Rental Car Shock

Someone asked recently about an unpleasant rental car experience that they encountered. They left the rental desk with a rental agreement showing a weekly charge of $159.95. They returned within the 7 day contract period and used the express return service. They followed all of the instructions, filled in the mileage and fuel data, put the keys and paperwork in the rental car company’s drop box then headed off to catch their flights home with the expectations of being charged $159.95 for the rental.

Imagine their surprise when they opened the credit card bill and discovered a rental car charge of over $300.00. What happened to the $159.95 rate? These travelers had just experienced “rental car shock” and the culprit is the hidden fees and taxes tacked on after the rental period. This shocking addition of additional fees and taxes is not unique to the rental car industry these days. Hotels, airlines and other suppliers are piling on the fees.

A recent study conducted by Travelocity, the mega online travel agency, found that these extra charges added more the 28 percent to typical car rental bill. In a certain not to be named Midwestern city the difference between the rental agreement base rate and the final bill was an incredible 63 percent!

How can you protect yourself? You have the right to ask upfront before the rental begins about any extra fees or charges that will be added to your base rate. The rental car agent should be able to calculate the fees in advance and provide you with a good faith estimate of your total rental fee. This way you’ll avoid “car rental shock” and build the total amount into your travel. I have discovered that some car rental company’s website like Alamos will provide an itemized breakdown of base rental rate, additional taxes and fees.

So shop around as the fees and taxes can vary from company to company, do the math and add all the charges together before selecting a rental car company. Often small things like an on the airport or off the airport location will greatly increase or decrease the extra fees.

Happy travels and keep those phone calls and email to the Travel Professor coming.