Minivans
Aug 12, 2003 | 12:26 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2001
Programs: AA Plat & LTG; QF LTG
Posts: 9,837
Minivans
I recently had two minivan rentals through Dollar and wonder if anyone has any thoughts on my experience. Fist rental was pickup at LAX and drop-off at LAS. I had reserved a Minivan via the Dollar web site.
On collection, the agent say I had reserved a Dodge Caravan and I could upgrade to the Grand Caravan for $10 oer day. The Grand Caravan has more luggage space than the Caravan and we needed the extra space. The web site only offered one type of minivan and the description stated Dodge Caravan or Similar with 23.7 cu ft of luggage storage.
I was not able to reserve the Grand Caravan size from the internet, so was left with the only option of $10 per day for the "upgrade".
I was very happy with the vehicle and it served our purpose very well, carrying 4 adults, 3 children and all our luggage, but $10 per day adds up when you rent for a few weeks.
A few days later we had a similar rental, but this time booked through Travelocity, from MCO to BWI. Again there was only one Minivan option to select when booking and the description was exactly the same as in LAX. This time I asked for a Grand Caravan at MCO and was given one without the $10 "upgrade" fee.
Was I overcharged for the LAX rental or did I just get lucky in MCO when not charged for the "upgrade"?
By the way, Dollar was the cheapest by a long shot of all I could find on the net, especially given the one-way rentals I required. I used Travelocity for the MCO-BWI rental because Dollar showed no availability for that rental on my dates, but Travelocity did show it is available through Dollar! The only restriction when using Travelocity was that the one-way rental had to be between airport locations.
On collection, the agent say I had reserved a Dodge Caravan and I could upgrade to the Grand Caravan for $10 oer day. The Grand Caravan has more luggage space than the Caravan and we needed the extra space. The web site only offered one type of minivan and the description stated Dodge Caravan or Similar with 23.7 cu ft of luggage storage.
I was not able to reserve the Grand Caravan size from the internet, so was left with the only option of $10 per day for the "upgrade".
I was very happy with the vehicle and it served our purpose very well, carrying 4 adults, 3 children and all our luggage, but $10 per day adds up when you rent for a few weeks.
A few days later we had a similar rental, but this time booked through Travelocity, from MCO to BWI. Again there was only one Minivan option to select when booking and the description was exactly the same as in LAX. This time I asked for a Grand Caravan at MCO and was given one without the $10 "upgrade" fee.
Was I overcharged for the LAX rental or did I just get lucky in MCO when not charged for the "upgrade"?
By the way, Dollar was the cheapest by a long shot of all I could find on the net, especially given the one-way rentals I required. I used Travelocity for the MCO-BWI rental because Dollar showed no availability for that rental on my dates, but Travelocity did show it is available through Dollar! The only restriction when using Travelocity was that the one-way rental had to be between airport locations.
Aug 12, 2003 | 8:57 am
#2
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Worcester, MA, USA
Programs: AA PLT, SPG Gold, Hyatt Platinum, HHonors, Marriott Silver
Posts: 547
I also rented a minivan from Dollar at BWI for a week, as they were running a $199 per week special...cheaper than anyone else. Didn't ask for a specific type, got a regular Caravan. The wait at the counter was awful, and they were automatically giving a extra 10% discount because it was taking 30-40 minutes. In my experience, Dollar tries to get any extras it can to make up for lower rates so a $10 "upcharge" does not surprise me...but it probably was creative revenue enhancement by the agent.