Advice on Itinerary & Hotels in Paris, Dordogne, and Provence
Feb 22nd, 2006, 10:14 AM
#21
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Bassman:
Try the Hotel Canto Cigalo in St.Remy. It is walking distance to town and the people are very nice. www.cantocigalo.com
Enjoy your trip!
Try the Hotel Canto Cigalo in St.Remy. It is walking distance to town and the people are very nice. www.cantocigalo.com
Enjoy your trip!
Feb 22nd, 2006, 11:35 AM
#23
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I have also heard poor reports on using CC insurance for auto rentals. Even when you take the CDG coverage you still have a $1000 or $1500 responsibility with the rental companies.
I think to either use the coverage that Underhill mentioned with the trip insurance, or if you are traveling for 2 weeks or more you may find the best rate is with the lease/buy back and everything is 100% covered. You pay for a minimum of 17 days for the lease/buy back, but you can return it "early". You will be surprised when you compare the rates to the rental rates...the lease buy back companies are Kemwel, Auto Europe and Idea Merge.
I think to either use the coverage that Underhill mentioned with the trip insurance, or if you are traveling for 2 weeks or more you may find the best rate is with the lease/buy back and everything is 100% covered. You pay for a minimum of 17 days for the lease/buy back, but you can return it "early". You will be surprised when you compare the rates to the rental rates...the lease buy back companies are Kemwel, Auto Europe and Idea Merge.
Feb 22nd, 2006, 03:38 PM
#24
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If you use your CC for CDW, you will have zero deductible (at least all mine have this). If you purchase CDW from AutoEurope or from the Hertz/Avis when you pick up the car, you will likely have a $500 to $750 deductible. I assume you can also purchase zero deductible for a higher price.
I just used AutoEurope's web site to check how much they charge for CDW in France for a 2 weeks rental for a Compact car. They charge anywhere from $200 to $300 for 14 days of insurance. Of course, this is $300 to $450 for 3 weeks. I believe this with some deductible.
If you don't mind paying $500 to $1,000 extra to not wait 8 months to settle, that's a matter of choice.
Below are two "accident reports". Yhe first is from Patrick, and the second is from someone else.
Stu, I've posted a long and detailed report on our accident in Wales and the insurance procedures.
But to try to summarize, it took a total of 6 months to fully resolve. (For what it's worth, I'm not sure if would have been any different regardless of who handled the insurance).
When we reported it to Avis (for AutoEurope) they charged us a total of about $600 as a temporary payment against projected damage. This went on our credit card. From there we had quite a bit of confusion, partly because we remained in Europe for two more months and it was difficult getting things handled back and forth. We had some issues with the Wales police refusing to give us a copy of the accident report (saying it contained the names of witnesses whom we might retaliate against -- huh?), and Visa seemed to have a problem getting that report as well. It was finally a call to AutoEurope who in turn were able to get Avis as the owner of the vehicle to get a copy of that. There was also a lot of confusion about the total value of the car. Visa seemed not to understand that the car was considered totalled and had been sold as scrap, so the final bill reflected the amount of damage over what they were able to get for the car as scrap. They kept wanting to get finely itemized repair bills -- yet there were no repairs. Again, much of this confusion resulted because of our distance. In the end, we were finally billed nearly $6000 on the Visa card which covered us, but we immediately contested that, so they we didn't actually have to pay it, nor did we have to pay interest on it. Meanwhile within a month of that actual charge, they settled by sending us a check in full for the final amount, so we OK'd the charge on the card and paid it off. The final check included everything, even the towing of the wrecked vehicle and the storage of it until it was sold. In the end, we actually paid even less than our original contract (we reduced it by a day, as we were to have turned the car in the day after the wreck happened, and they even removed the surcharge we were originally being billed for turning it in at an airport, since obviously we weren't!
There was never any question with Avis that Visa would cover us and they said they'd work together on it, which they pretty much did.
We had always taken the full insurance from AutoEurope before as we too didn't want any hassle. But the bottom line is, if we HAD taken the full insurance, it would have ended up costing us about $700 or so more than it did, counting the still necessary deductible and the cost of purchasing that insurance. Was our hassle worth saving $700? YES!
