Conference 7.286::digital

\nasser,

What I have gotten from Avis folks is that the digital discounts, etc. can be
had by digital employees on or off business. 

There is no expense to digital when you use the corporate discounts (assuming 
you *do* pay for it personally ;-) In fact, it may leverage digital a better 
deal the next time the discount contract is renegotatiated since usage will 
be greater at the discount rate.

	Thanks,
		-Stephanie

Re:         <<< Note 2954.0 by STAR::ABBASI "this space for rent" >>>

>    so, should you tell them yes and get the cooperate rate? or say no?
>
>    will the corporate rate be cheaper?

In VTX, under Travel, car rental tips, it says the following:

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

The corporate rates will generally be lower than other rates with the vendors 
we use.  But you might be able to obtain lower rates from other vendors.  But 
check out their terms and conditions before renting from them.  If you feel; 
you have to purrchse some insurance options, fro example, you'll probably find
the Digital rates *much* lower.

-  David

    Saying you are with Digital can frequently get you a better hotel
    rate as well...

Question on the insurance stuff -

Although it's been years since I've done any traveling for the company, I
seem to recall that the standard signup was to "Waive" the extra insurance
coverage. I always thought this was to avoid the extra charge that would
be incurred but it meant that the rentor (DIGITAL, in this case) was
willing to assume full responsibility for the loss.

If I rent at DIGITAL's rate, but at my own expense, I would assume that
I, not DIGITAL, will be responsible for any loss if I waive coverage. So
as an individual, I'd want that coverage  unless my personal insurance
handled it (and maybe even then.) Is that not right?


-Jack

    I think that's right, Jack.  American Express and some Visas cover you
    for renting, so it might not be any dollar difference, although it's
    important to make sure you're covered.

    When I rent for personal use I get the list of 800 numbers of rental
    companies.  I start with "A" and call them (maybe 8-9 companies) all. 
    I get "normal" person rates, then tell them I work for DEC and get that
    rate if any.  Then I get my wifes number and call the ones back that
    give discounts to her company.
    
    Then I reserve one using her card because it has ALWAYS been a lot
    cheaper than ours...  For example, just last month:
    
    Avis - Digital rate - COMPACT (and they MEAN compact) $155/week +$31/day
    Alamo - her rate - FULL SIZE (Buick Regal) $22/day...
    
    Same thing applies to hotels...

    While staying at a hotel in Boston, paying Digital's rate of $75 a
    night, my brother called up and reserved the same type room for $69 -
    no discounts, no nothing. Whoever negotiated Digital's corporate rates
    wasn't overly concerned with saving Digital money. Same goes with
    rental cars - I've negotiated car rental for a specified rate, only to
    have that rate INCREASED when I presented the Digital credit card (this
    was a few years back). 
    
    It always bothered me that as large a corporation as we were at the
    time, we paid more than John Q. Public. I wondered if someone weren't
    getting paid a "bonus" for a sweetheart contract. 

Re:     <<< Note 2954.6 by ANGLIN::PEREZ "Trust, but ALWAYS verify!" >>>

>    Avis - Digital rate - COMPACT (and they MEAN compact) $155/week +$31/day
                                                                     ^^^^^^^^
Shouldn't that be "or $31/day"?

-  David

DEC's Avis rate for one-way rentals is very cheap -- you pay for mileage,
but there are no drop-off charges.  Regular customers often pay *hefty*
drop off charges.

    
    I recently rented a car from Avis for personal use using Digital's
    corporate id. I got free Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) and 1 million
    dollars Liability Insurance. I believe the CDW is provided free by Avis
    as part of Digital's rental agreement, for both business and personal
    use, and the liability coverage is provided by Digital. Considering
    that Avis provides absolutely no insurance on their cars nowadays, the
    corporate rate proves quite useful. Unless you have Amex, of course.
    
    Milind.
    
                       

 re: 2954.7 ("Watch your hip pocket")

>    While staying at a hotel in Boston, paying Digital's rate of $75 a
>    night, my brother called up and reserved the same type room for $69 -
>    no discounts, no nothing. Whoever negotiated Digital's corporate rates
>    wasn't overly concerned with saving Digital money. Same goes with
>    rental cars - I've negotiated car rental for a specified rate, only to
>    have that rate INCREASED when I presented the Digital credit card (this
>    was a few years back). 

	Something wrong happened here .... with cars, I think you will find
  by contract the contract vendor is give a Digital renter EITHER :

 	a. the Digital negotiated rate or 
        b. ANY AVAILABLE LOWER RATE if it applies to the rental (with CDW
           included!)   
    
