Griff's UT Rental Car Saga

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D Griff
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While we had a very nice trip in UT last week where we enjoyed many beautiful hikes, scenery, and good times, it wasn't without its tribulations, which all ended up happening around automobile transportation. We happened to have some flight credits on Allegiant Air expiring at the end of 2022 and as such took a look at where we could go with them for the Thanksgiving holiday. Allegiant flies out of Concord, NC (a small town outside of CLT) but they only really go to FL from there and I'm just sick of FL after eight or more trips there in the last year for work and other stuff. Well, oddly enough, it turns out Allegiant has a flight from Asheville, NC to Las Vegas direct, so we jump on that, free flight out west!

Things started off well enough, we made the 2.5 hour drive to Asheville after work Tuesday for a 9 PM flight, made it in time, got my car parked at AVL and enjoyed a more or less on time departure. Due to arrival in Vegas at 11 PM local time, we opted to stay the night by the airport in Vegas and leave for Zion area the following morning. From the terminal, we proceeded to National, picked up a Mustang 5.0 'vert (it was that, :truk: , Charger/Challenger which my wife detests, or 4R, which I just didn't want for a bunch of back road/highway driving). Well, in the couple of miles from the rental car facility to our hotel, we were pretty much ready to get out of this POS Mustang. It was very worn out inside, the usual air gaps all Mustang 'verts have present, and the transmission was FUCKED. We go to bed and the next morning while the wife is still asleep, I drive back over to exchange the car.

National were cool about this and I walked over to a very limited selection, but it did include a 330i, so I jump in that. As I'm about to start it up, they pull up a Merc A Class. Well I've never driven a Merc, so I figure, let's try it out. All in all, this Merc is 100% deserving of the 'German Corolla' name. This car is pretty much trash, it's slow, only managed 28 MPGs on mostly highway driving, small inside, shit interface/UI, mediocre seats. Given the choice I think I'd actually go Corolla over one of these in the future, at least it's not pretending to be something it's not.

All of that said, the car was working mostly fine (did get a CEL) and we proceeded to explore NV, UT, AZ and have some fun. We were staying in Springdale, UT outside of Zion and our return flight to AVL was 4 PM Saturday, so we planned to take a short hike that morning and then head back to Vegas.

Friday night, these plans were thwarted hard. We were on UT 89 12 miles outside of Kanab (middle of nowhere) right after dark at 6 PM and a huge buck walked right in front of the Merc. Every airbag in the car went off and it was totaled, radiator destroyed, front smashed, done. The car was disabled on this 65 MPH two lane highway in the dark, no way to get the stupid electronic shifter in to neutral, just dead. Cars are zipping by as we watch the poor buck breathing its last breaths feet away while trying to keep our cool and take care of business. Fortunately we were OK other than some airbag scratches, but it was a very scary experience.

The local PD/tow responded surprisingly quickly and some nice locals did stop to help, but the wait was terrifying in the dark with the car blocking the road and cars/trucks recklessly passing with other vehicles coming in hot from the other direction. We were able to find a hotel room in Kanab that night and ride back with the tow driver (sans all of our shit still in Springdale) but that wasn't really the half of the experience as we proceeded to get totally fucked by National in terms of replacement car. I'm happy to get into that later if anyone cares :lolol:
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D Griff wrote: Tue Nov 29, 2022 8:04 am
Friday night, these plans were thwarted hard. We were on UT 89 12 miles outside of Kanab (middle of nowhere) right after dark at 6 PM and a huge buck walked right in front of the Merc. Every airbag in the car went off and it was totaled, radiator destroyed, front smashed, done. The car was disabled on this 65 MPH two lane highway in the dark, no way to get the stupid electronic shifter in to neutral, just dead. Cars are zipping by as we watch the poor buck breathing its last breaths feet away while trying to keep our cool and take care of business. Fortunately we were OK other than some airbag scratches, but it was a very scary experience.

holy shit.

1. Glad yall ok

2. pics or it didnt happen. :trollface:
Desertbreh wrote: Thu Sep 15, 2022 4:28 pm I'm happy for Brad because nobody jerks it to the Miata harder on this forum and that is the Crown Prince of Miatas.
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Damn glad you guys are ok. I was originally :disappoint: you swapped from the 330 to the A class, but if one had to be sacrificed I'm happy it was the merc.

Do you guys typically have primary rental car insurance? How did the rest of your trip go?
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CaleDeRoo wrote: Tue Nov 29, 2022 9:11 am Damn glad you guys are ok. I was originally :disappoint: you swapped from the 330 to the A class, but if one had to be sacrificed I'm happy it was the merc.

Do you guys typically have primary rental car insurance? How did the rest of your trip go?
I was just gonna say, A classes are just an econobox with a badge. Basically punishing the owners for trying too hard. Can't believe griff bit the bullet, the c and e class are far better in every way. Sorry that has happened to you and glad y'all are ok
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D Griff
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MexicanYarisTK wrote: Tue Nov 29, 2022 9:18 am
CaleDeRoo wrote: Tue Nov 29, 2022 9:11 am Damn glad you guys are ok. I was originally :disappoint: you swapped from the 330 to the A class, but if one had to be sacrificed I'm happy it was the merc.

