Rental Companies Are Cutting Back And This Could Be Costing You
Many people rent a vehicle without reading the rental contract and over the past few years these agreements are changing
. Most people aren't even aware of the changes and how they may be affecting the cost of their next rental.
The economy is tight and just like many other companies the car rental industry is feeling the pinch as well. This is why they have made some changes that can help them bring in some extra revenue from unsuspecting customers.
One such change is in the area of the grace period that you have in which to return your vehicle. It used to be that most companies gave customers an additional hour within which they could return their rented vehicle without penalty. If for any reason the customer returned the vehicle after the hour grace period only then would they be charged an additional surcharge. Most companies have now changed their rental agreement and only allow hour past the scheduled time as a grace period and after that point you will be charged usually for an additional day.
Another change that has been recently implemented by car rental agencies is the addition of liability to the renter for acts of God such as natural disasters and other weather events. Ultimately unless you have paid for the extra insurance that they are offering for weather events then if you hear of a disaster heading your way you best return that vehicle asap or plan to pay for any damage to that vehicle.
Finally and perhaps the biggest change of all that is being implemented by car rental companies across the board is the inability to drop the car off after hours. It used to be that you agreed on a drop off time and if the office wasn't opened you could just drop the keys without any additional charge. It seems that many companies are still allowing you to drop after hours but are charging additional surcharges for doing so. And all these extra charges can add up so be sure to read your rental agreement carefully and ask any questions before taking that vehicle for a spin so that there won't be any surprises in the end.