Conference 7.286::digital

    I always laughed when going to hotels.  If I said I was from Digital, I
    got a certain rate.  If I said I was from Intel (my customer), the rate
    was consistently 20-30% cheaper at their suggested hotels.
    
    Someone once said "That's because they negotiate better than Digital
    does"  
    
    And I replied....
    
    
    "No, that's because they negotiate."
    

I am going to take an unofficial stab at .0.

First of all Thrifty is not business traveller oriented.  They are not
located at all major airports.  When they are you often have to take a
bus of the airport grounds.  Avis' competition in the high service car
rental arena is companies like National, Hertz, and to a lesser, Budget. 
Thrift is competing more with the likes of Alamo.

One could ask we we use these more expensive vendors like National and
Avis.  For those of us who have to do a lot of travelling, we are often
in a huge rush jumping from one city to the next.  I usually end up at
the gate as the aircraft is boarding.  Having things like express
checkin and check out is a big help.  It took me 80 minutes from the
time I walked in the door to the time I got my car the last time I
rented from Alamo.  A half an hour different in time to drop off a car
is the difference between staying an extra night - one extra night in a
hotel room make up the difference for several days of reduced rate car
rentals.

As for adding Thrifty, the whole point of a corporate agreement is to
build up bulk in return for a low price.  Right now we have two
companies.  Adding a third reduces the incentive for a reduced price.

Avis is a good company.  The give good service as long as you are not in
Miami.  The Digital rate is very good.  You can get better rates under
some circumstances.  If you damage the car you just tell them you're
with Digital and leave.

As far as hotel rates some of ours are quite good.  The Digital rate at
the Boca Raton Hilton is $65.

John

    There are probably very logical reasons why we have the rates we do.  I
    believe that the frustration occurs when two of us from DEC both check
    into the same hotel and one gets a lower rate; normally the one who
    didn't play by the rules.  As an example, during DECworld, a chap from
    England (a DECcie) made his own reservation at one of 'our' hotles and
    received a rate which was MUCH less than the one we got through our
    official reservation company.  In these days of TSFO, we hate to see
    money wasted and more jobs lost.
    
    In fairness, a similar thing happened to me at a non-|Digital event I
    attended last year.  Upon arrival, I discovered that the hotel was
    offering a week-end special rate which was better than the rate our
    group had negotiated months earlier.  So, I asked for the lower rate
    and got it. (It is a barter economy.)
    
    Jim
    

    re: .0
    Hi Jon,
    
    	I'm sure you know who makes these decisions and whom to ask if
    Thrify was interested in DEC's business and, if so, how the evaluation
    of them measured up against the competition.
    
    	Think about the previous note regarding an 80 minute wait with Alamo.  
    
    	It seems to me that when negotiating for the company as a whole,
    there are matters of provision of services where needed (including 
    'weird' places like downtown Maynard), and CONSISTANT reliability, speed, 
    convenience, cooperation to resolve problems and deal with special
    situations, as well as price, that must be provided.
    
    	And, if I recall from VTX travel correctly (see Travel Programs
    update 6/25/92), AVIS Car Rental rates for DEC, for compact cars, 
    just went DOWN (!) by 5% this month.  And AVIS has put a cap on the 
    charges per-gallon for refueling.  AND (!), if using a DEC corporate 
    charge card, the renter is entitled to an upgrade, if available, 
    thru DEC's "preferred renter" agreement.
    
    Dennis

    I don't know about Digital's contract, but at a previous employer the
    negotiated rate with the car rental agency included a cap on the amount
    of liability (say, $3000 max on the collision damage).  This resulted
    in an "apparent" higher rate than I might be able to negotiate
    personally, but if something were to happen to the car, there could be
    higher liabilities if I bypassed the corporate contract.
    
    Mark Lovik

    
    
    SOMEBODY HELP:
                  I,m flying into boston on August 1st,where is the best
    place to get a rentle car.I want to get one near the airport.I going to
    use it all weak.This is a vacation trip,no busniss invalved.First time
    coming to Mass.Goning to see long lost ken.I will be useing it around
    bedford,Fallriver.
                     Need to know Right Away.
                                             THANKS ROGER BOUCHER

    
    
    Re: .6
    
    Pardon my indiscretion, but did you take English Grammar 101 at the Dan
    Quayle Community College...??    :-)

    
    
    
      .7 Have a nice day.Sometimes I just get a little to SMURFY.
    
