Car rental question....non cruise related

[rtread]

So I can count on one hand the times we've rented a car on a pleasure trip. And none lately. Admittedly I'm behind the curve on this compared to frequent travelers. So I've laid the groundwork for my ignorance....here is my question:

 We will be traveling this summer to a reunion, flying then renting a car at airport, returning it 4 days later to same airport. The airport is Milwaukee and the car rental is Dollar Rental Car. At the time I made reservations, I was asked about insurance and I declined assuming our auto policies (complete coverage on two vehicles) would take care of us. Then by accident I ran across a news item on Dollar being involved in a scam in the past where they created a lot of confusion at the counter on whether or not you should get, or did get, their insurance. There were language barriers involved in the confusion, poor lighting, hurry-up tactics, and poor attitudes by the attendants. Bottom line is the customers got hosed for exorbitant rates and fees when they came to turn the car in and get on the plane.

Being aware of the scam I will head it off, not worried about that.

Just wanting to hear from experienced travelers if they think rental car add-on insurance is wise, necessary, or bad $ spent. What do you do?

[twangster]

As a frequent business traveler we have business insurance that includes coverage for rental cars.  I decline the rental car company coverage.  My credit card also provides some coverage. 

There are different types of rental car insurance just like there are different kinds of car insurance.  The trick is knowing what you are covered for and this varies by policy and state.

I have no experience with Dollar but they are owned by Hertz who I do use.  They acquired Dollar in 2012.   Dollar operated under a franchise system where individual "stores" were independent but operated under the Dollar name.  When was the article written?  It wasn't unusual many years ago for some less ethical business owners to use tactics and methods to increase profits, often advertising super cheap rates and making up for low rates through other means.  

I'd be surprised if that practice was continuing under the Hertz family.  Stuff still happens and you are responsible for the car while it is in your possession.  If someone keys the car, the windshield cracks from a rock or if someone hits you while it's parked overnight at a hotel you don't get to simply return the car and walk away.    The expectation is that you will return the car in the same condition it was in when your took possession minus any normal wear and tear.  

The benefit of taking their expensive insurance is that if any things happens, you can simply return the car and walk away (after completing some paperwork depending on the damage).  If you don't take their insurance and there is damage, you need to file a claim with your insurance and there is a lot of information the car rental outfit will want from you.  They may place a damage charge on your credit card and it's your job to file that with your insurance company for reimbursement.  That damage charge could be in the thousands if the damage is severe.  This isn't unethical or unfair, they rented you a car in one condition and you are returning it in a damaged condition.  

Insurance is there for the unexpected.  No one expects to have an accident.  No one expects an uninsured driver with no driver's license to run into their rental car but it happens.  If it does, are you sure your auto policy covers that or do they just cover your liability if you cause an accident in a rental car?  

If you choose to self insure using credit cards and personal auto insurance make sure you understand the coverage you have and what exposure you might have in any possible accident or damage scenario.  

It's tempting to save $60 on rental car insurance but while sleeping in your hotel if the rental car is stolen and destroyed by a hit and run driver you may be thinking it was the best $60 you ever spent.  

[rtread]

2 hours ago, twangster said:

As a frequent business traveler we have business insurance that includes coverage for rental cars.  I decline the rental car company coverage.  My credit card also provides some coverage. 

There are different types of rental car insurance just like there are different kinds of car insurance.  The trick is knowing what you are covered for and this varies by policy and state.

I have no experience with Dollar but they are owned by Hertz who I do use.  They acquired Dollar in 2012.   Dollar operated under a franchise system where individual "stores" were independent but operated under the Dollar name.  When was the article written?  It wasn't unusual many years ago for some less ethical business owners to use tactics and methods to increase profits, often advertising super cheap rates and making up for low rates through other means.  

I'd be surprised if that practice was continuing under the Hertz family.  Stuff still happens and you are responsible for the car while it is in your possession.  If someone keys the car, the windshield cracks from a rock or if someone hits you while it's parked overnight at a hotel you don't get to simply return the car and walk away.    The expectation is that you will return the car in the same condition it was in when your took possession minus any normal wear and tear.  

The benefit of taking their expensive insurance is that if any things happens, you can simply return the car and walk away (after completing some paperwork depending on the damage).  If you don't take their insurance and there is damage, you need to file a claim with your insurance and there is a lot of information the car rental outfit will want from you.  They may place a damage charge on your credit card and it's your job to file that with your insurance company for reimbursement.  That damage charge could be in the thousands if the damage is severe.  This isn't unethical or unfair, they rented you a car in one condition and you are returning it in a damaged condition.  

Insurance is there for the unexpected.  No one expects to have an accident.  No one expects an uninsured driver with no driver's license to run into their rental car but it happens.  If it does, are you sure your auto policy covers that or do they just cover your liability if you cause an accident in a rental car?  

If you choose to self insure using credit cards and personal auto insurance make sure you understand the coverage you have and what exposure you might have in any possible accident or damage scenario.  

It's tempting to save $60 on rental car insurance but while sleeping in your hotel if the rental car is stolen and destroyed by a hit and run driver you may be thinking it was the best $60 you ever spent.  

Thanks for all the good info! This is one of the articles about the scam....looks like 2014 was the date   https://www.autoblog.com/2014/08/19/dollar-rent-car-insurance-scam-video/

[twangster]

The scam appears to be related to signing people up to insurance contracts they don't want or need.  Perhaps I escape that as a business traveler.  

My take away is triple check your paperwork and don't be in a hurry or appear to be in a hurry.  Print out your confirmation and don't leave until you are satisfied the printed contract matches.

[rtread]

4 hours ago, twangster said:

The scam appears to be related to signing people up to insurance contracts they don't want or need.  Perhaps I escape that as a business traveler.  

My take away is triple check your paperwork and don't be in a hurry or appear to be in a hurry.  Print out your confirmation and don't leave until you are satisfied the printed contract matches.

Thanks! Good advice.....as usual. This was rather old news and I wasn't able to find anything more recent so maybe Hertz cleaned it up. I don't see Hertz wanting anything to do with this kind of mess.

[MotleyCruiser]

We never take out insurance and never had a bad experience....BUT one counter agent made me nervous when he mentioned that those/our insurances (personal USAA in our case and our CC) probably does not cover 'Loss of use'!!!  If the company has the car in for repairs for an amount of time you have NO control over the fee can add up quick!