Another report
On my last trip to Europe, in a fit of absent-mindedness or similar temporary brain failure, I took the Auto Europe rate with insurance, rather than relying on my Visa card coverage as I had always done in the past.
Of course, this was the one time I would have an accident. Although it was only a small fender-bender, the damage to the rental car was somewhat over €1100. Then I discovered that the Auto Europe insurance had a deductible of €500. I then wrongly assumed that my Visa would cover the deductible, which of course it would not, as I had not declined all insurance on the rental.
When I called the Visa insurer, I was told that if I had declined all insurance, I would have been covered from the first dollar for collision coverage. I would have been covered as well if I had been required to take the CDW, as in Italy.
This of course applies to CDW. Third party liability comes with the rental.
Moral (for me, anyway): If you have good credit card auto insurance coverage, use it.
Stu Dudley
I just used AutoEurope's web site to check how much they charge for CDW in France for a 2 weeks rental for a Compact car. They charge anywhere from $200 to $300 for 14 days of insurance. Of course, this is $300 to $450 for 3 weeks. I believe this with some deductible.
If you don't mind paying $500 to $1,000 extra to not wait 8 months to settle, that's a matter of choice.
Below are two "accident reports". Yhe first is from Patrick, and the second is from someone else.
Stu, I've posted a long and detailed report on our accident in Wales and the insurance procedures.
But to try to summarize, it took a total of 6 months to fully resolve. (For what it's worth, I'm not sure if would have been any different regardless of who handled the insurance).
When we reported it to Avis (for AutoEurope) they charged us a total of about $600 as a temporary payment against projected damage. This went on our credit card. From there we had quite a bit of confusion, partly because we remained in Europe for two more months and it was difficult getting things handled back and forth. We had some issues with the Wales police refusing to give us a copy of the accident report (saying it contained the names of witnesses whom we might retaliate against -- huh?), and Visa seemed to have a problem getting that report as well. It was finally a call to AutoEurope who in turn were able to get Avis as the owner of the vehicle to get a copy of that. There was also a lot of confusion about the total value of the car. Visa seemed not to understand that the car was considered totalled and had been sold as scrap, so the final bill reflected the amount of damage over what they were able to get for the car as scrap. They kept wanting to get finely itemized repair bills -- yet there were no repairs. Again, much of this confusion resulted because of our distance. In the end, we were finally billed nearly $6000 on the Visa card which covered us, but we immediately contested that, so they we didn't actually have to pay it, nor did we have to pay interest on it. Meanwhile within a month of that actual charge, they settled by sending us a check in full for the final amount, so we OK'd the charge on the card and paid it off. The final check included everything, even the towing of the wrecked vehicle and the storage of it until it was sold. In the end, we actually paid even less than our original contract (we reduced it by a day, as we were to have turned the car in the day after the wreck happened, and they even removed the surcharge we were originally being billed for turning it in at an airport, since obviously we weren't!
There was never any question with Avis that Visa would cover us and they said they'd work together on it, which they pretty much did.
We had always taken the full insurance from AutoEurope before as we too didn't want any hassle. But the bottom line is, if we HAD taken the full insurance, it would have ended up costing us about $700 or so more than it did, counting the still necessary deductible and the cost of purchasing that insurance. Was our hassle worth saving $700? YES!
Another report
On my last trip to Europe, in a fit of absent-mindedness or similar temporary brain failure, I took the Auto Europe rate with insurance, rather than relying on my Visa card coverage as I had always done in the past.
Of course, this was the one time I would have an accident. Although it was only a small fender-bender, the damage to the rental car was somewhat over €1100. Then I discovered that the Auto Europe insurance had a deductible of €500. I then wrongly assumed that my Visa would cover the deductible, which of course it would not, as I had not declined all insurance on the rental.
When I called the Visa insurer, I was told that if I had declined all insurance, I would have been covered from the first dollar for collision coverage. I would have been covered as well if I had been required to take the CDW, as in Italy.