       My all your waves be shore brake.
                                  For now later Rog

    
    ...better response could come from NOTED::MASSACHUSETTS..KP7 to select
    it.
    
    gog
    

    re .7.

    Perhaps you'd like to explain why we should give _your_ indiscretion
    any more consideration that you gave his.


    				herb

    re .10
    
    Because he was polite and asked?
    
    Dennis

    
    	I do quite a bit of traveling also, and I agree that Avis is a
    	good company, and they seem to be concerned with customer satis-
    	faction. Just last week I got a real nice letter from them thank-
    	ing me for something or other. But the comment about the lines is
    	not altogether true...last Sunday in Atlanta I had to wait in line
    	for 30 minutes to talk to a teller. The drop-off service is great.
    
    	I'll have to try the corporate-card-free-upgrade thing this weekend
    	in San Jose.

    I didn't see .7 as being polite. Could be mistaken. It may also have
    been a joke. Your mileage may vary.
    
    	
    				herb

    
    
    	Well, last night I rented an Avis car at the San Jose airport
    	and did not get a free upgrade, even though I used my DEC
    	AMEX card...she (teller) said "I've never heard of that one"...

        <<< Note 1951.14 by TEXAS1::SOBECKY "It's all ones and zeros" >>>

Did you get the new $29.50 compact rate?

Did you give them your Wizard number?

RE:        <<< Note 1951.14 by TEXAS1::SOBECKY "It's all ones and zeros" >>>

    
    
>    	Well, last night I rented an Avis car at the San Jose airport
>    	and did not get a free upgrade, even though I used my DEC
>    	AMEX card...she (teller) said "I've never heard of that one"...

Your DEC DC or AmEX card does not get you an upgrade. If you are a frequent
Avis renter, you become a Avis Preferred Renter (like a United Mileage Plus
Premier) and they send you a red card. I got one from Avis a couple of years
ago and my wizard info shows my Preferred status, which gives me a free upgrade
and car waiting with completed contract.

Dileep

    
    	re . 15 and .16...no and no
    
    	re .17
    
    	How often do you need to rent to become a "preferred renter"?
    	I drive Avis cars more often than I drive my own clunker..
    	Maybe I should ask Avis.

Just for the record, AVIS seem to think that our discount rate is good for a
laugh!

I was just checking the best rate for a personal rental for my holiday in the
UK. It was worth checking around as I am renting for 17 days.  My travel agent
gave me a rate for BUDGET which seemed pretty good.  I went into the local AVIS
branch for a comparison.  They gave me a price more than 60% over the BUDGET
rate.  When I mentioned that I was employed by Digital and could I have the
Corporate discount rate, the clerk started laughing and said that the rate she
was quoting was already better than the DEC rate. 

Shalom
Baruch

Re: .19

It has long been true that certain pre-booked rates from Avis are cheaper
(sometimes very substantially so) that the Digital rate.  The Digital rate
has the advantage that it's available without having to book in advance -
just turn up and you get the rate, which is cheaper than the normal rate.

jb

    I arrived last Wednesday night at Logan, asked for the cheapest rate,
    and ended up with being upgraded to a group C car at $118 for 4 days.
    Seemed reasonable to me.
    
    	- andy

>    	How often do you need to rent to become a "preferred renter"?
>    	I drive Avis cars more often than I drive my own clunker..
>    	Maybe I should ask Avis.

I don't know what the rules are. I got my preferred renter card in the mail
without asking for one. I did have a wizard number at the time. That must have
enable them to track my usage. If you rent from Avis frequently (mine was 1-2
times a month), call them and ask about it.

Dileep

    Remember too that Digital (country) may have a different rate structure
    than Digital (corporate) because they may have negotiated a local
    contract ... Digital Canada has a different contract with Avis than
    the US for example with a different number which gives slightly
    different rates in different places than the corporate contract.
    
    Sometimes it is better to ask about the corporate rate when you
    get to the destination because they'll apply the local contract.
    
    Often though, tourist packages for overseas destinations can be a lot
    better than corporate rates.
    
    Stuart

>    Often though, tourist packages for overseas destinations can be a lot
>    better than corporate rates.

Recall that the DEC corporate rate for Avis includes the CDW insurance
surcharge, something that is not commonly available in tourist packages
or other over-the-counter discounts.  While this is unlikely to make up 
the 60% difference noted between DEC rates and other rates mentioned earlier,
it is a factor in comparison.  Massachusetts insurance regulations make 
it difficult for your normal auto coverage to apply to a rental.
The corporate inclusion of CDW applies to provate rentals at the DEC rate.

