Rental Car... Convenience Fee??

[Cajungaltx]

Okay - I've got to rent a car when we get to El Paso on the 22nd.

I started looking - thought doing it at the Airport would be ideal - but there's a $40 'convenience' fee to rent a car at the Airport.

Seriously...$40... is convenient?

So - I thought I'd ask some of you more experienced travelers about this. I usually rent from Enterprise, or Avis. And they've picked me up, taken me to the rental office, and did all the paperwork there.

But our return flight leaves at 7am, so I think the Airport drop off option might be the BEST option - and thus $40 is QUITE convenient...

Give me some input ya'll... ;-)

[jeffro20]

Been awhile since I rented a car but I have never heard of such a thing. $40 is outrageous. They should change the name from "convenience fee" to "up your ass" fee. I don't see any reason why an airport pickup should cost extra. Airports are and always will be a major depot for car rentals.

[heathercaptures]

Kind like the convenience fee when you pay your bill online....ridiculous!

[PeteQ]

Originally Posted by Cajungaltx

Okay - I've got to rent a car when we get to El Paso on the 22nd.

I started looking - thought doing it at the Airport would be ideal...

And there is the basis of the fee. It IS more convenient and they are betting you will pay the fee versus going to an off-airport rental agency or office. They know it will take you an extra half hour or more of your time and probably a taxi/bus/shuttle ride each way to choose the off-airport car.

They have no doubt been inching the fee up for years and have settled on the fee that is just under the price where people walk away from the airport counter.

Different airports have different fees but it is not uncommon at all...

[ronocnikral]

what most people don't know is that taxes at airports on rental cars are over 25%. just at about all of the major ones.

i don't really pay attention to what the fees and taxes are on my rentals because my company usually pays that. only other thing i can offer is to rent offsite.

[studiocygnet]

Yikes, if your flight is leaving at 7am, you've got to get to the airport around 5:30 or so. I've been to the El Paso airport at that time (my mother in law lives in Silver City NM), and sometimes the employees aren't even there yet. Seriously, I've waited in lines when there was no one behind the ticket counters or baggage claim. They come stumbling in 15 or 20 minutes after they should have opened. So I would drop off whatever car you get the night before and get a friend or a shuttle to the airport. And if you're staying at hotels/motels, there are a couple right outside the airport that are pretty cheap, that have free shuttles that are 5 minutes from the door. That way you can get up 15 minutes before you have to be there.

[jeffro20]

Originally Posted by PeteQ

And there is the basis of the fee. It IS more convenient and they are betting you will pay the fee versus going to an off-airport rental agency or office. They know it will take you an extra half hour or more of your time and probably a taxi/bus/shuttle ride each way to choose the off-airport car.

They have no doubt been inching the fee up for years and have settled on the fee that is just under the price where people walk away from the airport counter.

Different airports have different fees but it is not uncommon at all...

And I look at that as a fine example of businesses taking advantage of the consumer.

[XoZe]

Yep...rent offsite. Most of the rental places are pretty much a few blocks away from the El Paso airport, & they'll shuttle you for free. If it were a larger airport, maybe it would be convenient. Not in El Paso.

[Cajungaltx]

Originally Posted by studiocygnet

Yikes, if your flight is leaving at 7am, you've got to get to the airport around 5:30 or so. I've been to the El Paso airport at that time (my mother in law lives in Silver City NM), and sometimes the employees aren't even there yet. Seriously, I've waited in lines when there was no one behind the ticket counters or baggage claim. They come stumbling in 15 or 20 minutes after they should have opened. So I would drop off whatever car you get the night before and get a friend or a shuttle to the airport. And if you're staying at hotels/motels, there are a couple right outside the airport that are pretty cheap, that have free shuttles that are 5 minutes from the door. That way you can get up 15 minutes before you have to be there.

Thanks Tom - that is definitely an option.

I just checked - booked rooms through Priceline, so the flight IN - we are staying at the Hyatt...which has an airport shuttle. And the flight OUT - Mariott - they have a shuttle to the airport as well.

Cajungaltx added 1 Minutes and 14 Seconds later...Double Post Merged Below

The only problem with renting 'off site' - is that Brad doesn't have to be back until midnight. And I'm not dropping him off one freaking minute earlier than I've got to. *grin*

Which then, if I do 'drop off' at the rental car place, means I have to get to the hotel late at night...

[dbphotos]

I rent quite a bit and have never run across that unless they are talking about paying for a full tank of gas ahead of time an then not having to fill up when you return the care (a ripoff in my opinion). I generally use Hertz, but have found some really good deals using www.Hotwire.com and they will disclose total costs.

[richardsfault]

I though airports had either on-site or off-site rentals but not both.

I flew to ELP a few times in 2004 and 2007, and it was all on-site then.

[Cajungaltx]

Okay - I ended up Renting at Dollar Rental - the Lock, Lo & Go - is an intermediate car or better, for $183 (including fees) - for the week.

It's in the Airport, with the drop off at the airport.

[Jeff_Green]

I have always used Alamo. They have treated me right and been pretty low. Having said that, I haven't used them in a couple of years.

[msk2193]

It's the same scam as the airlines have charging you $25 to $40 for the convenience of taking you luggage along. Then, try to get that refunded when the lose your bag!

[texkam]

Yeah and a telemarketer gives you a "courtesy call". :)