Car Rentals....Is this even LEGAL?
Jul 18th, 2010, 01:33 PM
#21
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Well, I'm not lawyer, but I think the Unruh Act doesn't really fall into play here.
Offering a special price to one specific group is not the same as discriminating against another.
In other words, offering children's prices for a movie is NOT considered discriminating according to age.
Offering a special price to one specific group is not the same as discriminating against another.
In other words, offering children's prices for a movie is NOT considered discriminating according to age.
Jul 18th, 2010, 01:36 PM
#22
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>>No, UK train tickets are not cheaper just because you buy them in the U.S, although travel agents making commissions try to tell you that. Train tickets are less expensive if you buy them IN ADVANCE, which would mean buying them over here two months before your trip.
Jul 18th, 2010, 01:39 PM
#24
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>>
It does fall into play in California. Such as, "women's nights", where women pay $15 entry fee and men pay $20 -- no go per the California supreme court. Unless it's specifically permitted under the law, it's not permitted. Charging children less for the movies may or may not be permitted by law, but if it's not, someone could sue (and win).
It does fall into play in California. Such as, "women's nights", where women pay $15 entry fee and men pay $20 -- no go per the California supreme court. Unless it's specifically permitted under the law, it's not permitted. Charging children less for the movies may or may not be permitted by law, but if it's not, someone could sue (and win).
Jul 18th, 2010, 04:07 PM
#26
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For the record, I was referring to U.S. federal law, the only one I am familiar with. I have lived in so many states over the years that I don't both to keep exact track of who are the "protected" classes in each. I'm not an attorney -- I don't even play one on TV. But my former job in vocational rehab required my learning about federal anti-discrimination laws.
But the general rules applies: it is perfectly legal to discriminate on ANY basis, except against those in a "protected" class.
But the general rules applies: it is perfectly legal to discriminate on ANY basis, except against those in a "protected" class.
Jul 18th, 2010, 06:51 PM
#27
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Well, actually, none of us (without doing a 50-state survey) knows if the general rule as you state it applies -- because all 50 states could have a law like California's, which is much more "stringent" 
Jul 18th, 2010, 09:16 PM
#29
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That is business dude, and I know they are permitted to that legally. And I agree that it depends on the car. If you try scouring the web, you will definitely see that prices do vary, just like anywhere else.
Try to compare prices first before choosing your car of choice.
Try to compare prices first before choosing your car of choice.
Jul 18th, 2010, 09:40 PM
#30
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Nightclubs are constantly in trouble for having "Ladies Night", in some states it is illegal and in others it is legal if you also have a "Mens Night".
Child ticket discounts are not illegal since they apply to everyone...we were all kids once. Same with the car insurance comparison...as long as that 18 year old gets the 40 year old discount when he turns 40, it is not a problem.
And we are not talking 10% senior discount here...the OP points to a TWO HUNDRED PERCENT DISCOUNT. As I said before...the car companies are telling us that it's summer and there is a car shortage so the rate is $600 a week. Then they offer that same car to a foreigner for $200 a week??? I would like to understand this nonsense. Checked Hertz, Avis, same deal...and it varies by country....Australia usually gets a discount, Brazilians and Germans renting in the U.S. do not. Wild.
Child ticket discounts are not illegal since they apply to everyone...we were all kids once. Same with the car insurance comparison...as long as that 18 year old gets the 40 year old discount when he turns 40, it is not a problem.
And we are not talking 10% senior discount here...the OP points to a TWO HUNDRED PERCENT DISCOUNT. As I said before...the car companies are telling us that it's summer and there is a car shortage so the rate is $600 a week. Then they offer that same car to a foreigner for $200 a week??? I would like to understand this nonsense. Checked Hertz, Avis, same deal...and it varies by country....Australia usually gets a discount, Brazilians and Germans renting in the U.S. do not. Wild.
Jul 18th, 2010, 11:33 PM
#31
I just tried renting a car on Alamocom. Aug 20 -25, noon to noon, midsized, LAX.
Living in UK: $240 incl all the $$ insurance coverage
Living in USA: $320 with no insurance
Next rental, I'm living in UK (but I'll have a backup reservation, just in case they notice my Hawaii drivers license)!
Living in UK: $240 incl all the $$ insurance coverage
Living in USA: $320 with no insurance
Next rental, I'm living in UK (but I'll have a backup reservation, just in case they notice my Hawaii drivers license)!
Jul 19th, 2010, 03:10 AM
#32
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The OP mentions citizenship, but I think he is confusing the terms citizen and resident. Nowhere does Hertz or any other rental car co ask for a person's citizenship - that kind of preference would likely be a no-go.
