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Getting around Bonaire: AB Car Rental - New Policy
Bonaire Talk: Getting around Bonaire: Archives: Archives 1999 - 2006: Archives - 2005-06-01 to 2006-06-01: AB Car Rental - New Policy
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jim Taylor (BonaireTalker - Post #16) on Monday, March 6, 2006 - 2:19 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

AB now charges you the total amount of the rental (not a hold) when you make a reservation on line. For me it was $768 on charged to AX on February 24 and I do not arrive in Bonaire until later this week. The person at AB that answered told me this was a new policy for the protection of AB. It seems like a rip to me. To late to change but I am going to try.

jim

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By shawn thiele (BonaireTalker - Post #97) on Monday, March 6, 2006 - 2:37 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Hmmm I made a reservation about 2 months ago and they didn't even ask for my credit card and sent me a confirmation.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Marcus L. Barnes (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #533) on Monday, March 6, 2006 - 2:42 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I've had reservation with AB for several months now and they haven't requested a credit card from me yet.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jim Taylor (BonaireTalker - Post #17) on Monday, March 6, 2006 - 3:12 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Apparently the on-line reservations are now pre-pay. You pay 100% of the rental with no refunds and in return get a better rate. However, the rates appear to be the same.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Marcus L. Barnes (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #534) on Monday, March 6, 2006 - 3:38 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

They maybe doing that to try and make up from some of the revenue they are losing by people using the AMEX Truck Rental option instead of buying rental insurance from AB. They probably figure at least some customers will be forced to canel along the way and they will get to keep their money. Pure speculation on my part, but it wouldn't surprise me.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By David Frank (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #410) on Monday, March 6, 2006 - 4:21 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I would not rent from a company that demands full payment in advance and will not allow cancellation. I suspect this policy will backfire resulting in lost customers.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jeff Stine (BonaireTalker - Post #85) on Monday, March 6, 2006 - 8:59 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I have rented from AB many times in the past. If they charge the full amount up front, I will rent from someone else. There are too many variables in traveling to Bonaire to do otherwise. Of course, I might be wrong.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Debbie Babcock (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #3036) on Tuesday, March 7, 2006 - 10:12 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

I believe the same holds true if you rent online with Budget.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By ton van berge henegouwen (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #1) on Tuesday, March 7, 2006 - 10:17 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

My name is Ton van Berge Henegouwen and I'am the owner of AB Carrental.
At AB Carrental there are more possibilities to make a reservation:
1) Tru the on line booking tool with mandatory CDW insurance and pre payment f.e. for a reservation in the month of May 2006, a group 2 pick up truck deluxe per day usd ** inclusiv cdw insurance x 7 = per week usd *** inclusiv cdw insurance. ( excl. taxes)
2) The same reservation via email at info@ABcarrental.com with the possibility to take yes or no cdw insurance and without pre payment, per week usd *** exclusiv cdw insurance and taxes, if you wish, and that is the clients choice, you can add on the cdw insurance for usd 11 per day + 5% salestax.
I hope this is clear for everybody. You can read this information also on the website of AB Carrental www.ABcarrental.com. Thank you.

Pricing removed by moderators. If you click on the link Ton has provided you can go to their rates and pricing page for more information. Ton, welcome to Bonaire Talk, and thank you for clearing this up for Bonaire Talkers :-)

Cynde

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bev Delarue (BonaireTalker - Post #52) on Tuesday, March 7, 2006 - 8:48 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I used AB in Feb and had no problems at all and would use them again in a heartbeat.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jeff Stine (BonaireTalker - Post #86) on Tuesday, March 7, 2006 - 9:38 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thanks for clarifying things Ton. That is what makes this site great; I appreciate you setting the record straight. As I said, I have rented from AB many times and have had not problems; in fact they were quite reasonable to work with when we were delayed in Jamaica and then delayed in leaving because of a hurricane. Jeff

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jake Richter - NetTech (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #5795) on Tuesday, March 7, 2006 - 10:26 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

For those put out by a non-refundable prepayment in exchange for a lower rate, I should point out that a number of U.S. hotel sites (Marriott for example, when I was booking a room for NYC last night), do a similar thing. If you're sure about your stay, you can save a bundle by prepaying, but you risk losing the money if you cannot use the booking for some reason down the road. For that reason, I usually am willing to pay more because I can cancel without penalty (or a smaller penalty). But I know others who love the bargains prepayment can offer.