	When booking a hotel, the 'booker' should ask for "the lowest rate 
 available, including 'the Digital rate'" (and/or 'AAA rate' / 'AARP rate',
 'the XYZ Convention rate', or 'any special promotional rate you may have') -- 
 whatever is relevant.  The Digital rate, under certain circumstances 
 (off season, weekend, etc.) may not be the lowest rate .... you are not 
 LIMITED to the Digital rate if there is a lower one!   But the hotel is 
 unlikely to suggest a lower rate unless one asks for it!

re:                      <<< Note 2954.10 by MARIN::MILIND >>>

>			 I believe the CDW is provided free by Avis
>    as part of Digital's rental agreement, for both business and personal
>    use, and the liability coverage is provided by Digital.

Can this be true? Must be "the last remaining employee benefit". :^)

re:			<<< Note 2954.6 by ANGLIN::PEREZ >>>

>    Avis - Digital rate - COMPACT (and they MEAN compact) $155/week +$31/day
>    Alamo - her rate - FULL SIZE (Buick Regal) $22/day...
    
How do _we_ get your wife's rate . . . ? :^)

-Jack

    Re: CDW (last few)-
    
    	The coverage (if any) provided by your credit card issuer may also be 
    a factor in who is liable for what. Pay particular attention to whether
    your card's coverage is primary or secondary to your own auto insurance
    rental coverage. I believe the Digital Visa card provides primary
    coverage.
    
    Phil

    The Digital VISA is primary insurance only if the car is used
    for business.  If it's use for pleasure, it's secondary to your
    personal auto insurance.  If you have no personal auto insurance,
    VISA becomes primary.
    
    

    In Europe it is my understanding that if you are using the car 
    for pleasure, you need to buy the insurance, as you won't be covered
    by the Digital insurance. You also need to be very careful with
    the theft of personal effects in mr Avis' carefully-driven-one-owner-
    cars, when on business, as the Digital cover is not good & relies heavily 
    on your own personal theft insurance, and as mine has so many caveats
    the bottom line is you are not really covered. Something of a sore point 
    learned the hard way, on a trip to UK, a year ago.

Last time I rented a car from Avis for a one-day, one-way (personal) trip of
~400 miles I found the non-DEC unlimited mileage rate cheaper than the Digital
rate which had a per mile charge.  Even though I used that rate, there was no
drop-off charge (because I said I was a Digital employee).  I also thought that
Digital's liability coverage was also in effect regardless of whether you're on
business or pleasure, and regardless of what rate you negotiate.  That's what
I've been told whenever I asked around. (Of course I've never had a claim to
"test this out".)

								_Mike

    As .2 says, you may be able to get a better rate at one of Avis's
    competitors, but there maybe differences in the cars that they carry in
    similar classifications.
    
    I learned the hard way: A couple of years ago, I asked the Digital
    travel agent to get pricing for a car for vacation from the lowest
    vendor, thinking the Avis discount would be the best deal. I recall
    that for a 7 day rental, Dollar was $50-$60 less for the same class of
    car. Knowing the type/size of car that I got regardless of airport from
    Avis, I figured I've got nothing to lose - I'll go with Dollar. The $50
    would go towards one of my meals (family meal). After trekking a week's
    worth of luggage for 3 people to the Dollar car pick up location, I
    wasn't in the mood to go switching rental companies - even after
    finding out that my 'bargain' was a GEO METRO!
    
    Please note: Geo Metro owners out there shouldn't be offended, but if I
    had any idea of what I was getting, I would have arranged for Avis.
    Spending a week in a Geo Metro wasn't exactly the high point of my
    vacation!
    
    I was able to waive CDW even with Dollar by charging the rental to my
    AT&T Universal card.
    
    Kevin

    re .8:
    
    Since it was a week trip (9 days with 2 weekends), the rate was $155
    for the week, calculated to the nanosecond of the pickup time, + 2 days
    which Avis charged at $31 each.  This was for the "compact" standard
    thing - I THINK it MAY have been one size up from the Geo Metro...  at
    best!
    
    re .12:
    
    The rate my wife's company gets isn't unique.  I BELIEVE I've heard
    people from HP and others get significantly better rates on lodging and
    my B-O-L works for a phone company and his car rental rate is cheaper
    than ours too...  For larger cars also.  
    
    re -.1:
    
    What makes you think the Avis Digital car WOULDN'T have been a Geo
    Metro?  They tried to give me a Toyota Tercel one time!  I looked at
    the person behind the counter and asked if I LOOKED like I'd fit in a
    Toyota Tercel (6' 3", 250 lbs)...  rather than try, she opted to
    provide something usable instead...  I believe I've also heard of
    people being given Mazda Protege' on business trips... 
    
    And like -.1, don't anyone who owns a Tercel or Protege be offended,
    I'd just rather not try to stuff myself into one.

