boe4fun
Super Nomad
Posts: 1040
Registered: 1-22-2006
Location: Margaritaville
Member Is Offline
Mood: Circling the drain........
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Rental car problems
This was recently posted on the Talk Baja group. Having had a similar problem years and years ago at Los Cabos airport, (my Amex card covered
insurance on the rental but they insisted it did not). Since I drive down 100% of the time now (closest airport to Bahia Asuncion is in Loreto, about
6 hours away), it doesn’t necessarily apply to me, but... The lady who posted this really has her act together. Buen viaje amigos!
Important information shared previously by Valerie Farrington Teters:
Valerie Farrington Teters
January 22
Hi All- many of us have been going round and round about the insane cost of car rentals in Baja. Since we are on the East Cape frequently and have not
yet brought a car down to leave at our home, as you can imagine, we’ve really felt slammed by the rental car costs-easily $500 per week or more for
a compact 2 wheel SUV. I decided to invest some time this past week to really get to know the laws regarding liability and collision insurance
requirements in Baja since the upfront cost of renting a car always sounds like a steal (in a good way) when you go to reserve online.
Here’s what I now know after a little research and a couple of phone calls. Liability insurance -always comes with every rental car in Baja. The
laws mandate that the rental companies include $750,000 pesos of coverage with your rental. When they tell you you need liability insurance and tell
you it’s going to cost $400 a week, that is NOT TRUE-you are being up-sold additional insurance that you do not need. Ask them and the agents will
confirm that you have this coverage already included-or look right on the rental email-it’s on the front of it! Collision-almost all American credit
card companies do provide collision insurance for rental cars in foreign counties. I made sure ours covered a Mexican car rental for the full extent
of any damages. I called my CC, was transferred to an auto rental coverage specialist, had them review coverage for Baja with me, and they emailed the
policy details to me within minutes. I made two copies and presented one to the agent and kept a copy with the car rental papers. One caution, should
there be a claim, you would have to pay for repairs directly to the rental car agency and then your CC Co would reimburse you-and you leave a $2,500
US dollar deposit which is a CC transaction that never actually gets charged to your card. Lastly, yesterday I made a quick call to MEX, confirmed
that our 17 day rental would cost $57 US (Kia Sportage) and included $750,000 pesos liability insurance. I also told them that I was bringing a copy
of my collision coverage. I got the agent I spoke with’s name and wrote it on the proof of collision insurance copy.
Today when we arrived at MEX I was told the rental would be $1,400. I was very polite and very prepared. I presented her with a printed out copy of my
itinerary showing $58 including $750,000 peso liability coverage. The agent was furious with me and tried to add a second driver (without asking me
first)for $250, add collision and additional liability coverage....She was openly aggressive and angry. I remained calm and showed her my res #, proof
of collision insurance and the name of the agent I spoke with the day before to confirm my rental and cost. She finally gave up and tossed us the keys
and walked away. $58 US. Not $1,400 US for 17 days. BAM!
Hope this helps those of you in the same predicament. As someone else pointed out here-make sure you get pics of all dents and scratches with the
rental facility as your time stamp before you drive away!
Two dirt roads diverged in Baja and I, I took the one less graveled by......
Soy ignorante, apático y ambivalente. No lo sé y no me importa, ni modo.
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advrider
Super Nomad
Posts: 1863
Registered: 10-2-2015
Member Is Offline
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Good info, I was scamed a couple of years ago at the Cabo airport, same game... Video the car before you drive off, it saved us when we returned the
car. They tried to charge us $75 dollars per hubcap for scratches that were already there, but our video saved us. As soon as we started the video
they gave up and signed us out.
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bajaric
Senior Nomad
Posts: 634
Registered: 2-2-2015
Member Is Offline
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Car rental companies always try to add extra insurance, in the US as well. I got an on-line quote from Hertz for a rental at Sacramento airport, then
when I got there the agent added an extra 30 bucks a day for insurance. They wait until you are standing at the counter with your luggage and then
hit you with the slimy upsell tactics. Fortunately I had printed out the confirmation number and insisted that I pay only what had been quoted.
edited yeah now I get it 58 a day not bad for cabo --
[Edited on 4-4-2019 by bajaric]
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BajaBlanca
Select Nomad
Posts: 13197
Registered: 10-28-2008
Location: La Bocana, BCS
Member Is Offline
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That is a really good idea, what she did.
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