Car rental companies demanding letter from insurance company

Knolmom · Post by **Knolmom** » Wed May 18, 2016 10:10 pm

We are long time visitors to st John( over 20 years) and this is the first time I have heard of this practice, ( reported on another travel forum) which, to me, appears to be a scam by Courtesy Car rental and St John car Rental just to make $$ from unsuspecting visitors. They are demanding that you produce a letter personally addressed to you by your credit card company or insurance company stating that YOU personally are covered for collision damage to a rental jeep in the Virgin Islands or else they will automatically charge you $ 14 per day for their CDW with no exceptions. Of course, neither your car insurance company nor your credit card company will provide you with this type of a letter, and unless perhaps you can get one from an individual broker in advance, you you are f***ed if you don't have it as you chances of even communicating with your insurer or card company while on island is slim to none. Your car insurance card or policy or CC card coverage page is not enough, as it appears they are just desperate to make money. The small print in their contract asks for proof of insurance, but the wording appears not to be as specific as they require when you arrive.
As far as I know, the other car insurance companies are not requiring this type of documentation, but it could become SOP if it turn out to be a money maker. I personally would say DO NOT USE either Courtesy or St. John car rental, regardless of what they tell you, or when you get on island you could be in for quite a surprise. There are quite a few others who do not yet participate in this rip off.

mindydaile · Post by **mindydaile** » Wed May 18, 2016 10:15 pm

For Courtesy Car Rental it is right on their website that you need proof that your insurance is valid in the USVI if you want to waive the $14 a day charge. It was super simple to get that letter before we headed down.

Knolmom · Post by **Knolmom** » Wed May 18, 2016 10:24 pm

Still a rip off. Nobody does that.

Pulley · Post by **Pulley** » Thu May 19, 2016 6:14 am

I have to disagree with this being a money maker. If they truly wanted to make money they would wish for a wreck and then take advantages of the gaps in coverage between what they require and what your CC Company of insurance company pays. I have been in this insurance business for 20+ years and I ALWAYS buy the CDW from the car rental agency. I have been to many CE classes and heard the horror stories of customers relying on their CC to pay all damages and then get hit with a $10,000+ bill. If I am ever in a wreck in a rental car all I want to do is hand them the car keys and be on my way. $98 for peace of mind on a week car rental is a pretty damn good deal, IMHO.
If you don’t want to do business with either of these companies that is your decision. To disparage them because they are probably following the recommendations of the insurance carrier is pretty slack.

ColoradoMom · Post by **ColoradoMom** » Thu May 19, 2016 8:22 am

Knolmom, thanks for the heads up on this. It has to be a new thing if we have never been asked to show such proof either in our 16 years of visits!
If it isn't a new practice and we have somehow just been lucky all these years we appreciate you providing the scoop!

mdcoles1 · Post by **mdcoles1** » Thu May 19, 2016 8:29 am

I have rented from Courtesy for 10 plus years & have always provided this letter. As previously stated it is right on the website. It is a protection the owner has deemed important for both parties. You can choose where you want to rent.

Sorry but its not a "ripp off" just because you were not aware of the policy. The owner is very professional in my opinion.

liamsaunt · Post by **liamsaunt** » Thu May 19, 2016 9:50 am

It is true that St. John Car Rental did not use to have this stipulation, you were allowed to just use your CC coverage. Since changing owners, their policy has changed. I am looking at my contract for my rental with them next month. It says:

Please include a copy of your insurance information showing proof of auto liability, and comprehensive insurance coverage for the U.S. Virgin Islands.

If someone other than the person listed above is picking up and driving the reserved vehicle at the time of arrival they must provide us with the same information as the primary renter in order to pick up the reserved vehicle.

Renters who don't provide St. John Car Rental with the necessary insurance information, will be required to purchase CDW at $15.00 per day.

