Recently a troubleshooter from MSNBC wrote of his quest to get a refund for a traveler in Mexico taken advantage of by one of the top rental car companies.  Christopher Elliott’s article, “I thought car rental insurance was optional,” details the American tourist’s battle when he was charged more than triple his online quote from Hotwire.  Car insurance companies often cover insurance on rental cars, so unless your plan does not it doesn’t seem like you would need additional rental insurance.

After a Hotwire estimate of $113 for a weekly rental car in Mexico, the tourist headed down there only to have the car rental price increased, mandatory insurance tacked on, and a service charge larger than both the other amounts.  He was also given some more miscellaneous fees above the estimate for a total of $397.  While he tried to fight the charges at the rental company in Mexico, it was to no avail.

The author, a travel writer, says that regardless of what happened in Mexico the tourist should have been charged the amount estimated by Hotwire.  Any discrepancy between the cheap car insurance rate and that charged by the rental company should have been cleared up between the two companies.  It’s possible that one of the Mexican workers tried to pull a fast one because a rental car company representative in the United States said that car insurance was not mandatory.

Some tips for avoiding such a situation when you are traveling follow.  Research and get coverage and estimates in writing before leaving for your trip, both from your car insurance company and any quotes you receive online or from the rental company itself.  If you think you are being forced to purchase insurance that is optional, back up from the counter and make a phone call to the company’s customer service number to see if the situation can be rectified.  If that doesn’t work or you’ve already paid for the coverage, send emails detailing your complaints to get a paper trail started.  By the way, the tourist was credited the amount above his estimate after this story.

Don’t think so? You never thought it was that easy? Well all you need are a few ideas! If you can be confident about easily finding auto insurance quotes online then you can be just as confident as if you were asking a girl out on a date. When you know what you are doing you can usually feel good about it, am I right or am I right? After brainstorming these following ideas you won’t be so nervous next time the occasion calls for it. Hopefully you never get nervous when looking for auto insurance quotes, because at BestCheapAutoInsurance.com they make it really easy for you to get auto insurance quotes online. But we have to admit that asking a girl out can be a bit nerve racking – mainly because your emotions are involved. So ju

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The cost of those seemingly cute, cuddly deer out in the streets is actually more than you might imagine.  Not only do they eat plants and crops, they can carry lyme disease and wreak havoc on your car insurance.  Allan Sloan’s Fortune article on CNN Money discusses the financial impact of what he calls “rats with hooves.”  That may be a bit harsh, but “The case against Bambi” has valid financial points.

State Farm car insurance says that 1.14 million accidents between deer and cars occurred in a one year time frame ending this June.  That cost drivers and insurance companies close to $4 billion in damages.  And if you include the accidents where drivers didn’t have any car insurance or comprehensive coverage, the cost of damages is even higher.  In the past five years the number of deer related crashes has increased by 21%, while the number of miles people are driving only went up by 2%.  The likely cause of that statistic is that there are a lot more deer out on the roads than there were five years ago.

The worst part is that deer are causing human fatalities in car crashes.  It is estimated that 140 people were killed just last year because of deer-vehicle accidents.  The top five states where accidents occurred were Pennsylvania, Michigan, New York, Ohio, and Virginia.  The fewest accidents were in Rhode Island, Alaska, Nevada, the District of Columbia, and Hawaii.  With fatalities and skyrocketing costs associated with deer-vehicle collisions, the author ponders whether eliminating some deer for the greater good of humans is the next step.

How much do cheap auto insurance companies really have to offer? Well, as much as they really do offer with their high-quality services, damage protection, good rates, quick quotes, easy step by step processing, a quality staff and personnel, and total peace of mind for purchasing auto insurance from them, they may never have as much as what a single human being can offer to another.

Take yourself, for example, and think about what you are really capable of. Think of all the people that you have influenced, for good or for bad. You have the power to make a difference anywhere that you go. When we think about making a difference or helping someone sometimes we might get scared, or sometimes we might be excited.

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