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Ask HN: What do you hate most about renting a car?

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Re: Ask HN: What do you hate most about renting a car?

#41

Post by aaronpeck »

jasonkester wrote: post #40
milspec wrote: post #39

The words "or similar" are what I hate most. On the web site, cars are listed by class. I care about models, not classes. I see the example car, google it to determine if I like it, choose it, and then... show up at the place and find I'm given some horrid substitute that I don't know much about. Oh, it's a "full size sedan" and all such cars are interchangable? No, really, they are not. It is super-important that I…

You win. This is the correct answer. Our car was in the shop for the better part of a month this summer and I was considering just buying a new one. I'd heard lots of good thing about the BMW 3 Series but hadn't ever driven one. Hey, since I need to rent a car anyway, why not grab one o' those for a week to see it I like it? So I find a national chain that advertises them. I get my rental confirmation with a big pict…

To solve this, the rental company could show a picture of the worst thing you could end up with in that class. Leaves the disappointment out with a statistically high chance you ending up with something better.

Re: Ask HN: What do you hate most about renting a car?

#42

Post by zwieback »

zoltar92 wrote: post #14
zwieback wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To me that's really the only bad part. Everything else is pretty smooth these days. I usually don't even deal with any paperwork or tricky waiver situations any more.

How do you accomplish that? Through their loyalty program?

Yeah, signed up a long time ago and I never saw any drawbacks and it didn't cost me anything. I did initially get Hertz Gold through work but was free to use it privately. I signed up for the other ones myself.

Re: Ask HN: What do you hate most about renting a car?

#43

Post by zwieback »

aaronpeck wrote: post #15
zwieback wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To me that's really the only bad part. Everything else is pretty smooth these days. I usually don't even deal with any paperwork or tricky waiver situations any more.

What's your take on insurance - do you buy it?

Never - I have it through my own car insurance. If I didn't have that I would probably buy it from the rental agency, not sure if there are other sources that are cheaper.

Re: Ask HN: What do you hate most about renting a car?

#44

Post by DanBC »

There's a problem with the way fuel is charged.

http://www.theguardian.com/money/2013/jun/22/car-hire-fuel-h...

> Holidaymakers hiring a car abroad this summer are being warned about a worsening car rental rip-off – firms that make you pay up front for a full tank of fuel, then insist you return the car empty.

Re: Ask HN: What do you hate most about renting a car?

#47

Post by marketmaker »

milspec wrote: post #39

The words "or similar" are what I hate most. On the web site, cars are listed by class. I care about models, not classes. I see the example car, google it to determine if I like it, choose it, and then... show up at the place and find I'm given some horrid substitute that I don't know much about. Oh, it's a "full size sedan" and all such cars are interchangable? No, really, they are not. It is super-important that I…

100% agree.

When I choose a model, I choose that model for a reason. I get frustrated when I get a car that doesn't have features in the way I'd expect.

If I were buying the car, maybe I'd have time to get used to the placement of controls and the handling. If I'm renting for a short period of time, I don't have as much time to get used to the quirks of a particular vehicle. I want the experience to be as close to cars I'm familiar with, so I care about the model. This is even more important in cities with a lot of traffic and congestion.

Whether the experience is positive or not almost always comes down to the car I get stuck with.

Re: Ask HN: What do you hate most about renting a car?

#48

Post by joshvm »

zoltar92 wrote: post #24
joshvm wrote: post #19

Hidden fees. It's never as cheap as the websites. Car rental firms need to go the way of the airlines and be up front about what you're actually going to pay.

Hotwire shows you "total" price. I think this comes from a) insurance/ underage driver fee b) no clarity on 'taxes' c) messy UX... thoughts?

Underage fees are one thing, but policies like extremely large deposits if you won't pay for their insurance, paying surpluses for diesel models if petrol is unavailable (and they never are), having to pay for the first tank of fuel as well as the one you return it with, etc.

This, I think, is the biggest problem. You get told your rental costs 100 Euros on a website, you do that and turn up and suddenly you're looking at paying two or three times that on top of a deposit which must be paid by a credit card and may well be above your limit.

I think this is largely a problem with holiday destinations trying to fleece unwary tourists, I've had good experiences with local van hire companies who make things straightforward.

Re: Ask HN: What do you hate most about renting a car?

#49

Post by jndsn402 »

eduardordm wrote: post #37

I think Orlando International Airport, FL is probably one the worst places in the world to rent a car. What they do in that airport is immoral and also illegal in pretty much everywhere I've been. This is what usually happens: - You rent a car online, the website gives you a price and reservation You are not charged, when you get there, you are charged at least two times the original amount you saw on the website eve…

Will be renting there in a few hours. Hopefully will have a better experience.
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