Although this is a new policy, it seems pretty clear to me. John said he checked and in our case we can print a copy of our policy that shows all areas of coverage with our names on it directly from our insurer's website (we have Geico). I am planning on faxing this down and then calling to follow up to be sure that this is what they need from us.

I really don't think anyone is trying to scam anyone. It's just a new policy that requires some advance planning on the renter's part.

TraumaQueen · Post by **TraumaQueen** » Thu May 19, 2016 10:01 am

Have you rented from Courtesy before? The last 2 times I've used them a copy of my State Farm insurance card and using an American Express has been sufficient. The last time I used them was last year. We leave in 27 days (yay!).

jmq · Post by **jmq** » Thu May 19, 2016 11:38 am

Probably among most folks least favorite topics - trying to understand potential gaps in insurance coverages.

These articles might also help
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/george-ho ... 77103.html

https://www.irmi.com/articles/expert-co ... on-options

- - that http://www.insuremyrentalcar.com option mentioned in the IRMI article is something I might considering using in the future for primary no-deductible CDW coverage for the rented vehicle.

chicagoans · Post by **chicagoans** » Thu May 19, 2016 3:59 pm

I've used Courtesy for my last 5 trips and always paid the fee. I thought it would be cheap insurance.

However... of course there are deductibles! 2013 trip, we had a house with a gated drive. It swung shut fast on one night and ripped a handle off the car. $400+ not covered.

2015 trip: someone stole our bag (a KYSS bag chained / locked to a tree) on our Reef Bay Trail hike. Sadly my Jeep key was in the bag. (They also got our lunches and water for the return hike.

) that was $350 also not covered.

So, while I really like the Courtesy folks, I've been very sad to pay lots extra even when I paid their daily insurance.

silverheels · Post by **silverheels** » Thu May 19, 2016 4:10 pm

My sister and I have rented from Sunshine for the last 3 years. The first year we rented they asked for proof of insurance that would cover the USVI. My insurance company was happy to provide them with written proof of my insurance. They did not ask for it the second year we rented from them and they have not asked for it again this year. However, I keep a copy with me. We have had exceptionally good service from Sunshine.

Jeff&Cindy · Post by **Jeff&Cindy** » Thu May 19, 2016 8:55 pm

We've rented from Courtesy for the past 5 years and think they're great. We'll continue to use them. I've always just given them a copy of our cover page for our auto policy. We were just there a month ago and again it worked fine.

Kevino · Post by **Kevino** » Fri May 20, 2016 7:51 am

We use O'Connor Car Rental at the Westin. Great jeeps and excellent service. Been home 5 weeks and just received a 10% discount on my credit card because we're repeat customers. They never ask me for an insurance letter but I've been in the office when they do ask other customers for one. Next trip in November I think I will buy the daily insurance from them to avoid nightmares as posted above. Short money to sleep tight

jimg20 · Post by **jimg20** » Sat May 21, 2016 7:05 pm

Knolmom wrote:Still a rip off. Nobody does that.

Sorry Koolmom, that is not cool. When they notify you in writing, in the same size type as every other part of their conditions, that is not a rip off. You and everyone else have the same choices. You can abide by their requirements by calling your agent and asking for the required document. You can pay the extra insurance charges as recommended by another poster. You are free to rent somewhere else and see what happens if they pull out their fine print. It is not cool, however, to claim that someone is behaving dishonestly (the basic definition of rip off) because they didn't read the conditions for you.

I have no problems reaching my insurance agent to ask for the letter now with Allstate; and, I didn't have a problem with State Farm. Anyone who has that kind of problem probably needs to take a good look at the kind of service they are getting from their insurance company.

JIM

Knolmom · Post by **Knolmom** » Sat May 21, 2016 8:26 pm

I am just passing the info along, as it was reported. In 35+ trips! including this past April, I have never NEVER been asked for proof that my insurance covers a rental jeep on St John. In all 50 states, the AG would be on these businesses like white on rice, and, yes, this is the US . With so many other car rental agencies on St. John, I suggest you choose wisely.

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