Jake

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By shawn thiele (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #104) on Tuesday, March 7, 2006 - 10:29 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

aye, i learned this the hard way with airline tickets. It's better to pay that extra just in case the unforseen happens.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By seb (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #2662) on Wednesday, March 8, 2006 - 9:01 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Jake, I'm going to ask Ton to clarify this, but from reading his unmoderated posting, I believe that the prepayment online option actually costs MORE than e mailing AB and avoiding the website.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jake Richter - NetTech (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #5796) on Wednesday, March 8, 2006 - 9:18 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

In the numbers you guys took out of Ton's post, the prepay amount included the daily CDW fee, while the e-mail booking amount (which was about the same amount) did not. So, if you'd do the CDW anyhow, then the prepay would save you a fair amount of money.

Jake

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By seb (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #2667) on Wednesday, March 8, 2006 - 9:49 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

OK, thanks guy, I didn't get a good look at it.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Rashley Bayne (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #1) on Wednesday, March 8, 2006 - 12:48 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

In researching car
rentals for our upcoming trip I also found Fox Car rental on www.infobonaire.com . They have exactly the same procedures as AB Car rental about reservations.
Is it the same company?

Rashley

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ton - AB Carrental (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #2) on Wednesday, March 8, 2006 - 2:43 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

We also learned from the BT comments.
We have changed our "rates page" at www.ABcarrental.com , in a way that it is clear to everyone, that we offer more possibilities to make rental car reservations with us. If you have further suggestions to improve the communication with our clients, please let us know. Thank you.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Renee Thomas (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #1) on Thursday, March 9, 2006 - 11:13 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

I thought this "Bonaire talk" session would be the appropriate place for my comments/concerns regarding vehicle rental. We will be diving Bonaire in late May and I literally have spent hours on the internet researching hotels, diving, and transportation. I am very disappointed at the number of warnings I have read regarding "break-ins" that occur to rental vehicles parked at shore-dive locations. How sad that Bonaire is the "shore-diving capital of the world" and that we are considering only boat diving! With respect to rental vehicles, I have read warnings to "lock" your vehicle and I have read warnings to "leave the windows open and use the car rental security system." I am now very confused. If we choose to rent a truck (as most shore-divers tend to do), there is nowhere to leave anything out of sight (such as the trunk of a car). Also, I read that someone experienced damage to a rental car as a result of a break-in and they were responsible to pay for this damage because the insurance would not cover that particular type of damage (what type of damage would that be?!). I would like to know (and maybe Ton could reply since he knows all the "ins and outs" about the rental business) how safe it is to rent a vehicle, should one leave the windows open or lock the vehicle, and what type of insurance is needed to cover "everything" that could happen! If we choose to rent a vehicle, I would at least like peace of mind about it! Thank you in advance to anyone who is willing to address this issue.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Randy P (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #436) on Thursday, March 9, 2006 - 11:24 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Hi Renee,

A search of the archives here will yield TONS of reading for you on this subject.

In brief shore diving often means you are the only ones at a particular site thanks to the wide variety of fantastic sites available on the island. Your vehicle will thus be unattended while you are in the water. Often there are also others there, but sometimes you "could" be alone. Leave your vehicle unlocked with the windows rolled down and leave NOTHING behind you would be personally upset were it taken.

Or only shore dive at sites that have lots of other divers and parked vehicles (not as much fun).

Petty car thefts are often done by kids, same as any vacation destination, and they are seeking targets of opportunity. If one in your party does not dive, they can stay on shore with your "stuff" and insure its safety. I have never heard of ANY issues with attended vehicles.

Bonaire is one the safest vacation destinations there is, but you still need to pack your common sense. I wouldn't leave anything valuable in my parked car here at home either.

Enjoy the shore diving, it is wonderful.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Debbie Babcock (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #3050) on Thursday, March 9, 2006 - 11:35 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Hi Renee, I just got from Bonaire and was there for three weeks. I do own my own truck, and I experienced no damage/theft at all during that time. I do keep all my windows rolled down, and leave nothing in my truck of any value just in case, this trip, we did leave a water bottle and old towel in truck. All was there when we returned. Been going for over 12 years and I guess we have been very lucky and hope it continues. That said, in answer to your question about insurance. A/B offers CDW and FULL insurance. Not all rental agencies offer FULL, but since you researched it, you probably already know this. If you get just CDW, you are not covered for any damage caused by theft to your vehicle. If you have the FULL, you would be. Every rental agency has an insurance page on their website which states what it covers. I would suggest getting CDW with FULL insurance for the most coverage. Maybe Ton will read this too and elaborate more on this. It's always a roll of the dice when vacationing anywhere and there isn't a 100% guarantee that damage won't occur to your rental even if you don't shore dive. It can happen anywhere, so don't let that keep you from enjoyed all the freedom of shore diving Bonaire has to offer.


 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Renee Thomas (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #2) on Thursday, March 9, 2006 - 11:52 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thank you Randy and Debbie for the quick replies. They provide useful information. I will check back this evening for more posts.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Grasshopper (BonaireTalk Deity - Post #17294) on Thursday, March 9, 2006 - 1:19 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Renee, it really isn't that big of a deal to not leave anything in the vehicle. The island is small so you are not far away from your accommodations (unless you go through the Wash Park up North). I leave an old towel, cheap flip flops in site, and I slip my little bag of ear drops and mask defogger under the driver seat. I have water bottles for rinsing afterward in the back bed of the truck. I have a waterproof pouch I put some guilders and a credit card. I slip my script sunglasses in a cloth case in my BC along with the car keys. When you shore dive on Bon, you just learn to "travel light" which is actually more relaxing as you don't have a lot of "stuff" to carry around. Less is more...

Leave the windows down, doors unlocked, and nothing in sight. My last trip I came home with one less pair of flip flops but I think I lost them "somewhere." I either misplaced them or maybe left them tucked under the drivers seat and forgot.

Debbie has good advice on the insurance issue. AMEX also has extended insurance if you have AMEX.

That said, relax, take a deep breath and enjoy your trip to Bonaire. Happy Diving:-)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ton - AB Carrental (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #3) on Thursday, March 9, 2006 - 4:23 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Renee, please feel free to take a look at our insurance matrix, you will find this at: www.ABcarrental.com / insurance

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Greg Kiyoi (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #3) on Thursday, March 9, 2006 - 7:14 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Ton - I have sent two requests to info@abcarrental.com for price quotes, availability and how to book once I receive the information and have not heard back.

When I called directly I was told to send email - any tips on how can I get this information so I can book through AB?

Thank you.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ton - AB Carrental (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #4) on Thursday, March 9, 2006 - 8:17 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Hi Gregory,
Thank you for your interest in AB Carrental.
The best thing to do, if you want to use the internet rates inclusiv CDW, is to go to "secure reservations" at our website www.ABcarrental.com and make your reservation, after that you will receive a reservation number.
You have to keep in mind that your creditcard will be charged in a few days for the full amount exclusiv the local taxes.
When picking up the car, you can tell our employee at the airport, that you want to add on the full insurance option.
They will charge you at that moment for the local taxes and the premium for the full insurance.
If you have further questions, please let me know.
Thank you for your business.
Regards,
AB Carrental Bonaire
Ton van Berge Henegouwen
ton@ABcarrental.com

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Renee Thomas (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #3) on Thursday, March 9, 2006 - 11:39 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thank you, Ton and Grasshopper for additional advice. It sounds like we just need to "pack some common sense" (and pack light!) and get plenty of insurance!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Greg Kiyoi (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #4) on Friday, March 10, 2006 - 12:46 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I appreciate the "personal attention" Ton provided in sorting out my car inquiry.

It made making my reservation very easy and I saved a LOT of money doing it ONLINE.

AB Car Rental has my business for my upcoming trip and future trips to Bonaire.

Thanks again!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jim Taylor (BonaireTalker - Post #22) on Saturday, April 8, 2006 - 12:07 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Since I started this thread you may be interested in the results. All went great with the service and no surprises (except the origional complaint for prepay). I had a nice car for three weeks and returned it early Wednesday morning to the AB location at the airport. They did put a $500 HOLD on my card in addition to the prepay amount of $678 for insurance coverage but that was expected. They seemed to have a newer fleet of cars and were easy to deal with.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Professor Tribs (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #2430) on Friday, April 14, 2006 - 3:01 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Hi Ton! Since you asked...is there any way you can put on your website a section so that clients can check/change their reservations? I had to extend mine and did it via email, but now I don't have the confirmation page with the new cost. I've kept the old confirmation with the rate etc, and will have the printed out email to confirm that you extended my reservation, so I am not worried. It would just be nice to have that new information on a confirmation page.

This will be my third trip using AB and they are always great!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ton - AB Carrental (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #5) on Friday, April 14, 2006 - 3:37 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Hi Professor,
Thanks for your reaction.
I will ask our "automation department" to create something, hopefully they have a solution for this. It is good that you give us this input, now we have the possibility to perform better in the future. Thanks, Ton.

 


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