mm wrote:
OT renting a car.

A friend just came back from Florida where she rented a car but took
none of the extras offerred.

The rental guy tried to sell her INSURANCE but she said she was
covered by her own insurance, but he said not for LOSS OF USE. What
does that mean, she can't use the rental car! Don't they just give
you another one if you break the first one?

He also wanted to sell her a full tank of gas so that she didn't have
to fill the tank at a gas station before she returned the car. She
took that to mean a FULL tank of gas even if she was only half empty.
They were charging 3.05 a gallon and she filled up near the air port
for 2.93, I think, or 12 cents a gallon difference, so if they were
only going to charge her for half a tank that would have only been
maybe $1.20, which she would have gladly paid. But he called it a
FULL tank of gas. Also, do they ever lie about how much they put in?
Since the customer doesn't see the pump.


Did she happen to mention whether she was renting from one of the "big"
companies?

Some major credit cards give you theft and collision damage insurance
for car rentals paid for with their card. Here's the description of the
plan on my AMEX card:

http://tinyurl.com/389e82

I think letting the rental company charge you for the gas they put in if
you return with the fuel gage below the "F" mark isn't a bad deal even
at a significant premium price per gallon if it saves you having to look
for a gas station near the return lot in what quite possibly be
unfamiliar territory to you. And especially so if you're worried about
making a flight on time.

Speaking of fuel gauges, here's what's going to be in some 2008 SUVs.

http://home.comcast.net/~jwisnia18/temp/fuel_gauge.jpg

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight.