jwblue

It is now called Roadside SafetyNet (RSN).

$5.99

I was in Las Vegas a few years ago with an AVIS rental. It was over 110 degrees. The heat killed my battery.
I called AVIS and they sent someone within an hour. No charge.

It looks like that won't be free any more.

I have KIA roadside assistance and I don't believe it covers a rental.

drzoidberg

AAA should cover a rental, right?

jwblue

I am almost certain it does.

I wonder if roadside assistance that a lot of auto insurance companies offer do.

IAHtraveler

Yup, the member must be in/with the car and AAA covers whatever vehicle you're in. Some credit cards also do... worth checking into.

jwblue

My AMEX Blue and Chase VISA will only assist in getting a tow truck at a pre negotiated rate. However, they will not pay for it.

dan1431

I had AAA refuse to touch a rental even though I am a member and pay for their AAA Plus service.

The AAA call center employee and her Supervisor both said that they would cover me in any "personally owned" car, but Rentals which are not personally owned are exempt.

My solution was to simply hang up and call back, this time leaving out the fact that it was a rental and AAA was there in 20 minutes.

Dan

djk7

That's strange. Maybe different AAA regions work differently, but this page from the Alabama AAA specifically says:
One of the most valuable benefits of AAA membership is 24-hour-a-day Roadside Assistance. You can call for service whether you're in your own car, a friend's, or a rental, whether you're the driver or a passenger. Help is on the way anywhere in the U.S. or Canada by simply calling 1-800-AAA-HELP or submitting a request for Road Service Online®.

I found links from NY and Michigan where they say the same.

Long Islander

I have a hard time believing that if the battery in the car that Avis owns won't start the car, I now have to call a tow truck on my own and spend my own money to jump start the car. If you locked the keys in the car, or ran out of gas, I can see them not covering that for free. But dead battery? Give me a break!

drzoidberg

BMWs come with 4 years of roadside assistance. As slow as BMW roadside assistance might be, could you call that instead of paying for Avis RSN? (assuming you were to rent a BMW and no AAA coverage.)

jmastron

I would think that assistance for something that is the responsibility of the rental company (dead battery, other mechanical breakdown) would still have to be covered and provided at no charge, while anything that's considered the renter's responsibility (locked keys in car, run out of gas, flat tire due to road hazard, etc) would not.

The signs I've seen at Hertz are similar, making it look like you need to pay for the service, but in the fine print clarifying that things that are their fault still get assistance for free. Worded a bit sleazily, IMHO.

I'm sure rental companies would *like* you to believe that you effectively own the car while it's in your posession (meaning pay for oil changes if they come up, replacing the transmission even when you didn't abuse it, etc, even pay for expired registrations and related tickets), but that clearly can't be the case in any fair consumer contract for a short term rental.

IAHtraveler

When Avis gave me the run-around a few years ago (they couldn't find me broken down on 495/Woodrow Wilson Bridge between MD and VA... turns out they were *supposedly* looking for me on 495 at the other MD/VA interchange for 3 hours) and couldn't get another tow company to me because it was Sunday at 2am by this point, they told me to call Chrysler. I called Chrysler who (after 30 mins on hold) couldn't find someone locally to help. They told me to have it towed/fixed on my own dime and they would reimburse me.

(off topic) It was a tire that exploded after 40 miles of highway driving from BWI, so I'm not sure why Chrysler would have paid for that, but it didn't matter. The car limped (and I mean LIMPED) over to DCA. I wasn't familiar with DC at that point or I would have just gone directly to DCA instead of wasting more than 10 mins with Avis the first time.

drzoidberg

495/WW Bridge is a terrible place to break down! DCA is still pretty far from WW Bridge, I'm impressed you were able to make it over.

So sounds like renters are SOL unless they'd like to pony up the cash for the per diem roadside service or get extra coverage from AAA.

IAHtraveler

It definitely was! I was stopped on the right lane in a construction zone. The blown tire was the rear driver's side so if I were to try to change it, my body would have been in the lane of travel. That's why Avis/Chrysler had issues finding someone.. I told them they would need to tow it off of the bridge or bring me a replacement car, not just send someone capable of putting on a spare tire b/c I can do that.


If one's traveling for work, their employer should cover any costs (as long as it's not negligence). If not for work, I would highly recommend one have roadside coverage for rental cars included in their own auto policy or have a credit card that covers them if one rents often.

henry999

You mean, if a light comes on saying 'Change Oil Now' sort-of-thing? Who would ever be stupid enough to do that, with a rental car ?!?

cheers,

Henry

MSPeconomist

Some auto policies make a distinction in coverage depending on whether the rental is a replacement for your own vehicle or not, so that renting while your own car is being repaired can be legally different from renting for your vacation. Similarly, your own policy might not cover you during business travel.