Returning to different location after pick up
 

I have a car booked from Orlando late March with return there two weeks later. (I was originally flying into TPA but that has now changed). However, I'll be flying out of TPA not MCO.

When I try booking the convertible from MCO and returning to TPA it says it's not available. But it is available when I put the return to MCO.

Any idea if/how I'll be penalised if I tell them after pick up that I now need to return the car to TPA instead?

I would prefer to use Avis than Hertz as they have desk in airport and easier for me to collect as a Preferred member.

Thanks

Give them a call and ask. Usually they'll just impose a drop fee. I did this once with a National car I had booked a YHM and planned to drop at YYZ. If I booked it outright, I didn't get any free km. When I called them, they left my booking as is and charged me a $50 drop fee.

It depends how they want to handle it. There was a thread a while ago about this similar thing. It totally depends upon who you talk to and how much they 'need' the convertible in MCO following your rental.

A few options that they are fully right in doing:
1. Just like Tuneman said... charge a one-way drop fee. They might add a mileage charge to it.
2. Tell you it's fine (in the event that the car happens to belong to TPA or somewhere other than MCO, they might get a higher cut of the final price).
3. Charge you the fees to retrieve it from TPA (a tow truck or 2 people's time to make the round trip, etc).
4. Flat out refuse to allow a TPA drop.

A few options: pick up somewhere other than MCO (Sanford airport or downtown location)? I know this might be a hassle, but it might be a lot cheaper if they have a car they're willing to give up; try companies other than Avis; or, make 2 rentals out of it (get a convertible from MCO and keep it for 2 weeks. Then drop it off and get a 1-way to TPA on the day you're flying out). They might not be the most efficient things, but sometimes you have to be creative if you have your heart set on a particular type of car.

Good Luck!

Thanks guys (and especially IAHtraveler who kindly helped me before).

The reason I'm now flying to MCO instead of TPA is I need to drive to FLL after my international flight. The driving time is shorter from MCO and the flight arrives earlier than the TPA one did. By flying into MCO I'll get to FLL about 9.30pm as opposed to after midnight from TPA. After a 9:40 hour flight it makes a difference. ;)
With that in mind I'm not keen to make the trek to another office in the Orlando area. I can use Hertz at MCO instead.

I'll call them tomorrow and ask. I'll call both res here in the UK and also try and talk to the station manager at the MCO office.

Thanks again :)

Oh, that's right... I knew your name was familiar but I couldn't remember why. The good thing about going into MCO is that the convertible selection is much better than TPA!

Just so you know, Hertz is off-site at Orlando airport. I've used them before and they're a lot easier than most off-site locations at US airports, but still not as convenient as the on-site options. A thread about that is here, if you want others opinions.

A few other option that you might try, if you really want to use Avis and definitively want a convertible:
1. Book a full-size or other car at Avis & sign up for Preferred service. When you get there, try to persuade them into giving you a convertible. In this case, I'd have a back-up reservation somewhere else in case they won't upgrade you.
2. Book the convertible from Hertz or other location and print out your reservation. When you get to MCO, go to Avis and ask them to match it. The rental companies are very hard-up for business right now and on-site agents also get a cut of local sales. Even if they refuse, you can walk (or bus it) to your original reservation.

You can try a phone call, but usually you have much better luck in-person. If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask; that's what we're here for. Enjoy your stay in FL... I'm there again next week (TPA) and can't wait.

If you manage to speak to the station manager at MCO, would you please PM me with the phone number you used? I've tried on many occasions to get through to speak to someone at MCO prior to a rental, and only manage to get a call center.

Not sure which convertible you are hoping for, but if you're open to suggestions, the Chrysler Sebring Ltd. (top model) is very nice and quite comfortable to drive for a convertible. We liked it much better than a Mustang convertible, particularly as you will be driving to FLL.

We asked for a Saab convertible last trip, but were told they had phased them out. However, if you see one on the lot, it might also be worth asking for. MCO has always been quite good about swapping cars for you if you don't initially like what they have reserved, so be sure to ask if you get there and aren't thrilled with their selection for you.

Susan

Yeah, I've had the same luck there and at most major stations. I left a laptop in a car at MCO once (Sebring convertible top didn't work, the Eclipse wouldn't start, and the 2nd Sebring finally worked... in the 3 car shuffle, I forgot it :eek: ). I couldn't get through to anyone at MCO so I called the President's Club line and within 60 seconds, they had the manager at MCO on the line who already had my laptop in his possession. So there are numbers for the station directly, but I don't think that we consumers ever see them.

As an aside: Brian at the MCO airport was great. Held my laptop until I returned and came running to meet me with it when I made my way back there 3 days later.

Well I tried calling the number shown on the booking and ended up getting through to the call centre. Frustrating as they couldn't answer the question and said I need to call MCO direct. When I said I'd done that they said I shouldn't press any numbers and just let the call go through - but when I do that I just get the menu over and over again :(

Spoke to the call centre again and they said it's probably because MCO is busy and can't answer the phone and I should keep trying - which I will.