- tom]

    
    However, if you pay for your rental car with any major credit card,
    they almost all carry the CDW for you.  Check with you carrier, but I
    know that feature has been with AmEx, VISA, and MC for years, and I
    think it is with Discover, also.  I have never carried Diner's, but I
    think it also exists there.
    
    tgc

    I don't think your blanket statement is true re credit cards. I beleive
    that for Visa, it depends on the issuing organisation. e.g. In the UK
    it is true for Barclaycard Visa, but not for some of the smaller xxx
    Visa issuers.
    
    JK

    >Recall that the DEC corporate rate for AVIS includes the CDW
    >insurance.
    
    
      Are you sure this is true?  My understanding was that DEC REFUSED
    the CDW insurance,  and simply "self insured" the cars against 
    damage.  (I.e.  If you trash the car,  DEC will re-imburse AVIS
    for the damage,  figuring that the savings on thousands of CDW
    charges offset the occasional bill for a wrecked car.
    
      If this is true,  if you use the corporate rate for personal travel
    you may find that you are liable for any  damage to the car...
    
    
    						-al
    

>          <<< Note 1951.27 by MUDHWK::LAWLER "Life begins at 40..." >>>
>                  -< Corporate Rate does _NOT_  include CDW >-
>
>    >Recall that the DEC corporate rate for AVIS includes the CDW
>    >insurance.
>    
>      Are you sure this is true?  

Yes, it HAS BEEN true, but times might change.
I have seen explicit statements over  time that YOU ARE COVERED by DEC
terms and conditions, even on a private rental.
I guess it always pays to check the current state, often available
through some VTX business travel writeup or something.
I have understood that DEC does not self-insure, but that they do include
CDW coverage in the negotiated rate, but this may not be relevant if
coverage is coverage.
We are instructed to decline CDW when we rent.  This does not imply
that DEC has declined CDW.

About credit card coverage....  CDW coverage is common with Gold Cards,
be they Master, VISA, Discover, or Amex.  Garden variety cards
may not include this.  Check your card's T&C statement, or call
the bank or card company.

- tom]

From VTX TRAVEL submenus on AVIS car rentals....

         o    Rental Age:      18 years and older unless restricted by law.

*!         o    Personal Use:    Digital's Corporate rates may be used for
*!                               personal travel.

         o    PAI should be considered on personal travel only.

*!         o    For rentals within the United States and Puerto Rico, CDW is
*!              provided by contract at all Avis locations and should be
*!              declined on business and personal rentals.

         o    On international rentals, CDW is not provided but should be
              declined because the cost to Digital exceeds the cost of car
              damages.  If damage to a vehicle occurs, the travelers cost
              center will be charged. (Also see Charge Card CWD Coverage).

about charge cards:  Diner's includes CDW coverage, AMEX no longer does

- tom]

    
    
      I stand corrected.  (Last time I checked into this, it was
    for an International car rental,  where I took the DEC rate,  and
    the optional coverages.)
    
    
    						-al
    

    A note on using a credit card to avoid paying CDW charges:
    
    	Your credit card coverage may be defined in your contract as being
    "secondary" to whatever other insurance you have that might cover 
    you.  A close reading of my card contract showed this to be the case 
    for me.

I have found AAA member rates for Avis to be much lower than DEC rates, both
in the US as well as in Europe (France for sure).

Dileep

    Beware with Credit Card LDW equivalents that the renatl company may hit
    your card with a deposit equivalent to the "uninsured" amount you are
    covering with LDW ... so they could easily put a reserve of over $5000
    on your card.
    
    Stuart

    re: .25
    Another dimension to this problen is the danger of assuming that
    'features' of your personal AMEX card also apply to a corporate AMEX
    card.  For example, the warrenty extension provided when you purchase
    something on your personal AMEX card is NOT available if you make the
    same purchse using your corporate AMEX card.  As said earlier in this
    note,"...and ya gotta read da fine print!"
    
    Jim
    

    
    RE: all the comments about what is and is not covered on you CC.
    
    That is why I stated to check with your carrier to find out exactly
    what is/is not covered.  The rental agencies obviously want you to pay
    all this extra money.  You *might* not have to dish it out, depending
    on what your CC already covers for you.  Look before you leap.
    
    tgc