Is Something Up With Rental Cars?

[Luanne Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Luanne]

I just did a priceline search for our january dates. They now let you submit numerous bids as long as you change car size. I did them all and did not get anything for $28/day, which came out to $500-plus.

They have always, at least as long as I've been using Priceline, allowed you to submit multiple bids by changing car size.

I just bid for a car for a short stay in Virginia in November. I obviously didn't do enough homework as my first bid, for a fullsize was accepted at $18/day. That was about half of the Hotwire prices shown. I should have known when I didn't get the message about my bid being too low. Oh well, it's still way less than the confirmed reservation I had.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

They have always, at least as long as I've been using Priceline, allowed you to submit multiple bids by changing car size.

Perhaps I did not do a complete job of explaining.

Several times now I have submitted multiple bids of $28, down to the smallest, normally least expensive, size that will accomodate us (four adults, luggage, 2 sets of golf clubs, and bags of thrift store purchases ).

I have gone as small as midsize at $550 when in the past I have gotten an SUV or Minivan for that.

[T. R. Oglodyte Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close T. R. Oglodyte]

PIE
12/31/10 7 PM thru 1/14/11 Noon

I have continued trying through Priceline & $550 will not get any size that would work, down to Midsize.

I've started trying National and Enterprise, with codes. Member of both.

Most are above $1200. Some above $2000.

Really . . . for 14 days!!!

One code got Luxury for $750, while Economy and Compact were $1100!!!

Sometimes there will be one or two days that are part of the rental period for which there is little or no inventory. When that happens the prices will go up.

Looking at your dates, I suspect that New Years might be influencing that.

To check that, go to HW and ask for offers from Jan 2 - 16, and see if the HW offered rates drop significantly.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

Sometimes there will be one or two days that are part of the rental period for which there is little or no inventory. When that happens the prices will go up.

Looking at your dates, I suspect that New Years might be influencing that.

To check that, go to HW and ask for offers from Jan 2 - 16, and see if the HW offered rates drop significantly.

Wow! Great advice!!!

If we did not pick up the car until 1/2/10, a full-size is only $20.95 a day on HW.

If we pick it up 12/31, it is $57.95 a day!!!

If we pick it up 1/1, it is $25.95/day. SUVs & Minivans are still high.

We can get a hotel near the airport 12/31, and use their shuttle to get to the hotel and back to the airport 1/1. We don't really needed it til later in the day 1/1, to get to the resort for check-in, so, that will save a day, too.

Go figure.

Thanks.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

For 2012 I have moved our Florida trip completely out of the holiday period, because air fares are so much lower. The same is true for rental cars.

Great advice.

[Luanne Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Luanne]

Perhaps I did not do a complete job of explaining.

Several times now I have submitted multiple bids of $28, down to the smallest, normally least expensive, size that will accomodate us (four adults, luggage, 2 sets of golf clubs, and bags of thrift store purchases ).

I have gone as small as midsize at $550 when in the past I have gotten an SUV or Minivan for that.

That may have confused me more. Are you saying you can sumbit a second bid changing only the car size, and not the price as well?

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

That may have confused me more. Are you saying you can sumbit a second bid changing only the car size, and not the price as well?

Yes, & also submit it.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

Searching HW for 1/1 1PM through 1/14 Noon (saving a day), I get:

Full Size $25.95/day $464.12 total



I tried $20/day on PL and did not get it.

Anyhing bigger than full size is high with a 1/1 pickup

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

That may have confused me more. Are you saying you can sumbit a second bid changing only the car size, and not the price as well?

From the PL email just received:

If your request is rejected you can immediately submit a new request if you agree to change the car type.

If you can wait 24 hours since submitting your original request, you can raise your offer price and try again.

Prices do change so if your request continues to be rejected then try resubmitting your request at a later date.

[Luanne Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Luanne]

From the PL email just received:

If your request is rejected you can immediately submit a new request if you agree to change the car type.

If you can wait 24 hours since submitting your original request, you can raise your offer price and try again.

Prices do change so if your request continues to be rejected then try resubmitting your request at a later date.

Thanks. Didn't realize this had changed.

[T. R. Oglodyte Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close T. R. Oglodyte]

Thanks. Didn't realize this had changed.

The only thing that I believe has changed is the time until you can resubmit a bid for the same size of car. Seems to me that it used to be one week before you could resubmit.

But the option to rebid immediately if you select a different size car has always been available.

[Luanne Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Luanne]

But the option to rebid immediately if you select a different size car has always been available.

I knew this part. But I thought, at least in the past, it had to be combined with a change in price.

The message I remember getting when I'd get a rejected bid was something like "You can't rebid by changing price alone. Consider changing size of car, dates or pick up location."

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

Thanks. Didn't realize this had changed.

Not only changed, but they encourage it.

On the page they tell you your bid failed, they already have three other sizes shown. All you have to do is enter a bid in one of them and submit it.

Then, their next failed bid page gives you three more sizes.

etc.

As far as changing size and rebidding, that is no different than changing zones or quality level to rebid a hotel.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

The message I remember getting when I'd get a rejected bid was something like "You can't rebid by changing price alone. Consider changing size of car, dates or pick up location."

same as it is now

[Luanne Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Luanne]

same as it is now

Ahhh, for some reason I'd never realized that. I thought you had to change both price and one of the other options.