Tricks of the Trade that Rental Car Companies use to Make You Pay More

You’re on summer vacation with your family, visiting your family for Christmas, or perhaps your car is in the shop getting some desperately needed repair work done. You find yourself at a rental car agency and are quietly handed the keys to a burgundy 2001 Toyota Camry. The pain is chipping in places, the gear shift is sticky, the brakes scrub, and you can’t quiet identify the smell. All in all this is not the kind of eventfulness that you had in mind. Well, there is one surefire way to avoid having a negative experience with renting a vehicle and that’s by informing yourself. Recently we asked the experts at Crown Rent-a-Car their recommendations for renting the right car at the right price for you and now we've got the answers that you've been seeking straight from the experts themselves.

The first prerequisite of finding the right rental car for you is finding the right rental car agency and the perfect tool for that is right at your fingertips. Researching online will give you a wider understanding of the rental market in your area as well as possibly introduce you to local or regional agencies that may offer better prices than the national chains. When researching the most affordable rental car options also make sure to check out any customer reviews on sites on Yelp or the Yellow Pages as well as their customer service history on with the Better Business Bureau to gain a better understanding of the quality of their service. But always shop and compare because you never know the deals that you may find.

While you are researching agencies make sure to read the Terms and Conditions as well as any other fine print that they have. Oftentimes the price presented in bold print can become inflated by state taxes, local taxes, drop-off charges, airport surcharges, fuel charges, additional driver fees, insurance costs, or a host of other add-ons that can drastically increase the price of your rental, sometimes even doubling it. The rates advertised may also only pertain to that area’s tourism off season, usually Autumn and Winter, or may only pertain to a certain type of vehicle. One option that is often pushed is optional coverage that they may offer just in case any damage occurs to the vehicle while it is in your possession. These are usually called Collision Damage Waivers or Loss Damage Waives. They’re not trying to scam you but your own car insurance policy may already cover the same types of incidents so do your homework before you show up. So above all else make sure to read the fine print and ask questions before making your purchase to avoid paying more than you need to. Most car rental agencies are upstanding models in their business community, but there are a few bad apples in the bunch.

Another thing that may affect the price of your rental is the one that you are least expecting, and that’s you. Rental agencies more often than not check your driving history before you ever come in (if you called in advance) or while you are at the counter. Prices may be adjusted for anything from charges of reckless driving to seat belt violations and you could be outright denied a vehicle for serious offenses such as leaving the scene of an accident or driving under the influence (DUI). So make sure that you know your own driving history just in case it could come back to haunt you at the rental counter.

At the end of the day the most effective way to avoid getting ripped off at a rental car agency is to educate yourself about the product that your are paying for and the company that you are paying for that product. As a consumer you have the power to do your research and to make an educated and financially sound decision based upon your budget and needs not on what a company dictates.

Here at Crown Rent-a-Car we like to be the exception and not the rule. We've been providing rental car services to both individuals and companies in the Mecklenburg County area and beyond for over a decade. We take pride in caring for our customers and have developed longstanding relationships by providing reliable vehicles, giving customers, quality service, having fair and honest pricing, and providing a personal touch that many of the national or regional rental chains lack. So if you would like a different kind of rental car experience try Crown Rent-a-Car.