Do you guys typically have primary rental car insurance? How did the rest of your trip go?
I was just gonna say, A classes are just an econobox with a badge. Basically punishing the owners for trying too hard. Can't believe griff bit the bullet, the c and e class are far better in every way. Sorry that has happened to you and glad y'all are ok
I really don’t follow Mercedes as they don’t interest me too much. That said, it was a new experience so I went for it. Like Cale said, I would’ve been sad to sacrifice the BMW more than the A class POS.
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That's a lot of planes, trains and automobiles. Glad you guys are ok.
Detroit wrote:Buy 911s instead of diamonds.
Johnny_P wrote: Thu Feb 09, 2023 3:21 pm Earn it and burn it, Val.
max225 wrote: Mon May 01, 2023 5:35 pm Yes it's a cool car. But prepare the lube/sawdust.
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Desertbreh wrote: Tue Nov 29, 2022 9:28 am That's a lot of planes, trains and automobiles.
:rage:
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I’m curious to hear how accidents like this get handled. It has never happened to me but I was always worried about this very scenario.

As others said glad you’re ok. The merc looks like it held up well considering.


1. Who do you call to get the car towed ?
2. Who will take the write off from here ? Is everything handled outside of your own insurance ?
3. How do you get into another car / do you ? Since yours is disabled ?!
4. And how do you even get to a rental place from the middle of no where / who pays for that ?
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Damn dude. Glad you guys weren’t hurt any worse. That’s brutal.
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Holy fuck. Glad you're both ok.

In4restofthestory :doe: :popcorn:
:wap: Where are these mangos?
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max225 wrote: Tue Nov 29, 2022 9:52 am I’m curious to hear how accidents like this get handled. It has never happened to me but I was always worried about this very scenario.

As others said glad you’re ok. The merc looks like it held up well considering.


1. Who do you call to get the car towed ?
2. Who will take the write off from here ? Is everything handled outside of your own insurance ?
3. How do you get into another car / do you ? Since yours is disabled ?!
4. And how do you even get to a rental place from the middle of no where / who pays for that ?
Dude, a complete and utter SHIT SHOW that is costing me quite a bit.

Immediately after establishing we were alive and largely unhurt and getting the hell out of the car/fast moving cars on the highway, I called 911. After they dispatched an officer, I next called National Roadside Assistance. This is where the shit began.

Things started well enough, they claimed that they would send a tow truck out with a replacement vehicle for me and take the damaged one away on the same truck. Sensible enough. I expressed concern that we were in the middle of nowhere, to which they seem un-phased. They did say that they could alternatively provide transportation for us to the closest National location (which happened to be St. George, UT about two hours away). By the time the police arrived, they had a tow truck on the way to get the car the hell out of the road with plans to bring it to a tow lot in Kanab (12 miles away). This all went down fine.

After getting to our hotel in Kanab and finishing up police reports with the state trooper, I called National again to confirm the location of the car to pick up and deliver the new one. They told me it could take up to 6-8 hours for the car delivery, I said that's cool, I'll go to sleep and as long as it's here by 8 AM I'm happy. This was probably 8 PM. At this point they start texting me that they're dispatching people. I click their link and it shows a truck being dispatched to the rental car center in Las Vegas. What. The Fuck. I'm nowhere near Las Vegas. I call again, and they just do not understand. They ask all the same questions as at the accident scene... 'are you in a safe location?' 'Can you move the vehicle?' 'Did the vehicle have a mechanical issue or were you involved in a crash?'... basically all of the initial questions they would ask on a first call.

From here, they're like 'don't worry, the truck is on the way'. Well, 10 minutes later, another dumbass calls me and asks the same questions when I repeatedly say the car is totaled, etc. They then dispatched a tow truck to the Las Vegas airport AGAIN. Rinse and repeat this process NINE FUCKING TIMES THAT NIGHT. I got pretty damn short with some of the agents, but they just kept calling. Finally it's 11 PM and I'm ready to sleep. The last person I speak with claims that if they aren't able to get a truck with replacement car to me by morning, they will get me transportation to St. George.

Well, fast forward to 5:30 AM and I call them again to get updates. Well, basically rinse and repeat the night before and I'm like, I need a ride, now. They claim they'll get me an Uber, which is clearly impossible in Kanab, UT to travel hours away. We research some local cab 'companies' and call back, provide them contact info, they claim they're 'working on it' and just continue to shit the bed. More calls and hours go by, more of the same. Meanwhile, our stuff is still in Springdale, we're transportationless in Kanab, our flight leaves from Las Vegas that afternoon to Asheville. If we miss it, the next flight to Asheville is Tuesday, so we would have to buy new flights to CLT, drive hours to Asheville to get my car, etc.