It doesn't cost much more for a larger car with Avis.  Compacts are the
same price as subcompacts.  Intermediates are $3/day more.  Tack on another
$1.50/day and you can have a full-size 2-door.

    
    I'll take the '59 Coupe de'ville!
    

    At the Greenville/Spartanburg airport, Avis' compact care WAS a Geo
    Metro....... (no offence intended)...
    
    Toodles.....JP
    

    Once BMW's start being built (with the factory literally off a
    taxi ramp) at Greenville/Spartanburg airport, maybe they'll
    give Avis some new toys to rent  ;-) KB

    gosh, it's been awhile since I went thru GSP.  "Eastern" was the
    airline back then...

.11 hits the nail on the head.

Please note when asking for reservations for anything you MUST ASK for "the
lowest rate available".  Notice that the phrase "the lowest rate available" is
in quotation marks.  This is because you must use this phrase to get the lowest
rate.  A lot of the replies here have asked for a rate quotation only to find
that another company gets a lower rate.  You can get that one also but you've
got to use the phrase:

	"the lowest rate available" 

		or you just flat won't get it!  They won't volunteer the lowest
info but they have to tell you if you ask them for it.

Incidentally, the Digital contract with Avis states that they WILL provide a
car to you, even when they are 'sold out'.  I called for a personal trip several
weeks ago and was told by Avis that they were sold out.  I later turned my
planning over to Thomas Cook who asked if I'd be needing a car.  I replied yes
but Avis was sold out.  Thomas Cook replied, 'They may be sold out but by the
Digital agreement they HAVE to find you one!'.  They did, I drove a new Avis that
weekend ("at the lowest available" rate, too!).

cw

    
    My local TC office says "Huh?  Who said THAT?".  This is the woman I
    trust implicitly, who has gotten me into full hotels, decent sized cars
    at compact rates, on sold-out flights, etc.  I want someone to cite
    their sources that TC is with-holding the lowest fares unless you say
    the magic word.  Karen says there ARE lower rates available usually,
    and you WILL be informed of them, but here's what you get:
    
    TC will ALWAYS inform you of the lowest rate on airfare.  Even if you
    request an American flight from Dallas to Detroit, Mon-Fri, they will
    inform you that a lower fare can be achieved by a Sat stayover.  They
    will inform you that a flight with a layover is available at a cheaper
    fare.
    
    If you book a car, they'll get the lowest rate available to Digital. 
    If Avis is out of compacts, they'll book an intermediate for you at the
    $34/day rate and inform you that Budget has compacts for $32.50/day. 
    
    If you book a hotel they will get the lower rate of Digital or the
    function you're attending.  I often have the client book hotels as they
    frequently get lower rates than us due to volume AT THAT HOTEL.  This
    is obviously outside of Digital's or TC's control.  If you book at a
    non-approved hotel they will inform you of the Digital approved hotel
    in that area and their rate.  They will inform you of the cancellation 
    policy and get the lowest rate that TC can get.
    
    Now, I'm not a TC fan in general, but I'm VERY happy with my local TC
    agent, she's professional, she's dependable, and if she says there's
    "No magic phrase" policy, I believe her.  If she says using the
    afore-mentioned magic phrase will get me a red-eye to Piscataway, NJ
    with 7 transfers and a Geo Metro waiting for me upon arrival, I believe
    her.  Be careful on the magic phrase, kids.
    
    Now, would the noter please cite their sources?
    
    						Brent

    .25:
    
    I read .24 (rightly or wrongly) as applying to the service vendor
    (e.g., car rental agency or hotel) that has to be asked for "the lowest
    rate available";  if true, this would be more useful for participants
    here when making their own arrangements than to say to TC.
    
    Dick

    Reread it myself, I think you're right and also now assume this is not 
    in relation to TC.  Correct me if I'm wrong.

     re: last 3
    
    >I read .24 (rightly or wrongly) as applying to the service vendor
    >(e.g., car rental agency or hotel) that has to be asked for "the
    >lowest rate available";  if true, this would be more useful for
    >participants here when making their own arrangements than to say to
    >TC.
    
     Absolutely.  As the author of .11 (which .24 referenced) I was
     speaking of the person who talks directly to the car, air, or hotel
     company.   I wasn't referring to phoning TC or other vendor agency;
     sorry for the confusion.
      

    Re: all re: .24
    
    Of course it means to ask the appropriate service vendor and NOT Thomas
    Cook.  TC is on the corporate agency and there ain't nothing you can do
    about getting alower fare than through them.  I'm saying yo uhave to
    ASK and state your intentions in 'NO UNCERTAIN TERMS'; thus using a
    magic phrase is doing just that.
    
    My sources?  Over 40 years of travel and usually getting things cheaper
    than you get them!
    
    Always ask for the best price!
    
    Chuck