Did you know that almost without exception, rental agents are given commission based on upgrades (selling you into a more expensive vehicle when you are at the rental counter), selling "incidentals" such as collision damage waiver, personal accident insurance and so on..and also pre-paid gas (buy the tank now at a lower price, return on empty).

Although the corporate offices usually do an exceptional job of training new rental agents in ethical and honest sales. Good sales? The reward for these commissions sometimes exceeds what the rental agent makes by means of their regular pay.

Ten t he trainers leave and the local manages take over. Their bonus is based on the production of the rental staff so they might "close their eyes" to certain practices that the corporate office may not approve.

Some companies post special boards out of sight from the customer, on who is selling what, giving the rental agent even more reason not to be "shamed" by low sales.

What does this mean to you?

READ THE CONTRACT!  Especially read the parts where the rental agent had to put information in fields. Make sure you understand what they did. If not, you may have a big problem when arguing later about a charge.

Did you know that a small chip in a windshield will mean they have to replace the entire window? Why, because the re-sale value goes down when it comes time to sell that car if they don't.

Remember, the person checking you OUT is not going to be the same as the person who checked you IN. There is no way of knowing if any damage is caused by you or by the last customer unless it is clearly written down. Also a "small ding" to one person is a major dent to another.