Warning on using Autoslash and Sixt car rental

[northwoodsgal]

I recently made two vehicle rental requests with Autoslash. We had six people in our group so I knew we needed a minivan or large SUV. When I was on Autoslash, the SUV screen indicated my SUV choice would seat at least six people. I received an offer from Sixt car rental and confirmed it. A few days later, I received an email directly from Sixt which showed the type of vehicle we would be receiving. I wasn't familiar with the model so I looked it up online. Guess what? It only sat five people! I contacted Autoslash to find out why a larger SUV hadn't been chosen by the system. Autoslash stated that Sixt uses their own categories for SUVs and they don't always match up. Fortunately, I still have my minivan reservation, which we used.

 

[Icc5]

I was surprised to hear that Autoslash answer but for future reference you can put into Autoslash whom you want to rent from or eliminate who you don't. My best communication with Autoslash has occurred on Facebook.

 

[northwoodsgal]

I didn't realize there was an option to choose the rental company, so thank you for mentioning it. We used Alamo and had no issues. We filled up the van with gas at an exit near the airport and Alamo acknowledged it came back with a full tank.

 

[Luanne]

I didn't realize there was an option to choose the rental company, so thank you for mentioning it. We used Alamo and had no issues. We filled up the van with gas at an exit near the airport and Alamo acknowledged it came back with a full tank.

Absolutely you can choose the rental company. When you place your request with AutoSlash they will return a number of rental options to you. Sometimes you will get one where the rental company is "secret". I always decline that one. I like to go with a company I am familiar with, and one that I have a membership with.

 

[northwoodsgal]

Oh, I see what you meant, now. Yes, they did come back with a list and Sixt was the cheapest, so confirmed with them. I just assumed the vehicle size would be the same as what I put in to my initial Autoslash search.

 

[Luanne]

Oh, I see what you meant, now. Yes, they did come back with a list and Sixt was the cheapest, so confirmed with them. I just assumed the vehicle size would be the same as what I put in to my initial Autoslash search.

As I have said I prefer to use a company I'm familiar with, and have status with. I avoid Sixt and Advantage for those reasons. I don't mind paying a bit more.

 

[WinniWoman]

I was surprised to hear that Autoslash answer but for future reference you can put into Autoslash whom you want to rent from or eliminate who you don't. My best communication with Autoslash has occurred on Facebook.

I didn't know that. I just thought that Autoslash would get the company with the lowest price for you. If I had known that I would not have chosen Alamo because my husband doesn't like them. Autoslash used Priceline for my rental.

It is the right class of car we asked for but I hope we get a better deal because it still seems expensive to me.

 

[VacationForever]

My issue with Autoslash is that we don't get free second driver, unlike booking from Costco.

 

[Luanne]

I didn't know that. I just thought that Autoslash would get the company with the lowest price for you. If I had known that I would not have chosen Alamo because my husband doesn't like them. Autoslash used Priceline for my rental.

It is the right class of car we asked for but I hope we get a better deal because it still seems expensive to me.

Nope, they give you a list, just like Costco or Priceline does. They show you the prices so you can select the lease expensive, or go with something a bit more expensive if you are more comfortable with that. And remember, if you are having AutoSlash track your rentals you'll need to re-enter the new one with the new pricing.

 

[Luanne]

My issue with Autoslash is that we don't get free second driver, unlike booking from Costco.

Oh yes you can. If you let AutoSlash know you are a Costco member you will get the second driver free. They ask you that up front.

 

[WinniWoman]

Nope, they give you a list, just like Costco or Priceline does. They show you the prices so you can select the lease expensive, or go with something a bit more expensive if you are more comfortable with that. And remember, if you are having AutoSlash track your rentals you'll need to re-enter the new one with the new pricing.

Wait- what? Re-enter new pricing where? I thought if the price was lower they just sent you an email stating so.

Yes- the Priceline one must have been the least expensive which is why I chose it. I couldn't remember the process.

 

[VacationForever]

Oh yes you can. If you let AutoSlash know you are a Costco member you will get the second driver free. They ask you that up front.

I do put in membership with Costco on Autoslash. With my current request, Hertz came in cheaper by $200 for pay now and when I click on it, it shows that only a handful of brands include free second driver. Costco does not have Hertz...

 

[Luanne]

I do put in membership with Costco on Autoslash. With my current request, Hertz came in cheaper by $200 for pay now and when I click on it, it shows that only a handful of brands include free second driver. Costco does not have Hertz...