Eventually, we come to the conclusion they're not helping us get out of there. I call again to make sure they will reimburse me if I get my own transportation, they say yes. I also ask that they PROMISE ME there will be a car in St. George I can take to Las Vegas, they promise this as well. At this point, we're so short on time, we have no choice but to go Kanab > Springdale to get our shit > St. George airport to National. We finally secure a weird backwoods cab company to the tune of $560 (which honestly wasn't unreasonable for what we were asking them to do). We do all this, ride hundreds of miles in some weird UT mountain lady's Cammie, get to St. George in what seems like reasonable time to make the flight.

We walk in and the dude at the counter has no idea we were coming, despite me calling their customer service and going over this in detail over five times. I pleaded with him, we went back and forth a bunch, finally he called the Kanab tow yard to ensure my crashed car was actually there, collected my insurance deductible ($1K) and gave me a Malipoo to take to Vegas. We made the flight, got to the rental return at 2:30 for the 4 PM flight.

I spoke to my insurance company, and sure enough, they cover this accident and I'm on the hook for the $1K deductible. I always say no to the coverage from the rental agency, so this means mine pays. I'd say that this is still the right move versus paying an extra hunnit or whatever each time. I'm hoping that since this is a comprehensive claim and the police report indicates no fault/wrongdoing by me, that my rates won't increase.

I am still fighting National for the 560 bones for the cab ride, they're basically unresponsive and always telling me to call another department.

The funny thing is, I have actually praised National immensely for their customer service and used them exclusively this year, I'm Executive status with them and rent a car every other week pretty much.
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Btw which credit card did you use ? Some have massive “free insurance”.

Ty for writing this up…. I’m immensely curious what would happen next …
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max225 wrote: Tue Nov 29, 2022 10:51 pm Btw which credit card did you use ? Some have massive “free insurance”.

Ty for writing this up…. I’m immensely curious what would happen next …
Citi Double Cash... I will call 'em. Good suggestion, thanks.
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max225 wrote: Tue Nov 29, 2022 10:51 pm Btw which credit card did you use ? Some have massive “free insurance”.

Ty for writing this up…. I’m immensely curious what would happen next …
Citi Double Cash... I will call 'em. Good suggestion, thanks.
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D Griff wrote: Tue Nov 29, 2022 10:24 pm
max225 wrote: Tue Nov 29, 2022 9:52 am I’m curious to hear how accidents like this get handled. It has never happened to me but I was always worried about this very scenario.

As others said glad you’re ok. The merc looks like it held up well considering.


1. Who do you call to get the car towed ?
2. Who will take the write off from here ? Is everything handled outside of your own insurance ?
3. How do you get into another car / do you ? Since yours is disabled ?!
4. And how do you even get to a rental place from the middle of no where / who pays for that ?
dumpsterfire.jpg
dang that stinks man, what a shit show. accidents are never fun.
Desertbreh wrote: Thu Sep 15, 2022 4:28 pm I'm happy for Brad because nobody jerks it to the Miata harder on this forum and that is the Crown Prince of Miatas.
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golftdibrad1 wrote: Wed Nov 30, 2022 6:52 am
D Griff wrote: Tue Nov 29, 2022 10:24 pm

dumpsterfire.jpg
dang that stinks man, what a shit show. accidents are never fun.
The worst thing is that they lied about providing us a way out. If they'd just admitted they couldn't do it from the get-go, we could've just gotten a cab to St. George for $250 instead of the almost $600.

The deductible is a drag but that's life, I'm still mostly glad it happened in the rental and the 328i didn't get sacrificed. It's certainly a better car to keep existing than the POS Merc A220.
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National rented me an ND2 here in Dallas so that's some level of making up for it :lolol:
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D Griff wrote: Wed Nov 30, 2022 8:35 am National rented me an ND2 here in Dallas so that's some level of making up for it :lolol:
:notbad: :nice:
Desertbreh wrote: Thu Sep 15, 2022 4:28 pm I'm happy for Brad because nobody jerks it to the Miata harder on this forum and that is the Crown Prince of Miatas.
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Wow quite the popcorn shoveling story here.

In 4 updates. I wonder if there will be a loss of use daily charge or something. Never been involved in something like this.
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D Griff wrote: Wed Nov 30, 2022 8:35 am National rented me an ND2 here in Dallas so that's some level of making up for it :lolol:
:nice:
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D Griff wrote: Wed Nov 30, 2022 8:35 am National rented me an ND2 here in Dallas so that's some level of making up for it :lolol:
Did you call the credit card?
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I just checked... myself since :hibachi: and it looks like most citi cards don't offer it anymore.

It's kind of insane because if you used another card... you wouldn't have had to involve your insurance and gotten "trip interruption" expenses covered. Something to keep in mind.
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Here is an example of Sapphire card:

Who and What Is Covered

So, what and who is actually covered when you take advantage of the insurance offered by the Chase Sapphire Reserve card?

The Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) applies to:

The cardholder (this can be the primary cardholder or authorized user, but they must be listed as the primary renter on the car rental contract)
Any additional drivers listed on the rental agreement
The CDW will cover up to $75,000 in physical damages and/or theft of the vehicle for rentals that are 31 consecutive days or less. Other covered expenses include reasonable towing charges and loss of use charges incurred by the rental company.
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