Are Car Rental Companies Trying to Rip Me Off?
I'm looking to rent a car next month. I went on some customer complaint forums and all the car rental companies seem to have people who have complained about an experience with them. Aren't there any rental car companies that don't overcharge and rip off their customers? I don't have car insurance so I'm gonna have to purchase their plans. Thanks for any advice.
Generally speaking, all major car rental companies are fair and dependable (most of the time); they've been around for years. As with any industry there are some screwups occasionally. These are what you will hear about in reviews and forums. It's rare for people to bother to share good experiences. While no one would try and "rip you off", prices may certainly be higher than you would like them to be or higher than you think they should be. Car rental prices are driven by supply and demand. The more in demand vehicles are (around holidays or peak travel times) the higher the rates will be. Compare several car rental companies and book as far in advance as you can, to find the cheapest rate possible.
Re: the insurance... the car rental companies are required, in most states, to carry the minimum public liability and property damage insurance (this covers all public liability and property damage, but does not cover any damage to the rental car itself) that is required by state law, so you would not have to purchase the ALI or SLI (additional or supplemental liability insurance... which just raises your coverage above the minimum required) as long as the state that you're renting in requires the rental car company to carry basic liabilty coverage on their vehicles. You can check with your preferred car rental vendor in the city that you want to rent in. What you will want to look at is the Loss Damage Waiver Coverage (this covers damage and loss to the rental vehicle itself) This is an opitional purchase it. If you don't and you are in an accident with the rental car, you would be fully, financially responsible for any damage or loss to the rental car. Some credit cards offer coverage for rental cars, be sure to check into that before you purchase it from the car rental company.
Hope this helps and good luck!
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