Our island's rental car industry is highly competitive - brutally so. In the past, there where strong French tax incentives for the nation's overseas territories, and among the sectors supported were rental cars. This led to an oversaturation of our local market. Estimates say that there are more than one hundred thirty car rentals companies registered on tiny SXM.
Competition creates fair market prices, or so the rule goes. But if there is too much of it, the individual players have to turn into sharks to survive.
This why searching for a decent rental car deal is such a gamble for travelers. If the advertised rate is fantastically low, renter beware. There comes the point where the daily charge is so low that common sense tells us that it's not possible. Nobody can rent out a decent car for - say - $14 per day. Even if the car is rented out 70% of the year (which it's not), how should an operator make his lease payments for the vehicle, pay the exorbitant monthly rent for the tiny booth at the airport, pay the crazy rent for any commercial property alongside Airport Road, pay staff and finally make a profit?
Of course, they can't. So, they find other ways to make up for cash flow. One example is the famous passenger side doorlock scam: when taking over the car, renters check with the company's representative for scratches and dents and have them marked on the rental form. Nobody checks the passenger side door lock. Once the car is returned, the representative 'discovers' that the lock has been tampered with. As a renter, it's now your responsibility: $280 added to your bill.
A recent survey among the larger fleets on the island shows that about 70% of the right-hand locks are damaged. We are talking about vehicles which are all cleaned up and ready for the next customer - including their busted locks, which will help to triple the published rate.
The additional insurance called the Collision Damage Waiver or CDW is another major profit center for car rentals; these companies are all 'self insured', which translates into them not having any insurance. They pocket the fees they charge (typically $14/day), and if there is some damage to swallow, the in-house mechanic or body-man will fix it for a fraction of the price of a dealership. In most parts of the world, the CDW does not carry any deductible. Not so on our island: here, the customer still has to cover between $800 to $1,500, and the CDW only kicks in for damages above this amount. The trouble is that on our slow traffic island, few accidents cause dramatic damage. Most fender-benders can be fixed for much less than the standard deductible, turning the CDW into wasted money.
Rental cars get stolen, especially the economy models from Hyundai and the ordinary types from Toyota. If possible, try to get a less popular model, because this car won't be a target for thieves. Please remember: if you don't pay for the CDW and comprehensive coverage, you actually have to replace the stolen vehicle with your money!
And last: the dilemma of locking a car or not. There is much evidence to recommend treating a rental car as a convertible; knowing that you can't secure an open car, a driver always assures that there are no valuables inside. Same should go for a rental: leave it open, but don't keep anything inside. At least the curious wannabe thief doesn't have to smash in a window to check out what's in the glove compartment.. only to find nothing.
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