www.CostaRicaTicas.com

I have been an Avis Preferred First and what not for years and those things mainly count for the corporate outlets which are primarily at the airports and other big locations. The rest are franchisees and you have to treat them as a small business.

I can pretty much ask for any car on the lot from a corporate location without paying extra but once I did that at a small airport in USA not knowing that it was a franchise and got an SUV and was handed a $700 bill upon return.

This differentiation gets even more pronounced when overseas. I was at CMN in Morocco a few months ago and complained about the condition of the car, their reply was rent if you like but this is all we have for the price you booked at.

In my opinion, when not in USA or Western Europe, it is better to rent from the agency that happens to be one of the larger ones at that location rather than deal with mom & pop franchises.
Also when overseas, try not to rent a premium or a high-end car. They probably have paid for it dearly and will inspect it with a magnifying glass. I try to stick with compact - mid size cars, take pictures upon rental and the car does not become a thief magnet.

Steve1's Quote: " I personally, work with AVIS. That don't mean dick squat in CR: May have an AVIS sign....but it is "indepentely owned"; a franchise controlled, etc.: Bottom line: USA AVIS can't do diddly for you."

Steve, I know you are busy but if you ever get bored, google "franchisor vicarious liability". I can save you many hours of tedious reading of painful gobblygook legalese by telling you Avis USA readily got involved in my first 2 beefs with Avis CR. With my latest beef from this Semana Santa, if my cc company had backed Avis CR on the bs scratched bumper, which they did not, I was going to contact Avis US again before filing, didn't have to, got the bill resolved in my favor.

But as an example to simplify things, Ford Motors owned Hertz until they sold it in 2005 to others for $15B. Hertz/Ford franchised outlets internationally just like McDonald's now does in Vietnam and Timbuktu. US Litigators with foreign cases against Hertz avoided the franchisee's low insurance policy limits, and/or the jurisdictional/venue restraints of suing Hertz in their foreign locations by succesfully sueing Ford/Hertz in the estados where they could get jurisdiction over the "vicariously" liable defendant, Ford. The essence of the theory of vicaious liability is that the franchisor retains control over numeroous items including pricing and image so that their "brand" does not get altered or dminished.

Another example now comes to mind, which I worked on as a lowly clerk and I will dig up the case name for you the next time I get bored. It went to the Fed Ct of Appeals for our circuit so i think even the older court opinions are now on-line. McDonald's, which you couldn't know is based in my major city/county. In the the late 70's they started franchising into France. A rich Frenchman franchised a bunch of them. In Paris, he slightly altered the Golden arch logo, slightly altered the prized Hollanaise sause McD still puts on their Big Mac, few other things. Game on. McD sued him in my town. He fought the jurisdiction issue, lost. Went to a jury. Huge verdict against him and loss of his franchises.

To get back to the point which you will see if you do google vicarious liability for franchisors is that they maintain certain control to maintain their brand, common sense. That's the hook--they have to maintain a certain amount of control or what the Frenchman did would happen everywhere to the Brand. With me and Avis, I booked on line with Avis US here, and they reserved the car, the price, the rules of pickup and drop, insurance, and on and on. That's why you can get them in the states.


Steve1's Quote: "I sure would like to find out about the state sold short term stuff....."[size=85]

[b]I didn't save that email but that is the curious part to me, how did they get my email knowing I was soon to be renting a car in CR? Looked govt official enuf for me to contact them. A spoof site that got my email from a google tracking source? You know this stuff a zillion times better than me, is that a feasible theory? [/b]

I may very well be, BlueDevil......the "idea" came from something DGD had written earlier.....that one could purchase a short term policy for car rental purposes which was NOT sold by the auto rental deal. Now you've added that the SLI IS written by INS so perhaps that's the deal. Sux. Price of the insurance is higher than the dang rental car. I want the rental car for this trip to get the hey out of Dodge and be able to rubber neck around the Central Valley without sown gibber jabbering which is really all code speak for "I'm providing a guided service and you better propina my ass you dumb gringo.....".

_________________
"Actual happiness always looks pretty squalid in comparison with the over-compensations for misery. And, of course, stability isn't nearly so spectacular as instability. And being contented has none of the glamour of a good fight against misfortune, none of the picturesqueness of a struggle with temptation, or a fatal overthrow by passion or doubt. Happiness is never grand."
- Aldous Huxley, Brave New World, Ch. 16

Now these idiotas....at least Avis, are REQUIRING/MANDATING that one produce a letter from one's bank that one has insurance on the credit card! This just in from Avis Costa Rica:

"ALI ACCEPTANCE - Prior to your trip you must contact your bank and request written proof of your credit card protection plan, where its validity in Costa Rica is clearly stated. Such letter must be presented at the Avis counter at the time of the rental and we reserve the right of accept or not such protection."


Credit Card Coverage
Some credit cards entitled their customers to decline the car rental protections and use their coverage. We will be happy to accept your credit card protection; however you must be aware of the following:

"Prior to your trip you must contact your bank and request written proof of your credit card protection plan, where its validity in Costa Rica is clearly stated. Such letter must be presented at the Avis counter at the time of the rental and we reserve the right of accept or not such protection."

Forewarned is forearmed!!

_________________
"Actual happiness always looks pretty squalid in comparison with the over-compensations for misery. And, of course, stability isn't nearly so spectacular as instability. And being contented has none of the glamour of a good fight against misfortune, none of the picturesqueness of a struggle with temptation, or a fatal overthrow by passion or doubt. Happiness is never grand."
- Aldous Huxley, Brave New World, Ch. 16

Steve: Avis didn't do that to me at Easter so maybe they got burned and wisened up. I could tell the 1 page doc they had me sign then was defintely drafted by a gringo lawyer.

Budget never has asked me for such a letter either, but maybe next time.

Start finding out now is my suggestion. I've learned acquring the letter is no big deal....the time frame of when you can receive it and use it.......AVIS will only provide a letter that is good for two months: That meaning.....if I get a letter from then now: It expires on Oct. 1, 2012.....even though my trip might not be until late October, early November.

The reality these rubes make more money on the insurance than the car rental is a great concept. Last time I rented a car, I spent 2.5 hours out in the lot with the guy with my VHS video cam (it was 5 years back) and did a walk around, zoom in and zoom out, ongoing monologue about what I was seeing. When I brought the car back, video cam in had for viewing purposes, I was out in two seconds. No lie. *shrug*

Looks like having the letter now is just an extra to my little drama with the now, hand held DVD cam.....don't like the phones......

_________________
"Actual happiness always looks pretty squalid in comparison with the over-compensations for misery. And, of course, stability isn't nearly so spectacular as instability. And being contented has none of the glamour of a good fight against misfortune, none of the picturesqueness of a struggle with temptation, or a fatal overthrow by passion or doubt. Happiness is never grand."
- Aldous Huxley, Brave New World, Ch. 16