And a 200% discount? That's an amazing calculation. Let's do the math. The originally quoted price was $679. A 50% discount would be $340. A 90% discount would be $68. A 100% discount would be a free car. So a 200% discount would be they pay you $679? Is the US education system that bad? Maybe a refresher course in simple math is in order.
For those that don't get the concept of targeted marketing and resort to calling it nonsense, perhaps a refresher class in marketing would also be in order.
I'm willing to bet any capitalist from the UK understands the marketing concept without getting in a tizzy. The level of ignorance among the US public is astonishing. No wonder the US economy has taken a ride in a hand basket.
And a 200% discount? That's an amazing calculation. Let's do the math. The originally quoted price was $679. A 50% discount would be $340. A 90% discount would be $68. A 100% discount would be a free car. So a 200% discount would be they pay you $679? Is the US education system that bad? Maybe a refresher course in simple math is in order.
For those that don't get the concept of targeted marketing and resort to calling it nonsense, perhaps a refresher class in marketing would also be in order.
I'm willing to bet any capitalist from the UK understands the marketing concept without getting in a tizzy. The level of ignorance among the US public is astonishing. No wonder the US economy has taken a ride in a hand basket.
Jul 19th, 2010, 04:05 AM
#33
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Perhaps someone could link the thread: "Car rental Boston Logan - geez SO expensive posted by lovetotrave2 on 7/8/09" for the answer on saying that you live in the UK to try and get a cheaper rate.
Sandy
Sandy
Jul 19th, 2010, 04:27 AM
#35
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Without reading car rental regulations or the law, I would caution that providing a false address to rent a vehicle could get you into all kinds of difficulties with the rental agency, insurance agencies, and possibly US security agencies - especially if you provide false information at a travel hub (airport, train station, etc.).
Once you are asked to provide identification and/or your driver's license I can't imagine how you could claim any address but the one on your ID.
Non?
It seems a great deal of (potential) trouble and liability to save a couple to a few hundred dollars. Unless you're regularly renting a car file this expense under "just one of those things" and enjoy your travels.
Once you are asked to provide identification and/or your driver's license I can't imagine how you could claim any address but the one on your ID.
Non?
It seems a great deal of (potential) trouble and liability to save a couple to a few hundred dollars. Unless you're regularly renting a car file this expense under "just one of those things" and enjoy your travels.
Jul 19th, 2010, 05:11 AM
#36
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"The level of ignorance among the US public is astonishing. No wonder the US economy has taken a ride in a hand basket."
Right, and the U.K. economy has been soaring.
The Scot barrista at the Starbucks next to the Tower of London was talking to the customers in front of me, who were from San Francisco. He asked them how far they were from the Hollywood sign, they said probably about 350 miles. He was amazed at that, and that the State of California is 700 miles long (about the distance from the Shetland Islands to Plymouth.
I guess from that discussion I should conclude that Brits are ignorant about geography.
Right, and the U.K. economy has been soaring.
The Scot barrista at the Starbucks next to the Tower of London was talking to the customers in front of me, who were from San Francisco. He asked them how far they were from the Hollywood sign, they said probably about 350 miles. He was amazed at that, and that the State of California is 700 miles long (about the distance from the Shetland Islands to Plymouth.
I guess from that discussion I should conclude that Brits are ignorant about geography.
Jul 19th, 2010, 05:45 AM
#37
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In response to my assertion that people in one country frequently can get better deals than people in the country of the attraction, joesorce asks:
"Really? When you go to the Disney website they ask you what country you live in? And a travel agent selling you a tour of Europe, they ask your nationality before they can quote you a price?"
No. You don't go to the Disney website or a travel agent. A tour operator negotiates big discounts on airfares, hotels, and admissions and sells them with a markup at a price that is still lower than you could get by booking directly. Volume discount. There are also timing discounts (Brits will come to Florida at times the rest of us would avoid like the plague) and timimg premiums.
You as a US resident won't get this rate because you aren't reading the travel ads in UK (my example) publications. It is not discrimination against you, simply you lacking information. The Indian grocery around the corner from my Brookline apartment advertises flights to Mumbai for less than I could fly to Chicago. If I wanted to fly to Mumbai, I would stop in rather than going to a travel agent or, certainly, to the Air India website.
Notice that none of these packages guarantees a particular seat or even that you will be on a scheduled airline. British friends flying to Orlando did it via Minneapolis and Memphis. Cheap? Yes. Convenient? No. Worth it? Yes, to them.
