CAR INSURANCE IS THE BIGGEST RIP OFF IN THE WORLD!!! (page 3)

katiekitten

Can anyone tell me what Collision Damage Waiver is when you hire a car?

Im in Miami and I looked into hiring a car. The deal seems to be you pay whatever for the car hire, then between $22 and $30 PER DAY for Collision Damage Waiver - but its optional. This is more than I got quotes for the car hire per day. (oh plus 7% ontop for I dont know what).

So wheres the ordinary insurance? My dad tells me 'oh thats covered by your credit card', but when I phone Barclaycard Visa in England they tell me I dont get free car hire insurance with the card.

When I hired a car in Europe it was really straight forward. You pay for the car, and you pay a reasonable price for insurance. The insurance you buy covers everything, but with an excess if the damage is your fault (fair enough). The amount of excess depends on how much you pay for the insurance. I.e. buy cheap, have a bigger excess, pay more have a smaller or even NO excess. (excess being the amount you have to pay before the insurance kicks in).

So what is Collision Damage Waiver? Why is it optional? And how do I get ordinary insurance?

blondie

Check with your own car insurance carrier. Mine covers that so I don't need to pay the rental agency's gouge.

Blondie

katiekitten

Yes, I should have done that Blondie, only my insurance document is in a folder in a house in England. I have no idea who I am insured with or what my policy number is. (STUPID Katie)

And anyway I have a sneaking suspicion it wont cover me for car hire abroad, as I got a very basic insurance package on my car - it doesnt cover me in another vehicle, and I therefore doubt it covers me abroad, its only 'third party, fire and theft', not fully comprehensive. (that means I have to pay for any damage to my own car in an accident that is my fault, it only covers the other partys damage).

ballistic

When I hired a car in Teneriffe last December I asked as they gave me the key, "have you checked the car for dents", they said, "no - it's full insurance" - when I got the car it was covered in dents and scratches all over.

roybatty

I'm not sure if it was mentioned or not, but a big reason that insurance companies are raising prem. so much is because during the 1990's they were making tons of money on Wall Street. After the bubble burst they needed to find new ways to keep the stock holders happy so they raised rates dramatically.

Yup, the little guys get screwed again. Think car insurance is bad, it's nothing compared to what I pay for my small business health insurance and workman's comp. It's f*cking insane.

Golf

Mary, have you shopped around for lower prices? Have you asked around? I'm going to assume you have. This system is geared to 'control' us, so we gotta do our own leg work to stay on top of things. I understand your situation, yes, it is annoying and frustrating.

I'm sorry I can't be of great help. If your alone and have this problem, I don't want to imagine what others with families are doing if they are in the same boat. In this day and age many people are just'existing' and not 'living.'

Situations like yours means cutting back on many things just to survive. I can only offer you my understanding and wish your circumstances will change in the near future.

Golf

AllAlongTheWatchtower

Katiekitten: Its just another way for the car rental company to make a killing. MOST times you won't need it, but in that one chance that something happens and you don't have it, you're screwed cause you're liable for the damages. SOME credit cards cover damages on rentals, but YOU HAVE TO SPECIFICALLY CHECK with them to make sure they do. Also your own personal auto insurance will SOMETIMES cover you on rentals, but you have to be sure of that BEFORE making the rental.

Regarding that 7% you aren't sure of where it came from; its probably either 1) sales tax (not sure what you're used to in the UK, but in the US sales tax varies from state to state, usually is about 5%) or 2) airport tax. If you rented your car directly from an agency at the airport after you landed, it was probably the latter. I'm not sure how it works, but I once I rented a car from an airport myself, but not because I was traveling far, it was a rental from a place local to me. I chose them because the had an advertised special cheaper than anywhere else, but when I went to pay, it came out to the expected amount + 11%! When I got angry and questioned this, I was told that all airport car rental agencies in my state tack on an extra 11% due to some law or other that I didn't really understand (the girl at the counter didn't seem to understand it much, either, just knew she had to charge it). I was quite miffed, as the deal ended up being more expensive than the second cheapest deal I had found and passed up for the "cheaper one", once all the math was done.

blondie

Yes, I should have done that Blondie, only my insurance document is in a folder in a house in England. I have no idea who I am insured with or what my policy number is. (STUPID Katie)

If you have someone trustworthy at home with access to those papers, have them fax a copy. Or as was mentioned some credit cards have car insurance built in. Also, since you have access to a computer, I would use Google to check online to see what your credit card companies offer. You can also check up on your car insurance and find a local phone number for an agent in your area.

talesin

Hey Mary,, I have a couple of tales of woe for ya,,,

Just over three years ago, my parents GAVE me their 1985 Jetta. I have been driving since I was 16, with no claims. BUT I haven't owned a car for 15 years, although I occasionally rent one. I am now a "NEW" driver, and they wanted $2500/year to insure a 16 year old car! So, I sold the car for them instead of taking it.

About 10 years ago, my parents had 3 incidents happen in the space of 2 years. First, a rock bounced off a rig and cracked their windshield. They had it paid by their insurance. Then, a kid scratched their car with a rock,,, insurance fixed it. Mind you, none of these things were their fault, and they have had ONE accident in over 50 years of coverage. When their windshield got smashed the second time, their insurance company sent them a letter stating that if they had any more claims, their policy would be cancelled.

Isn't that what INSURANCE is for???

I was livid! I called the Insurance Bureau of Canada, as I used to work with the CEO. She told me that they can make up any rules they want, and there was nothing she could do to help my parents.

What really pisses me off is that the governments legislates them a license to STEAL from us. We have NO CHOICE.

RoyBatty --- YOU ARE SOOOO RIGHT ON THIS ONE.

Bottom line --- the corporations rule our countries, and the politicians are merely their hatchet/bag-men/women.

t

CAR INSURANCE IS THE BIGGEST RIP OFF IN THE WORLD!!!

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