WTF National Car Rental gouging stranded travelers at Denver for 700 bucks for car rental.

[OutHouse]

Denver Post story

His flight now is not scheduled to leave until Dec 27. He tried to get a rental car at National but they said it would cost $893.

"They are trying to scalp people," he said. "But I guess what can you expect?"

National quoted a reporter $700 to rent a car for a day for travel to Salt Lake City. Avis isn't renting cars at all.

 

[waggy]

bummer.

here i would sale them my wife's escort for $30k

 

[ViviTheMage]

burn....that blows!!

 

[narzy]

yet another company on my growing list that i will NEVER do business with.

 

[KK]

I'm sure that is illegal.

 

[senseamp]

Well, there is only one reason they are charging $700. There are people willing to pay it.

 

[Ramma2]

Demand is greater than supply, so the price increases. Is this not what our country's economy is based on?

 

[mzkhadir]

is it for insurance reasons ?

 

[Minjin]

Supply and demand.

Ensures that the people who need it the most and have the most means will get it...

 

[OutHouse]

Originally posted by: Ramma2
Demand is greater than supply, so the price increases. Is this not what our country's economy is based on?

:roll: supply and demand has nothing to do with car rental.

 

[RaistlinZ]

Well, he's renting a car to go from Denver to Salt Lake City. As someone who works for a car rental company myself, that price isn't that bad. Most places don't let their cars go that far for a multitude of reasons (mileage, wear and tear, the cost of getting the car back). Most of that $700 charge is probably in the drop fee.

 

[mugs]

Eh... I don't trust the media as far as I can throw them. The only details they gave were price and destination. And the article doesn't indicate any attempt to get an official comment from National. Bad reporting.

I suspect the fact that they want to rent a car for a long one-way trip has something to do with it.

 

[daniel1113]

Originally posted by: Citrix
:roll: supply and demand has nothing to do with car rental.

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: Citrix

Originally posted by: Ramma2
Demand is greater than supply, so the price increases. Is this not what our country's economy is based on?

:roll: supply and demand has nothing to do with car rental.

it doesent?

wow here i was thinking a business that has say a max of 100 cars to rent and 200+ wanting a car was not supply and demand.


i know if was renting cars and had more people wanting my cars then i had cars. i would be jacking up the price. shrug.

 

[sixone]

Originally posted by: mugs
Eh... I don't trust the media as far as I can throw them. The only details they gave were price and destination. And the article doesn't indicate any attempt to get an official comment from National. Bad reporting.

I suspect the fact that they want to rent a car for a long one-way trip has something to do with it.

How dare you question the media? They just want to help protect people from THE MAN. :roll:

 

[bsobel]

Originally posted by: narzy
yet another company on my growing list that i will NEVER do business with.

Why? One way rentals are expensive since it moves inventory around.

 

[JS80]

Originally posted by: narzy
yet another company on my growing list that i will NEVER do business with.

so how would YOU allocate the available cars to the people who want it? lottery? first come first serve? whoever bribes the employee the most?

this is the most FAIR way to do it.

 

[DAGTA]

In July 2003, I had need of a one way rental from Denver airport to Phoenix. Most of the places quoted me $650 to $1000. I asked why so much and the answer I was given is that it's a one way rental that they'll need to send someone to retrieve. I thought that sounded odd. I then went to Budget and paid the cost of two days normal rental... no extra to drop off in Phoenix.

 

[jtvang125]

Um, many car rental places state on their websites that their rates constantly flucuate depending on demand and the amount of cars they have on hand. The demand just totally spiked because so many people couldn't get any flights because of the blizzard. They just adjusted their rates according to the unexpectedly high demand.

 

[bsobel]

Originally posted by: DAGTA
In July 2003, I had need of a one way rental from Denver airport to Phoenix. Most of the places quoted me $650 to $1000. I asked why so much and the answer I was given is that it's a one way rental that they'll need to send someone to retrieve. I thought that sounded odd. I then went to Budget and paid the cost of two days normal rental... no extra to drop off in Phoenix.

Which meant, at the time, budget needed to move cars to Phoenix. Think about it, everyone there wants a one way rental, come next week there would be no cars to rent in Denver. Hence they have to charge to bring in replacement vehicles (not many people elsewhere are renting and driving TO Denver right now)

Bill

 

[halik]

Originally posted by: DAGTA
In July 2003, I had need of a one way rental from Denver airport to Phoenix. Most of the places quoted me $650 to $1000. I asked why so much and the answer I was given is that it's a one way rental that they'll need to send someone to retrieve. I thought that sounded odd. I then went to Budget and paid the cost of two days normal rental... no extra to drop off in Phoenix.

I guess it depends on the branches, I was under the assumption that they don't care where the cars are at, so long they're somewhat evenly distributed.

 

[Rudee]

Originally posted by: Citrix

Originally posted by: Ramma2
Demand is greater than supply, so the price increases. Is this not what our country's economy is based on?

:roll: supply and demand has nothing to do with car rental.

WTF?

 

[trinketsummoner]

I worked as a manager for Enterprise Rent A Car in Pittsburgh for 3 years. I dont know about other companys but each region of ERAC owns their own cars and especially if a car goes out of state one way, it HAS to go back to the original area, the destination area branches cant use that car at all. If you consider someone has to either fly out or if driving have 2 people go to recover a vehicle, its not unreasonable for there to be high one way charges. In fact, prices are set high on purpose to discourage people from one way rentals.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Going from San Diego to Seattle in three days, in June, in theory:
Enterprise: doesn't do one way
Avis: $300 for a standard size car
Hertz: $382
National: $318

So it's not cheap in any way

 

[beer]

If this was all about supply and demand, why wouldn't Sony sell PS3s the first week for $1500?

It's not that simple. Just like how gas price gouging is illegal, if this is far above the normal price. the FTC does investigate and fine businesses who do gouge.