Some rates deliberately discriminate in favor of non-residents for other economic reasons. It is to the advantage of tourism generally that national railways make it cheap for tourists to get to lots of places in the country. As to business travelers, tough luck. They pay full price because they have to go.
Additionally, everybody with overseas operations hedges currencies. Suppose XYZ Car Rentals believes that the pound is as low as it will go against the dollar, so it makes sense to accumulate pounds rather than dollars. Thus they charge people who pay in pounds less than people who pay in dollars because they want the pounds more than the dollars. Today.
Tomorrow it may be different.
And on and on. And all this may result in the targeted marketing that ipod_robbie describes, where vendors seek out particular buyers and give them a better deal than the person who walks up to the desk.
"Really? When you go to the Disney website they ask you what country you live in? And a travel agent selling you a tour of Europe, they ask your nationality before they can quote you a price?"
No. You don't go to the Disney website or a travel agent. A tour operator negotiates big discounts on airfares, hotels, and admissions and sells them with a markup at a price that is still lower than you could get by booking directly. Volume discount. There are also timing discounts (Brits will come to Florida at times the rest of us would avoid like the plague) and timimg premiums.
You as a US resident won't get this rate because you aren't reading the travel ads in UK (my example) publications. It is not discrimination against you, simply you lacking information. The Indian grocery around the corner from my Brookline apartment advertises flights to Mumbai for less than I could fly to Chicago. If I wanted to fly to Mumbai, I would stop in rather than going to a travel agent or, certainly, to the Air India website.
Notice that none of these packages guarantees a particular seat or even that you will be on a scheduled airline. British friends flying to Orlando did it via Minneapolis and Memphis. Cheap? Yes. Convenient? No. Worth it? Yes, to them.
Some rates deliberately discriminate in favor of non-residents for other economic reasons. It is to the advantage of tourism generally that national railways make it cheap for tourists to get to lots of places in the country. As to business travelers, tough luck. They pay full price because they have to go.
Additionally, everybody with overseas operations hedges currencies. Suppose XYZ Car Rentals believes that the pound is as low as it will go against the dollar, so it makes sense to accumulate pounds rather than dollars. Thus they charge people who pay in pounds less than people who pay in dollars because they want the pounds more than the dollars. Today.
Tomorrow it may be different.
And on and on. And all this may result in the targeted marketing that ipod_robbie describes, where vendors seek out particular buyers and give them a better deal than the person who walks up to the desk.
Jul 19th, 2010, 06:20 AM
#38
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That was me, Miss Math, noting the 200% discount! What I should have said was that the U.S. citizen is paying 200% more than the UK citizen. However, it's worse than that since the UK quote includes insurances, taxes and waivers that the US quote does not. So the U.S. citizen in the end would be paying about 300% more than the uK citizen.
AckIslander, if there is an ad in a UK paper for a deal, I would assume an American who saw the ad could book the special like anyone else. They tell you to "ask for the summer promotion" or whatever. We are talking about being locked out of a deal in the US simply because you are a US resident. I'm sure it's legal, because Disney has deals for people who reside in certain zipcodes, but it stinks. AND NOBODY WHO IS DEFENDING THE PRACTICE IS ANSWERING MY QUESTION! FORGET MY MATH AND GET TO THE POINT! Why would a car rental company do this, it seems to make no business sense, and it means they are lying to us when they say that "car rentals have gone way up because of supply and demand in the summer, and a shortage of cars, and oh my we had to ground all our Toyotas!"
AckIslander, if there is an ad in a UK paper for a deal, I would assume an American who saw the ad could book the special like anyone else. They tell you to "ask for the summer promotion" or whatever. We are talking about being locked out of a deal in the US simply because you are a US resident. I'm sure it's legal, because Disney has deals for people who reside in certain zipcodes, but it stinks. AND NOBODY WHO IS DEFENDING THE PRACTICE IS ANSWERING MY QUESTION! FORGET MY MATH AND GET TO THE POINT! Why would a car rental company do this, it seems to make no business sense, and it means they are lying to us when they say that "car rentals have gone way up because of supply and demand in the summer, and a shortage of cars, and oh my we had to ground all our Toyotas!"
Jul 19th, 2010, 07:06 AM
#40
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I wonder if the average UK citizen renting a car in the US puts much fewer miles than the average Amercian renting one and they are pricing accordingly?
In any case. when renting a car in Europe, you get a much lower rate if you book it while you are in the US, rather than waiting until you are there.
In any case. when renting a car in Europe, you get a much lower rate if you book it while you are in the US, rather than waiting until you are there.
