(I usually publish major articles on Sunday nights, and Part 2 of the series about the Pullman strike will be out on April 7. Part 1 is here if you missed it. This is a midweek short piece.)
I was in New Zealand in 2010, doing various touristy things I might write about at some point. I walked the Routeburn Track, saw the Milford Sound, and stayed in Queenstown, on the South Island, and believe me, you can’t go wrong staying there. It’s a jumping off point for almost any kind of adventure you crave, including the two I just mentioned.
Setting Off
Anyhow, one Saturday morning, I decided to rent a car and see some sights outside of Queenstown. I rented it at the Queenstown airport and set off for Wanaka. You can see it’s not a long drive
It’s all on paved highway, too.
In some other places, e.g. the Big Island of Hawaii, your rental contract explicitly warns that you’ll void your contract if you drive in certain off-road places. There are places like that in New Zealand, too, but I didn’t go to any of them.
About an hour towards Wanaka, I had a flat tire. Maybe you check your rental car before leaving to see where the jack and spare tire are, but I don’t. So the first task was finding them. It was a teensy little jack and an adorable little spare tire, much smaller than a regular tire. I couldn’t figure out how to get the tire off. I waited.
Some kind soul finally stopped and helped me put the spare on, and being very close to Wanaka, I continued on, hoping I could get a real tire there and not have to go back to Queenstown.
Unfortunately, this was a music festival Saturday, and everything was closed after noon. It’s a small town. I found a couple garages that might do it, but they said they didn’t have that kind of tire. I guess they use special tires on their rental cars down there. So I had to drive back to Queenstown, being extra-careful not to go too fast and blow the spare tire, too.
We’ll Just Get You on Your Way
I went to the rental car counter in the airport and told them what happened. The clerk was polite and efficient, and then he handed me the paperwork and said, “Your total is $80.”
So let’s review: you rent me a car with four tires. An hour later, one of the tires blows. Yet it’s my responsibility to fix it?
That was, in fact, the case. He carefully explained that I didn’t get the Collision Damage Waiver, which would have covered this. And this was all explained in the Terms and Conditions of my rental contract.
See the Appendix for a discussion of rental insurance, and how you’re right: I should have known this. Stop being so smug.
“But it’s your car! You gave me a car with bad tires.” made no impression on him. He still stuck to the contract story.
“This is bullshit!” I yelled, slamming the rental agreement down on the counter.
“Sir! Please leave. Sir, please leave.” he said. I didn’t feel like going to jail, so I walked out of the airport. My plan was to just get my stuff out of the car, take a cab back to my hotel, and leave the car in the lot.
Not So Fast There, Buddy
The clerk met me in the parking lot. We continued to go back and forth on the fairness of me having to pay for the tire.
He explained that it’s all there in the Terms and Conditions. I said, “Come on. Nobody reads those.” He just shrugged.
Finally, he said, “So what are you going to do?”
I told him. He said, “But you’ll still owe for the whole week’s rental!”
He probably thought he’d won the argument, but I countered with, “Then we’ll just have to fight it out with the credit card company, won’t we?”
Checkmate. No one wants to involve his managers in a legal fight with a credit card company. He finally said, “OK, how about $25?”
We had a deal. We put the busted tire
into his car, rode over to the rental company’s garage, and tossed the old tire onto a pile, where I took that picture.
Terms and Conditions
While we were waiting for them to change the tire, I asked him,
“So do you use Google?” He nodded.
“Have you ever read the Terms and Conditions for using Google?”
“No, I never have.” he said.
“There you go.”
Wanaka’s beautiful. Be sure and go there.
Appendix
I asked ChatGPT about this. It said
The responsibility for fixing a flat tire while renting a car in a foreign country typically depends on the terms and conditions outlined in the rental agreement. In many cases, rental agreements include provisions regarding roadside assistance and maintenance responsibilities.
Some rental companies may provide roadside assistance as part of the rental package, which may cover services like fixing a flat tire or providing a replacement vehicle. However, there may be limitations or additional charges associated with such services.
It's essential to carefully review the terms and conditions of the rental agreement before signing it to understand your responsibilities and liabilities, including those related to maintenance and repairs. If unsure, it's advisable to ask the rental company for clarification on their policies regarding flat tire repairs and roadside assistance. Additionally, purchasing supplemental insurance or roadside assistance coverage may offer additional peace of mind while traveling abroad.
Nerdwallet.com says
American Express cards can provide primary rental coverage, but you have to enroll and there's a flat rate of $19.95 or $24.95 per rental period depending on the coverage you select (less in California and Florida). Know that the coverage doesn't include any vehicles rented in Australia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica and New Zealand.
Oops. Here I’d been thinking, “if only I’d paid for the rental with my AmEx card” (which I had at the time).
State Farm says
Many personal vehicle insurance policies already include some sort of car rental insurance coverage — so if you purchase a rental car policy, you're paying extra when you may not have to. Let your State Farm® agent know the reason for the rental so they can help assess how coverage from your personal vehicle policy might apply. Then, ask your agent these key questions:
How much Liability, Comprehensive and Collision coverage do I have on my personal vehicle? The coverage you have on your personal vehicle may also extend to your rental car.
If my car insurance has high physical damage coverage deductibles, are rental cars adequately covered? Sometimes they’re not.
If I have roadside service, are towing and administrative fees also extended to the rental car?
If items are stolen from the rental car, does homeowners or renters insurance cover the loss? This is sometimes referred to as off-premises coverage.
Does my personal auto policy cover loss of income coverage? If the vehicle becomes damaged during your rental time and repairs are needed, the company may charge you for the vehicle's potential earnings while it's being repaired.
On the other hand, I’ve had flats in two other rental cars, one in Arizona and one in Israel. In both cases, I didn’t have to pay anything. Really, that’s only fair; it’s their car and their tires. The rental car company has a financial incentive to run the tires right to the end of their lives, and sometimes beyond, but you shouldn’t be inconvenienced.
So What’s the Conclusion?
Ask your insurance agent before you go. See if your credit card provides insurance. And most of all, ask the clerk at the rental car counter.
Or just buy the collision insurance, as expensive as it is. OR: something I’ve never done, but I would in some countries like China or Japan or India:
Hire a Driver
You can find someone who owns a car and will take you places and pick you up. In New Zealand, there’s this, for example. Your belongings will be safe, the driver will be the one to worry about parking while you’re hiking or shopping or whatever, and your hotel won’t be charging you parking fees. It might cost a little more, but you’ll have fewer worries.
I used to avoid the collision damage waiver fee (which at one point was $10), but realize it's more of a no-hassle fee. Technically natural wear and tear like a flat tire wouldn't be considered "collision damage" unless it could be proved that it was caused by a rock or other object (though the terms might include both scenarios).
After once being charged for scratched damages by dropping a car off after business hours, and having no pictures of the condition prior to turning it in, I resolved to avoid renting a car whenever possible.
I've had better luck with some more recent rentals, and even opt to pay the collision damage waiver fee, just because it's worth the less hassle, even if lack of insurance on wear and tear should still be covered by them.
I also take pictures of the entire car, inside and out before I even drive it off the lot, to be sure they can't "discover" a pre-existing dent or scratch (usually larger than a credit card is when they charge).