Originally Posted by
jackal
Ah, that makes sense. Such a coverage product is fairly standard across the rental industry (sometimes it's offered in a yet-lower third tier of $500, too), although it's not always advertised well (most people prefer to pay the few extra dollars to have the total costs covered). As you indicated, it should cover the first $3,000 of damage, so you should only receive a bill for damage if the repair costs and other charges exceeds that amount.
From the Alamo Website:
Waiver Saver 3000 - (unless prohibited by state law) Alamo waives up to the first $3,000 of loss or damage to the rental vehicle, the renter or authorized driver(s) pays for any loss or damage in excess of $3,000 up to the fair market value of the vehicle.
She only started pushing me to take it after I waived all the coverage options. Like you say, the full CDW is probably the better value as it covers up to the limit of the car...but I wasn't going to pay $200 for that. In this case I am positive it is sufficient as I walked the car upon returning. If I did miss something it was certainly not large enough to cost more than that...perhaps a small scratch or something very minor. That said, I still think whoever reported this "new damage" failed to review my initial inspection report.
Should I be calling Amex now to let them know what is going on...or hold off until after I speak to Alamo tomorrow? Thanks.