Help with a car rental, please?
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Headed to “beautiful, downtown Burbank” CA (if you don’t get the reference, PM me) at the end of August. Flying into Bob Hope airport in Burbank. Anyone know of a way to find a decent deal on a car rental? Best prices are with Fox and Thrifty, and all online reviews recommend staying as far away from both of those rental agencies as possible.
– Z –
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Compare the rates at the airport with the neighborhood stores.
A short Lyft to/from could save you mucho.
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When I had to rent a car last October, the prices were exorbitant, even after any employer or other organization discounts I qualified for.
You might look into the Air B&B equivalent of car rentals (people who rent their cars to others instead of their residences). I don’t know the names of any of these sites but it may be worth searching for reviews to see if it’s a viable option/saves a lot of money.
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fyi
https://slickdeals.net/f/15664741-avis-car-rental-promo-codes-spring-summer-2022?v=1&src=SiteSearch
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@fivetalents said in Help with a car rental, please?:
When I had to rent a car last October, the prices were exorbitant, even after any employer or other organization discounts I qualified for.
You might look into the Air B&B equivalent of car rentals (people who rent their cars to others instead of their residences). I don’t know the names of any of these sites but it may be worth searching for reviews to see if it’s a viable option/saves a lot of money.
Thanks. I did look at this option and saw just enough of horror stories of cars that die or fail in some way to keep me from pursuing. I have a certain level of faith that rental car companies maintain the vehicles in drivable condition so as to not have to give refunds.
—. Z. —
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Just to update - ended up booking through Costco. I know that using a 3rd-party can be a problem, but taking the chance anyway. Best price by about $50 and I don’t have to prepay and can cancel anytime. If I keep watching the prices I may be able to get a better deal.
– Z –
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Trying to be a good citizen and not start a new topic. On my way home to Florida and I’m sitting in the Bob Hope airport in beautiful downtown Burbank. Rented a car for the week from Avis and have a Florida Government Employee discount. Car rental was $266, but taxes and other “fees” brought the total to $383-ish. So, almost a 50% surcharge over the base rental fee. I don’t have enough privs on this site to attach the invoice PDF, but the charges are something like this:
11.11% Concession recover fee. $31.15
VEH LICENSE RECOUP 1.80/DY. $14.40
Tax 10.25% (Obviously required). $31.93
CUSTOMER FACILITY CHG 6.00/DY $30.00
3.50 CALIFORNIA TOURISM FE $9.31Can anyone advise if any of the fees are negotiable if I called Avis to complain?
— Z —
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Should have taken my advice up thread.
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@sonofzeus said in Help with a car rental, please?:
Should have taken my advice up thread.
Base rate for Costco would have been an additional 100 to a $150 for the week. By far the best price was the Florida government employee discount. It’s the fees that I’m trying to negotiate down. I feel like the fees would have been the same even if I went through Costco.
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I doubt even managers have the ability to change fees, but it won’t hurt to call and ask. Maybe try requesting a courtesy credit on the bill, especially if you had any problems with service experience or the car itself. If you’re going to have the car for awhile, maybe ask for a free upgrade or amenity (e.g., unlimited miles, model upgrade, no gas refill requirement, additional driver, etc.). I think your ability to negotiate would have been stronger before you took possession of the car.