Hmmm, interesting Last year we got a Hertz rental, through AutoSlash. We had the second driver free. It was not a pay now. I don't like to do those just in case something happens and I need to change or cancel.

I didn't know at first that you could get the second driver free using AutoSlash and I emailed them. That was how I found out they can apply the Costco benefits to their rentals.

I am trying to verify that we did have a second driver with Hertz, but the rental was too long ago for Hertz to still have the records. I very well could be wrong, and since we only had the rental for a few days and dh did all of the driving it might not have made any difference.

So, I will amend my statement to say that you CAN get a second driver free if you use one of the companies Costco has that benefit with.

 

[Luanne]

Wait- what? Re-enter new pricing where? I thought if the price was lower they just sent you an email stating so.

Yes- the Priceline one must have been the least expensive which is why I chose it. I couldn't remember the process.

When you request a rental through AutoSlash, or register an existing rental they will look for the cheapest (and other) options. If you select one of these to replace a rental you already have reserved, you need to re-register. They won't keep searching for another cheaper option. At least this is what I have had to do when the reservation has been through Priceline. And even with Priceline I had the option to choose from several different rental companies.

 

[northwoodsgal]

Our minivan rental through Alamo (via Autoslash) included a second driver for free. On my initial search, I let Autoslash know that we have a Costco membership. However, the second driver was not specifically listed on Alamo's invoice so I called and had someone send me an email verifying that was the case. Having a second (spouse) driver was important to us.

 

[Talent312]

IME, 2nd tier companies like Enterprise, Sixt, etc., inflate their car categories.
So a what's a compact to everyone else, they call an intermediate.
What's an intermediate, they call a full-size. IOW, you're getting 1-step lower.
.

 

[Ken555]

IME, 2nd tier companies like Enterprise, Sixt, etc., inflate their car categories.
So a what's a compact to everyone else, they call an intermediate.
What's an intermediate, they call a full-size. IOW, you're getting 1-step lower.
.

Enterprise a second tier company? ROFL.

As for inflation, I’ve seen this for years at Alamo, Hertz, and all the others, too.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[WinniWoman]

When you request a rental through AutoSlash, or register an existing rental they will look for the cheapest (and other) options. If you select one of these to replace a rental you already have reserved, you need to re-register. They won't keep searching for another cheaper option. At least this is what I have had to do when the reservation has been through Priceline. And even with Priceline I had the option to choose from several different rental companies.

I only reserved the one from Priceline. I did not have any other reservation.

 

[Icc5]

Autoslash has been with Priceline for the past year or so. I don't know the connection if some ownership or just partnership but you are usually given more choice now by either paying upfront or waiting. In February we did the pay first option and then a better rate showed up. We went with the better rent and were credited the pay first amount on our credit card. They allow this up to a few weeks before the rental starts. Again, if you have questions about it let Autoslash know.
I've asked Autoslash if they could go on Tug before to explain their plan so make sure you let them know you are on Tug and maybe if enough of us do this they will come on to the site.
Bart

 

[Luanne]

I only reserved the one from Priceline. I did not have any other reservation.

I am confused. Just to make sure I understood how AutoSlash was working, and what information they were returning I put in a request. I got an email that gave me several selections. I got the choice of quite a few different rental companies. Most were through Priceline, a couple were not. I understand if you say you only have one reservation, but what I'm not understanding is if you only got one choice for your rental.

 

[Icc5]

Not sure what you are asking? I wrote to Autoslash today and asked if they could come to this forum and explain how they work. Here is what I do, hope it helps:
I go on the Costco site and find the rental I want at their rental price.
I then go to Autoslash and put the same information in including the best price from Costco.
I then wait for Autoslash to email me the choice or better price that I can get the rental for.
You can do the same by going straight to the rental company get their quote and then put it into Autoslash to search for you.
Bart

 

[WinniWoman]

Not sure what you are asking? I wrote to Autoslash today and asked if they could come to this forum and explain how they work. Here is what I do, hope it helps:
I go on the Costco site and find the rental I want at their rental price.
I then go to Autoslash and put the same information in including the best price from Costco.
I then wait for Autoslash to email me the choice or better price that I can get the rental for.
You can do the same by going straight to the rental company get their quote and then put it into Autoslash to search for you.
Bart

Thanks, I am nto a Costco member though.

