Car Rental Help PLEASE - Need different company, not Hertz

[debsjc]

Could anyone please recommend another company other than Hertz.

 

I was told by Hertz central reservations that they have $900 deductable, and the local company that operate for Hertz, SXM, have confirmed this is correct. Even if you take out all the insurances you are still responsible for the first $900 of damage.

 

I can't take this risk, so I am looking for a different rental company..please help!

[kal]

Does this mean that you don't want to rent from the MOST EXPENSIVE company on the island??? My gawd, what will it be next :eek: , a private cab to Orient Beach????

[debsjc]

The rental itself was going to be $72, which I thought was an Ok price. It's just the $900 deductable I have a problem with - I've never had an accident in a rental car anywhere in the world, but you never know!

 

*eta* Kal, just been reading some of your other posts, and see you have rented a car. Which company would you recommend please?

[The Big Booper]

The rental itself was going to be $72, which I thought was an Ok price. It's just the $900 deductable I have a problem with - I've never had an accident in a rental car anywhere in the world, but you never know!

 

*eta* Kal, just been reading some of your other posts, and see you have rented a car. Which company would you recommend please?

 

KAL stays on the island for 2-3 weeks at a clip and uses a local provider that is not at the pier. Have you checked other international car rental companies who operate on SXM such as Dollar, Budget and Avis to see what their deductibles are on insurance? I also wonder about the local providers such as Joyce Prince, who has a lot of fans here for her various tourist services. I think she has a website which can be googled.

 

That would be upsetting if they ALL had a huuuuge deductible.:eek:

 

That is interesting about the $900 deductible

[The Big Booper]

Go to Joyce's website

 

http://www.sxm-services.com/princepersonal/

[The Big Booper]

New web software. same old white pages and double posts

[debsjc]

I emailed Joyce earlier this evening, but unfortunately they don't have any cars available.

 

Just checked out Avis and their deductible is $500, Budget was less clear but I think $250. They seem to be some mixed reviews about Budget on this board though, so I would rather not use them.

 

Thanks for the ideas anyway, it was worth a try :)

[kal]

...*eta* Kal, just been reading some of your other posts, and see you have rented a car. Which company would you recommend please?

 

I rent from Prince-Rent a Car. They provide excellent service and pricing. On top of that, Ridley and his wife Joyce provide a host of other great services. Unfortunately, they generally don't rent cars on a one-day basis.

 

However, if I didn't rent from Ridley, I would definitely rent from a local provider and NOT from any of the brandname companies that you would find in the US.

[L_T]

We've used three different local car rental companies and have had superior service from all three. Due to a mis-communication last year we had a problem. The owner made things more than right as soon as he found out. We are renting from him again next week, for a three week stay, so I guess that could be an endorsement! He is the only one that I have had experience with, that rents to cruisers too. I'll post his website as it will give you an idea of what is available.

 

www.panoramiccarrental.com/

[LuckyLXE]

Could anyone please recommend another company other than Hertz.

 

I just booked a car at SXM for $30 a day ($33 after tax) from payless for nxt month.

 

http://www.paylesscarrental.com/specials.new.asp

[debsjc]

Thanks for the information, i've emailed both Panoramic and Payless.

 

*eta* My email to Payless rejected, so I just called them. They have a deductible of $500, it seems like all the companies on the island are going to be the same.

I think I'll give up and take a taxi!

[L_T]

I had a small mark/scrape show up on the side of my rental car last year just before I turned it in. Showed it to them - they laughed and said don't worry about it - believe me, not all companies will be this good. We rent with our CC that includes collision coverage - and pay extra for the liability. Suggest you check with your CC company and see if they will cover collision for you.

[vttea]

We'll be in St. Maarten on a Princess cruise on March 21. I just booked an economy car through Budget for $42 ($52 incl. tax/fees) using the upromise.com discount code. I'm told that they're right at the cruise port. I saw some better rates at the airport, but the time and hassle of getting there wouldn't be worth the $10-15 in savings.

 

I had to pass up on Hertz. I use them locally, but they were charing two days ($85+) for a 7-hour rental. They said to get the one-day rate, my rental would have to be back by noon!

 

By the way, does anyone happen to know where exactly I can find the Budget rental location once I'm off the ship?

 

-Steven