usrentacar.co.uk ® Car Hire USA Blog

Hi all,

Just received the news that Alamo Rent A Car will, for the first time in years be issuing a peak season surcharge on certain vehicles in Florida and the rest of the USA.

Following on from price increases from Budget and Dollar, Alamo, who have the largest fleet of all our suppliers, are now also feeling the knock on effects of the Japanese Tsunami.

The price increase effects vehicles for collection on or within the following date range 01/07/11 until 21/08/11 these increases come in to effect on the 10th June 2011.

The vehicles effected are -

Intermediate SUV

Standard SUV

Full Size SUV

Convertible

7 seater Minivan

8 Seater Minivan

15 Seater Minivan

Other vehicle types should remain unchanged.

The prices increase ranges from between £16 – £32 per week and will effect all companies selling the Alamo product.

If you have already booked your vehicle with usrentacar.co.uk before the 10/06/2011 then your price will not be effected by these surcharges.

Due to the lack of fleet with all suppliers usrentacar.co.uk urges all customers to book their rentals as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Regards,

James

Hi all,

Alamo Rent A Car has announced for the first time in 10 years, that the Enterprise owned car rental supplier will service a New York city area airport.

The new location is situated at 162 US Highway 1&9 in Newark, New Jersey and will run a regular shuttle bus service situated near the baggage claim area at Newark International Airport.

Jason Altman, vice president of airports for Alamo Rent A Car in New York and New Jersey said

“We are pleased to be offering Alamo’s low rental rates and convenient services to travelers arriving in the New Jersey and New York City areas from all over the world,”

“Alamo consistently delivers a simple, no-hassle process for renting vehicles to get our customers on the road to their destinations quickly and easily.”

usrentacar.co.uk is awaiting confirmation from Alamo that the location is fully available to accept our customers before introducing the new service.

I will of course keep you all updated.

regards,

James

Hi all,

I thought I’d share some of the Florida Car Hire reviews that have been left this month by our customers.

After renting with usrentacar.co.uk we always contact our customers to ask for their comments regarding their hire and to mark the supplier on services such as speed of collect, vehicle quality and value for money to name a few.

In the interest of fairness I’ll try and offer 2 positive reviews and 1 negative for each supplier.

Alamo

Mr D Horton, Orlando International Airport, 14/03/11 said:

Great service from Alamo, I love the fact you can pick your car from the line rather than having a vehicle assigned to you. Big thumbs up.

Mrs J Ellis, Sanford International Airport, 22/03/11 said:

Our flight was delayed by almost 6 hours but the Alamo staff were very friendly and had our vehicle all prepared and waiting for us upon arrival. They even gave us a free upgrade to a lovely 4×4.

Mr D Herring, Tampa International Airport, 11/04/11:

We spent the best part of an hour queing up at the Alamo desk to rent the car this which is unacceptable.

Budget

Mr J Godwin, Tampa International Airport, 25/03/11:

Excellent service from Budget as well as USCarRental. Received upgrade as requested from Tampa location..in the past have used same service at other airports ie Orlando and Miami where upgrades were not ”available”!

Mr B Terry, Orlando International Airport, 07/03/11:

GOOD SERVICE AS ALWAYS,WE HAVE USED BUDGET FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS WITH NO PROBLEMS. MY ONLY GRIPE IN THE TIME WE HAVE TO SPENT IN THE QUEUE AFTER A NINE HOUR FLIGHT

Mrs J Alexander, Melbourne Airport, 29/03/11:

I have used this supplier at the same location 4 times now and each time they do not seem to know what I have signed up for. This is the second time that I have been charged for$64 for a second driver and had to go back to get it re-imbursed onto my credit card. It seems that the US locations can”t quite believe the deal we get in England.So…my advice is..book this deal but make sure that you check what you are being charged for BEFORE you leave at the end of your hire.

Dollar

Mr K McCarthy, Orlando International Airport, 24/03/11:

Excellent top of the range car, new blind spot sensors are a fantastic addition and only 250 miles on clock

Mr A Moore, Orlando International Airport, 18/03/11:

We booked a Ford Mustang at a very reasoable. We collected from Dollar staff who were very helpful, and returned to a Dollar desk at our hotel with no problems at all. later in the holiday we rented a yellow and black Corvette from a different supplier, and were not at all impressed with the service. No guessing who we booked with when we wanted to arrange a hire car for the last few days and to take us to the airport. Will happily use next time we visit America. Thanks!

Mr N Roberts, International Drive Palms Resort, 28/03/11:

CAR COULD HAVE BEEN CLEANER

Does your experience of Florida Car Hire match up with any of the reviews above?

regards,

James

Hi all,

Recently we’ve had some customers asking questions regarding Roadside assistance and if its included within our rentals.

Our rentals all include basic Roadside assistance.

What is Basic Roadside Assistance

Basic Roadside assistance covers the renter against vehicle breakdown’s due to mechanical problems. In essence this means you are covered for breakdown’s that are not the result of driver fault.

The supplier will try to fix the vehicle on the spot, if this is not possible a new vehicle will be supplied.

What is Roadside Assistance Plus/RoadSafe?

Roadside Assistance Plus/RoadSafe is an additional local optional extra which maybe offered to you upon collection. It is charged on a per day basis but must be purchased for the whole of your duration. Approx cost $4.99 plus tax.

It covers -

Key Replacement Lost keys? No worries, we will send replacement keys or a locksmith.
Glass Replacement If the glass is damaged through no fault of your own, we will replace the glass.
Flat Tyre If the vehicle’s spare tire is inflated and serviceable, it will be installed to replace a flat tire. If no inflated spare is available, the vehicle will be towed in accordance with the towing provision.
Tire Replacement If the vehicle’s tire is damaged, the tire will be repaired or replaced at no additional charge.
Towing Towing charges will be covered at no additional cost should the vehicle be inoperable.
Jump Start A battery boost will be provided in an attempt to start the vehicle.
Lockout Service If the keys are locked inside the vehicle, service will be sent to gain entrance.