What I decided to do is to enter the reservation info.(the reservation on made on THEIR site with Priceline) to check for decreases. Sure enough, I immediately received an email with a lesser price so I booked it and cancelled the other reservation. This was also through Priceline and also with Alamo.

Now I again entered this most recent booking on their site to have them monitor it in case of another price decrease.

In the past, never had to do this. They would just automatically keep looking for better rates right up until the day of the reservation and notify me each time.

 

[Luanne]

Thanks, I am nto a Costco member though.

What I decided to do is to enter the reservation info.(the reservation on made on THEIR site with Priceline) to check for decreases. Sure enough, I immediately received an email with a lesser price so I booked it and cancelled the other reservation. This was also through Priceline and also with Alamo.

Now I again entered this most recent booking on their site to have them monitor it in case of another price decrease.

In the past, never had to do this. They would just automatically keep looking for better rates right up until the day of the reservation and notify me each time.

It may be the Priceline thing. I honestly don't remember if I had to keep re-entering the new reservation in the past when it wasn't made through Priceline. But AutoSlash does tell you up front that you will need to do this, so maybe it's for all of their rentals regardless if they are made through Priceline or not.

 

[AutoSlash]

Hi folks, @lcc5 pinged us and asked us if we could help clarify things here. Of course, we're happy to clear the air.

First off, if you haven't booked a rental yet, you can get a quote from AutoSlash for best rates we can find for your rental based on your rental location, dates/times, vehicle requested, and the groups and memberships that apply to you (Costco, AAA, AARP, Visa cardholder, etc.). Once you've booked through us, or even if you've already booked a rental on some other site, you can track that rental with us for lower rates. We'll check pricing across all companies frequently on your rental and let you know via email if we find a better deal. This ensures that not only do you get the best deal on the day that you book, but the best deal period, even if rates drop at some point in the future. It's like price-protection for your rental. Keep in mind that anytime you book at a lower rate, you need to cancel your previous booking and track your new one so you keep getting notified of better deals.

Regarding the issue that started this thread has to do with the way that certain companies classify their vehicles. For almost every company besides Sixt and Silvercar, a Premium SUV (PFAR according to the ACRISS spec) is an 7-8+ passenger vehicle like a Chevy Suburban or a GMC Yukon XL. Sixt and Siolvercar, unfortunately, do not follow the pack and have decided in their infinite wisdom to classify a PFAR as more luxurious 5-passenger SUV like a Mercedes GLA (example here). This can cause confusion sometimes, but since our system follows the standard vehicle classifications it's hard for it to differentiate sometimes. We apologize for any confusion here, but it is important to look carefully at what you're actually booking to ensure it meets your needs.

With regard to company choice, we always show you as many companies as are available and let you decide who to book with. This includes the best companies out there (National, Hertz, Avis) as well as some of the crappier ones like Payless. We provide star ratings to help you decide. Some folks have questioned in the past why we even show companies that are not considered "good" companies. The answer is, that not all locations or experiences even at the same location are equal. Many folks will receive decent service even at the lower-end companies. There are also people for whom the lowest possible rate is the primary driver and they would be happy to book with whoever was offering the best deal. In fact, depending on their financial position, it might be the difference between them renting or not, hence the reason we offer the most choice possible.

With regard to additional drivers, we recently started showing on our offers page which deals let spouses drive for free, and which ones allow an additional driver of any relationship for no extra charge. This is based on company policy, the rental location (for example, all additional drivers are free in California), and discount code used (Costco or AAA or example). This will allow you to easily compare the deal we offer against other sites that might include the additional driver.

Lastly, we are not owned in whole or part by Priceline. We simply have an affiliate arrangement with them which pays us a small commission for any rentals our customers book through them. We linked up with them a few years back because the previous system we used was shutting down and they had the best car rental booking system out there, especially when it came to applying coupons and discount codes. Note that they are not our only supplier. We also offer prepaid rentals through our site that go through a different supplier, as well as some book-direct pay-later deals as well.

We hope this helps to clarify things. We're happy to answer any other questions TUG members have.

 

[Icc5]

Thank you Autoslash. I didn't want to misrepresent anything that you do and I've been so happy with your service that I was afraid I'd give wrong information. I know for me the process has been easy and on Tug I feel we are all here to share and help each other. If this saves anyone else any money then it makes me a happy timesharer and happy Tugger. Thank again.
Bart