My question is would they ask for the company code card when I arrive to pick up? or just d/l and cc?

I see. I didn't know that. Thanks, guys. I'm saving these posts for future reference.

@Harry Pothead: One thing which you're generally not covered for, though, unless you buy their insurance is "loss of use." So while you might not pay to repair the car, you could still get socked with a bill for the theoretical revenue the company would have generated had they been able to rent the car that was damaged.

It's also why, when you're an "in-towner", if you need to rent a car you don't do it at the airport.

@umbriago: What is the CFC fee all about? While I despise the others as well, at least their names are understandable as to why we get shafted by them. How many times does a place have to rent a car to get the license fee back?

An Arena fee? And a flat rate at that. Don't theaters and similar places charge facilities fees? Sort of like a maintenance fee for the joint? But usually those ripoffs are a buck or two at the most. $12 is doing it without lube.

I was going to reply to rpm773 that "zing" is too soft of an expression to describe what cities and states due to car renters (regardless of whether you're a local or a visitor). But as I kept reading the remaining comments, I came across the "screw-the-tourist car rental taxes" & "you want the car or not?" descriptions and figured they're better choices. To those, I would add any number of phrases, but I want to keep this a family newsletter.

Many times I'm flying across the country and arriving in the evening. Sometimes it is even raining. I'm not going to find all the small scratches in the mediocre-lit parking lot to have them jot down on the forms before I leave.

I was pissed at myself and at Budget. I didn't make an issue about it (since I didn't have a case), but I've never considered doing business with them since.

@rpm773: If you own a car and it's insured, you almost always have coverage when driving a rental car. Check your own policy to make sure (I could be wrong). But I've never taken the car rental's unnecessary & over-priced insurance because I'm already covered under my own policy.

I wanted to rent a car for 5 days while I was there on business. The rental cost was maybe $90... The woman goes through all the processing and says OK, the total will be $240.

WHAT?!?!? The woman the rattles off a list of taxes and fees like airport tax, new stadium fee, bend over & take it charge....

I said fuck this, call me a cab.

But look at everything you get! A $9-a-day CFC! A A $4.53 vehicle license recovery fee! A $6 trans-facility charge! A $17.21 airport access fee!

The best one is the $12 "arena fee." Yes, you get to pay for the city's downtown arena, but at least there's no Ticketmaster "convenience fee."

So all told, almost $65 of your three-day $216 fee, about a third of your total, isn't for anything, really. They're "you want the car or not?" fees.

Oh yeah, and $15.95 in sales tax.

For me this would have been the difference between paying $500 for my insurance deductible, or a sum total of $40 for the extra insurance for two days. :(

@HogwartsAlum: Most likely your personal auto policy will cover liability while you're driving a rental. Physical damage to the car is a whole other story.

Use AmEx to rent the car, and they'll cover vehicle damage automatically, at least my AmEx does. (I had a claim once when a rental car got damaged and the process could not have been easier.)

Just wondering; I've never rented a car because I don't have a credit card.

I have had to deal with these clowns at Dollar in Las Vegas. My "agent" was a total a$$. If you do not sign up for all of their add-ons they treat you like a dog. And then they manage to make your simple rental transaction last an hour. I also booked through Southwest.

They have turned me off from renting a car there from anyone ever again.

Yes, it's in the fine print.

___

Rent with a Credit Card and you won't need to deal with the hold or credit check.

@MaytagRepairman: If they can figure out the "screw-the-tourist car rental taxes" at time of rental why not online when reserving a car???

Would they have notified him of the "computer error" on their own and issued him a refund if he didn't notice it?

"agreeing to pay the taxes and fees above the cost of my rental."
When I rent a car, I want to know to the penny what it will cost me. If the company can't tell me then they are not in business to help the customer but to scam them.

Those are above the line, so any percentage-based taxes and surcharges applied to your bill will add those amounts into the basis. In cities like Chicago who love to zing travelers, that can add up quickly.

The lesson here is to pay close attention.

Through my own clumsiness, I once had a rental from Budget where the car was around $150 for the week, but the insurance was upwards of $200 for the same period, making the total for the week $350. I told them I didn't want the insurance, but they put it on the invoice regardless and I signed on it because I didn't look closely.