So basically the Advanced Roadside assistance covers you for failures due to driver negligence. As above this is an optional extra and does not have to be purchased to collect any vehicle.

Hope this is helpful.

regards,

James

Hi all,

Word from the top bosses today confirm that we could be in for a vehicle shortage over the Easter period.

The rental dates most under threat are picking up between 15th and 24th April 2011.

Budget

We have already had some vehicles rejected for the above period with Budget and top sellers like the 7 seater SUV are hitting limited stock.

Dollar

Dollar have issued a price increase of around £25 per week on the dates above to prevent having to issue stop sales. We are trying our best to swallow this charge.

Alamo

At present Alamo seem in the healthiest position but as they have the largest fleet you’d expect them to be fine.

So if you haven’t booked your usa car hire yet our advise is not to delay.

regards

James

Hi all,

Just thought I’d make you aware of the new automated toll booths being operated in Florida.

Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise has moved forward with implementing all-electronic open road tolling, which allows customers on Florida’s Turnpike to pay tolls without slowing down or stopping. With all-electronic open road tolling, traditional tollbooths have been removed and ALL customers pay their tolls electronically, through either SunPass transponders or a new “TOLL-BY-PLATE” program. With the elimination of tollbooths, customers experience a safer, faster and more convenient ride to their destination. All-electronic open road tolling is better for the environment because cars are not stopping and idling at the toll plazas, which reduces emissions and improves customers’ gas mileage.

The Turnpike has completed the first conversion to all-electronic open road tolling on the southern 47 miles of the Turnpike, from U.S. 1 in Florida City to the Miami-Dade/Broward County line. The conversion was implemented on February 19, 2011.

SunPasses or equivalent will be available from the supplier locally. I have contacted our three main suppliers Alamo, Budget and Dollar to enquire about the lost, their response’s were as follows.

Alamo Rent A Car

In FL if the customer drives on an unmanned toll road they are charged the Tollpass Convenience Charge (TCC) of $2.00 per day (not to exceed $6.00 per rental) plus the cost of the tolls.  The TCC is only for those days where they actually incur a toll.  As an example if the customer has a 7 day rental but only drives on a toll road 1 day and incurs a $.50 toll they will be charged $2.50  ($2.00 for the TCC and $.50) for the toll. This fee is charged from the HTA.

Budget Rent A Car

We offer our customer the chance to purchase the Eazipass locally at a cost of $2.95 per day or $10 per week.

Dollar Rent A Car

We are locally offering our Pre Pay Toll product, Pass 24 to customer when they collect and return their hire car.  If the renter does not take the Pass 24 product we will charge them along with a $25 admin fee for each toll fine received during their rental. Therefore, every customer that rents a car is asked to sign a disclaimer about the $25 admin charge. The Pass 24 product is charged locally at $5.95 a day or $27.95 a week plus taxes and fees.

Have you had any experience of this?

What do you think of the new toll system?

regards,

James

Hi all,

Thought I’d let you know of a great little deal we have going on for California car hire at the moment with Alamo Rent A Car and Dollar Rent A Car.

Both these great suppliers have confirmed a FREE ADDITIONAL DRIVERS for any new bookings, on any vehicles, at any California location.

I think you’ll agree this is a great offer and one to be taken full advantage of.

Regards,

James,

Hi all,

Recently we updated our car hire reviews section by making them even more relevant to our customers.

Today is Football transfer deadline day, so I thought it was apt to take a look at our own league table and see who is top of our supplier satisfaction table at one of our most popular locations Orlando International Airport.

1. Dollar Rent A Car - 87%
2. Budget Rent A Car - 86%
3. Alamo Rent A Car - 85%

So as you can see its a close run thing but Dollar Rent A Car are at present king of the hill.

Does this result tally with your own experience of our suppliers?

What can car rental companies do to improve for 2011?

regards,

James

Hi all,

I thought you might be interested in Alamo Rent A Car‘s 24 Hour Satisfaction Guarantee and perhaps raise awareness of this product. This subject was covered in our recent podcast but I thought it might be handy to write about it just in case you missed it.

Upon arrival you maybe offered additional optional extra’s or upgrades including child seats, personal accident insurance and additional drivers. Alamo’s 24 hours satisfaction guarantee states.

24 HOUR SATISFACTION GUARANTEE: If you are dissatisfied with any option that you pre-purchased upon arrival you can simply contact us either via telephone or visit any Alamo location within 24 hours and we will refund it. You will not be able to get a refund on any signed for pre-purchased optional extra after this time.

So if you get to your hotel or villa and decide that you actually didn’t require the upgrade or optional extra you’ve purchased then you can simply follow the advice offered above. Obviously if you have upgraded your vehicle you will have to return it and Alamo may request it is returned from the location it was collected from.

Click here for more information about rental agreements

What do you think about this Alamo Satisfaction Guarantee?

Regards,

James

Hi all,

New Year, new podcast. Director of Communications, Frank Williams talks about 2011, including some interesting Alamo, Budget and Dollar car hire news. He also lets slips our latest project.

Podcast: January Catch up with usrentacar.co.uk

Featuring our January sale, the theme Park review competition and the latest news from our car hire partners in the USA

Remember the usrentacar.co.uk podcast is available on Itunes - http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/usrentacar-co-uk-podcasts/id405494644?ign-mpt=uo%3D4

Is there a topic you’d like us to cover on the podcast, if so, please let us know by commenting below.

Regards,

James