Renting a vehicle
 

Hi- I've been told that even if you reserve a 4x4, when you go to pick it up, the price is $20 more than what you reserved it for. Is this a common thing? How can this be avoided? Thanks

Hi, we just got back and rented a 4x4 from Poas. The only glitch we had was that the car we reserved was not available - they said the previous renter had not returned it yet -- however, they gave us a comparable vehicle that was an automatic! It was great and brand new. Then---when we got back, I noticed they were charging us $200 more than the quote. When I pulled out my quote, they gave me the original quote price - no problem! I think their rates were increased or the automatic was more expensive. When I made the reservation, I specifically asked in my e-mails if the price I was quoted included all taxes, all insurance, no airport fee (because they picked us up and took us to their office off of airport property), and free transportation from the airport. They agreed that all was included. I guess I would suggest that you make sure you have a specific quote and take all correspondence with you. Good luck!

dhs is correct; if you ask the right questions and have all your paperwork in order, you won't get taken advantage of or ripped off. In his case, the rental agency could say it was an honest mistake - common enough -but car rental companies are famous for coming up with new charges when you go go pick up your vehicle. It pays to make sure of ALL the charges when you book your reservation, print out a copy of the e-mails involved, and get the persons name with whom you booked. Its easy enough to compare rates and packages via the internet now.

I suppose there are opportunists at every turn, but in all the many times we have rented, either with Dollar or Tricolor, never have we been charged more than the original quote. Perhaps it is because I always print that paper and have it to show upon arrival. And, as mentioned, we make absolutely sure the price quoted is all-inclusive.

My husband and I always use Poas. We have never had a problem with them. We tried Payless once, and we will never use them again. They tacked on all sorts of charges.

I'm sorry - I didn't want to sound like I was complaining about Poas. I would highly recommend them and use them again. They gave me a great price, and had good vehicles. I do believe that since the vehicle we had originally ordered wasn't there and got an automatic, that was where the price difference was. They had no problem correcting the problem!