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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!mit-eddie!think!harvard!bu-cs!bzs
From: bzs@bu-cs.UUCP (Barry Shein)
Newsgroups: net.consumers
Subject: Rental car ripoff
Message-ID: <255@bu-cs.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 13-Mar-86 10:18:52 EST
Article-I.D.: bu-cs.255
Posted: Thu Mar 13 10:18:52 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 15-Mar-86 18:21:03 EST
Organization: Boston Univ Comp. Sci.
Lines: 20


If you're in Boston I would recommend Ugly Duckling Rent-a-Car if you
need a cheapo (I believe they're franchised around the country.) My
car died and I need one to get a new one (bootstrap problem) so I
figured I would give them a try. It was one of those places where you
walk in and say "how much for a car?" and they chuckle and play with
their cigarettes and coffee for a while and say "make us an offer.."
They have official rates, but if you have a sense of humor they can
be fun to deal with (I had some wierdness with the car which I told
them about when I brought it back and they chastised me for not coming
and swapping it, they're cut rate but seem capable of backing their
product and not out to squeeze people.) Oh yeah, their cars *are* ugly
(during our negotiations one of them commented that if I want a REAL UGLY
car I would have to pay extra...) I was amused and got what I needed.

	-Barry Shein, Boston University

P.S. Of course, a different franchise operator may not be as loose, but
in this day of forms and barbie/ken doll service personnel it was a breath
of fresh air.