This of course applies to CDW. Third party liability comes with the rental.
Moral (for me, anyway): If you have good credit card auto insurance coverage, use it.
Stu Dudley
Feb 22nd, 2006, 04:35 PM
#25
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No, Ira, there were no interest charges because we had to pay for the damage up front The money was finally refunded through Diners Club when the Hertz agency was unable to provide proof of the damage and repair.
Feb 23rd, 2006, 02:16 AM
#26
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The Auto Europe contracts that I have had..all with the CDW..have all had in the fine printin lower part of contract that you are still responsible for $1250 collision and $1500 theft...never asked about it (should have) and never had an accident. I looked at the website and it also says this. Perhaps you can buy additional insurace to cover this.
American Express has a $24.95 charge for each time that you rent a vehicle and use the card for coverage. Maybe this is good!
The nightmares that Stu reported or the hassle that Underhill had, I don't need!! My trips are for 100% pleasure!
I have never had a problem and I do whatever to avoid having any. My next trip will be with the Kemwel lease-buy back.
I just looked at Auto Europe rental prices and they are $400 more than a Kemwel lease buy back for same period of time. Auto Europe with CDW and Kemwel is zero-zero-zero. Auto Europe would still have the above mentioned deductibles even with the added CDW.
I think either the trip insurance coverage, perhaps the $24.95 Amex or for me the next will be lease buy back!
You don't know how any of them work unless you need to use the coverage. Many don't seem to be without hassles or horror stories, that I don't need!!
To each his own!!
American Express has a $24.95 charge for each time that you rent a vehicle and use the card for coverage. Maybe this is good!
The nightmares that Stu reported or the hassle that Underhill had, I don't need!! My trips are for 100% pleasure!
I have never had a problem and I do whatever to avoid having any. My next trip will be with the Kemwel lease-buy back.
I just looked at Auto Europe rental prices and they are $400 more than a Kemwel lease buy back for same period of time. Auto Europe with CDW and Kemwel is zero-zero-zero. Auto Europe would still have the above mentioned deductibles even with the added CDW.
I think either the trip insurance coverage, perhaps the $24.95 Amex or for me the next will be lease buy back!
You don't know how any of them work unless you need to use the coverage. Many don't seem to be without hassles or horror stories, that I don't need!!
To each his own!!
Feb 23rd, 2006, 03:34 AM
#27
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>American Express has a $24.95 charge for each time that you rent a vehicle and use the card for coverage. <
That's for the Premium Coverage, which has health and accident and death benefits for the driver and occupants.
The standard plan, which covers theft and/or damage to the car is free - at least with a Gold Card.
That's for the Premium Coverage, which has health and accident and death benefits for the driver and occupants.
The standard plan, which covers theft and/or damage to the car is free - at least with a Gold Card.
Feb 27th, 2006, 03:09 PM
#28
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Just to note: AutoEurope and Kemwel are one in the same, sharing phone lines and offices in Portland, Maine. Just ask the clerk to connect you to the Kemwel desk. I've done this several times.
By the way, Brive is a good alternate point from which to rent your cars, with proximity to Sarlat...no TGV, but we've taken the SNCF four hour ride from Paris to Brive. Short ride to Sarlat over good roads, and AutoEurope is across the street from the station..(on a perpendicular street)
By the way, Brive is a good alternate point from which to rent your cars, with proximity to Sarlat...no TGV, but we've taken the SNCF four hour ride from Paris to Brive. Short ride to Sarlat over good roads, and AutoEurope is across the street from the station..(on a perpendicular street)
Feb 27th, 2006, 04:18 PM
#29
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Bringing the subject back to hotels.. Le Mas Des Carassins is a lovely place a bit outside of St. Remy...probably walkable. Beautiful place and charming people. Our room as terrific but I think all would be...and each different.I love St. Remy as a base and many good places to eat in village.
Makes me sad I will not see it on this upcoming trip...Riviera villa at Menton and exploring Italy.
Makes me sad I will not see it on this upcoming trip...Riviera villa at Menton and exploring Italy.