I'll report back what I ultimately find out and SusanDK I'll PM you with info on numbers once I establish what they are. :)

Dop off fees within Florida? Not in my experience.
 

AVIS's long-standing policy is "No Drop-off fees when picking up and dropping off within Florida." In all my years of flying between New Jersey and various Florida locations (FLL, PBI, MCO, TPA) ... I have never been charged a fee for pick-up at one airport and drop-off at another (within Florida) ... although I usually do book the alternate drop-off in advance. On occasion, I have changed my plans during my FL stay ... called AVIS central reservation to alert them to my changed drop-off site ... and simply returned the car (to the alternate location) without being charged or questioned.

Well having done the telephone tango with Avis for the last few days over this I finally spoke to somebody today who, although not in MCO, said she was responsible for speaking on their behalf.

She said it wouldn't be a problem returning to a different location but I would need to call Avis once in Florida and let them know it would be returned to TPA instead of MCO. She was pretty sure there'd be no charge for this.

I'm an airline employee on a discounted rate (though not much difference) and will have to show my ID to prove this on arrival. I'll mention that I may have to return it to a different location, saying that I won't know for a couple of days, and if they question this at all I'll just head over to Hertz for the one I have booked with them. I know travel industry employees are not as respected as they were years ago, but hopefully the combination of my Avis Preferred membership and airline employment will work in my favour on this occasion.

Susan - I'm sorry to say I couldn't get a direct number for MCO, only that which is shown on your confirmation. When you press the numbered options this trips to central reservations, but after perseverance I was put through to the lady who was responsible for speaking on behalf of MCO.

IAHtraveler - if I have any problems, I'll ask for Brian as it sounds like he could be very helpful.

Thanks everyone for your help. :cool:

Thanks for the update and have a good trip.

Susan

Most car-rental co.s are very 1-way friendly within FL as per N9MD above--for regular cars. Convertibles may be another matter.
Sunrisegirl, if U don't need to do anything between MCO & FLL, why not buy a 1-way air ticket, then reserve the car with pickup in FLL & return to TPA?

It's Florida law that no one is allowed to charge extra for one-way rentals within the state. The reason why specialty vehicles might not be allowed to go one-way is due to computer-calculated supply and demand.

For instance, if you want to rent a generic Grand Marquis from Orlando to Tampa, chances are high that somebody else reserved the same car class for pickup at your dropoff city. Someone may take an Avalon from Miami to Orlando, so statistically this random circulation of the corporate-owned fleet will eventually cancel out and result in nearly constant inventory levels of each car size at each location.

The problem arises with specialty vehicles, such as convertibles, cargo vans, etc., where demand varies unevenly. As such, there might only be a few of those vehicles allotted to the area, and they need to be shared among several locations. Thus, those locations can't afford to "lose" the car, because they might not get another similar one back later and their inventory levels would keep being depleted.

Thought I'd let you all know the final chapter to this story. :)

Well I ultimately ended up with an Eclipse Spyder in the most gorgeous orange colour. It was a wonderful car and attracted lots of looks everywhere I went!!

When I picked it up I said I might have to return it to TPA and they said it was no problem, just phone them and let them know. I did this after about 6 days and they were correct, I had absolutely no problem doing this.

However, on arrival at MCO their computers were down. Thankfully I was third in line at the Preferred desk, but even so it took an hour to get the car as they had no idea who'd booked what and the only convertible they had was the Solstice which wouldn't hold my luggage. I was just about tearing my hair out. And when I left there were 20 people waiting and tempers were getting very frayed. The counter staff were not over friendly either, perhaps because they were a bit under pressure.

I was driving straight down to FLL and after a 9 hour flight the last thing I needed was an hour's wait for a car - I'm sure you'd agree.

I appreciate it was difficult with computers down, but surely there must have been a better way. Perhaps by having another city print out their bookings for that day and faxing it to them or something like that.

Still it only took 2.45 hours to reach FLL - it would've been quicker had I not been pulled over for speeding, though thankfully I didn't get a ticket! I was doing just over 80 on the Turnpike. Yes I know that's too fast and excuses are poor. However, our speed limits are a little higher in the UK so it's a speed I'm used to and comfortable with. Even the officer seemed to understand that and it was after establishing that he let me go.

All in all - a great car but a poor experience at MCO airport.

Why didn't U buy an extra 1-way ticket MCO--FLL as I suggested above? IDK about FLL's car-rental rates that week, but speeding while tired makes U a hazardous driver! :eek:

Quoted from http://www.speedingticketcentral.com...ng-ticket.html
Florida Speeding Ticket Fine
For moving violations involving unlawful speed, the Florida speeding ticket fines are as follows:

For speed exceeding the limit by:
1-5 m.p.h. Warning
6-9 m.p.h. $ 25
10-14 m.p.h. $100
15-19 m.p.h. $125
20-29 m.p.h. $150
30 m.p.h. and above $250

Court costs imposed under this subsection may not exceed $30.

The amount of the fine may vary from county to county in the state of Florida. Contact the Florida Clerk of the Court in the county you received the citation and they will tell you the exact amount of the fine and costs.