for the spouse.
I haven't rented from Alamo for a long time, but they didn't charge extra
for my wife as long as she showed her license when I showed mine. We do it
all the time, and have used a wide variety of companies.

"K.":
I haven't rented from Alamo for a long time, but they didn't charge
extra for my wife as long as she showed her license when I showed mine.

That's a good point. If your wife is going to drive, you should make
sure that when you're at the rental desk, you have her or her license
with you, because they may ask to see it.

Also, if your Polish licenses do not have English on them, you will
each need to buy an International Driving Permit before you leave
home. This serves to translate your license into different languages
and you use it together with your regular license. If your Polish
license does have English, you don't need the international permit.
--
Mark Brader | "For the stronger we our houses do build,
Toronto | The less chance we have of being killed."
| -- William McGonagall, "The Tay Bridge Disaster"

My text in this article is in the public domain.

On Wed, 25 Mar 2009 18:52:46 -0500, "K"
wrote:

I have yet to rent a car in the US where my spouse wasn't automatically
considered a valid driver. The OP should check his sources more carefully.
My experience has been over many years.

I think you're either wrong, or dealing exclusively with one rental company that
doesn't charge a fee for spouses.

"Valid" has nothing to do with the existence of a fee. Some states allow such
fees; some forbid them. Most rental companies charge them; one or two don't.

I've been driving rental cars for over 45 years. I very, very rarely -- maybe
once a year -- find a rental agency that doesn't charge $9.95 to $20.00 per day
to put my wife on the contract.

-- Larry

"Mark Brader" schrieb

Also, if your Polish licenses do not have English on them, you will
each need to buy an International Driving Permit before you leave
home.

I'm not sure if they still issue those in Europe. But we do have EU
licenses, which are international enough.

Jochen

Mark Brader:
Also, if your Polish licenses do not have English on them, you will
each need to buy an International Driving Permit before you leave
home.

Jochen Kriegerowski:
I'm not sure if they still issue those in Europe. But we do have EU
licenses, which are international enough.

Well, I said "if". Poland hasn't been in the EU for all that long, and
for all I know there could be lots of non-EU licenses still in use.
--
Mark Brader, Toronto | "Some people open all the windows:
| wise wives welcome spring by moving the UNIX."
-- ad, Housewife magazine, April 1941

"Mark Brader" wrote in message
...
Mark Brader:
Also, if your Polish licenses do not have English on them, you will
each need to buy an International Driving Permit before you leave
home.

Jochen Kriegerowski:
I'm not sure if they still issue those in Europe. But we do have EU
licenses, which are international enough.

Well, I said "if". Poland hasn't been in the EU for all that long, and
for all I know there could be lots of non-EU licenses still in use.

Even in the UK, where we've had EU licenses for 10 years, there are still
lots of people without them.

Tim

"tim....." schrieb

Even in the UK, where we've had EU licenses for 10 years, there are
still lots of people without them.

I read a bit further and found out: If you want to have an international
license issued in Europe now, you have to get an EU license first.
But since that is accepted in most countries (including the US and
Canada) you don't have to have an international one.

I don't know about the old Polish licenses, but I never had any
problems with my old German one in Canada in the last 30 years.

Jochen

On Fri, 27 Mar 2009 16:04:01 -0500, "K"
wrote:


The contract does say one driver, but the fine print allows for the spouse.
I haven't rented from Alamo for a long time, but they didn't charge extra
for my wife as long as she showed her license when I showed mine. We do it
all the time, and have used a wide variety of companies.


My wife showed her license at Alamo and we were still charges.

I didn't read the fine print at Enterprise but asked and was told, on
two different occasions, that there could only be one driver.

I have a mother and daughter who work for me. They have rented twice
from Enterprise because of damage to their care that had to be
repaired. Both times the 19 year old daughter could drive but not the
mother (both have clean driving records.)

Brian wrote:
On Fri, 27 Mar 2009 16:04:01 -0500, "K"
wrote:


The contract does say one driver, but the fine print allows for the
spouse. I haven't rented from Alamo for a long time, but they didn't
charge extra for my wife as long as she showed her license when I
showed mine. We do it all the time, and have used a wide variety of
companies.


My wife showed her license at Alamo and we were still charges.

I didn't read the fine print at Enterprise but asked and was told, on
two different occasions, that there could only be one driver.

I have a mother and daughter who work for me. They have rented twice
from Enterprise because of damage to their care that had to be
repaired. Both times the 19 year old daughter could drive but not the
mother (both have clean driving records.)

The only times I've used Enterprise were when my car was damaged and in a
shop for repair. Both insurance companies sent an Enterprise car to pick me
up. I wasn't aware that you could get one of their cars at an airport.