Scout’s Tips~ Car rentals

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Scout

 

Hi Scout Here…

 As we know, Dusty ran into some issues with Payless Car rental when she went on her trip to Arizona. With that in mind we decided to do a little research to find out how widespread the practice is of charging your credit card for the full rental and then adding an additional security deposit charge.

 It seems that some variation of this theme is implemented by every car rental agency we researched and you really have to search.  We used one site that  compared the offers from various rental companies. When you clicked on your choice it calculated the amount you needed to have at the rental counter. It did not include any security fees or holds. I then went directly to the individual car rental web sites such as Payless, Enterprise, Avis, Hertz. There are many more but by this time I was finding a trend. None of the sites come right out and tell you there will be a “hold” or security deposit. If you search you can get lucky and find it.

 In the web site for Payless, Dusty’s Nemesis this  past trip, you can find the information by typing “deposit” into the search box. What you will find is that their charges are ” Total Lease + deposit”. Deposit varies by location.

 Enterprise Car rental was a little more upfront but you still had to search. They charge the rental + 20% when the renter uses a credit card to pay. If you use cash or debit card then the security is an additional $100- $300 again depending on location or , in some cases, the type of car.

A year ago when Dusty went to Florida she rented from Enterprise. They charged her card a security deposit of $150.oo when she made the reservation. Then when she picked up the car they removed that charge or maybe changed it to the total rental. It’s possible they made an error but we verified on her charge slips that there was never a charge and a hold at the same time.

Even the premier car rental service of Hertz has a similar policy. Dusty has never rented from Hertz because they are just too expensive.  To find out exactly how much you will be charged to rent a car, you need to actually call the car rental agency and ask. Be sure to get the name or ID of the representative you speak to and make a note of it on your rental documents.

 In our review of all the fine print we found a number of ways car rental companies hope to put their hands in your pockets.  They range from refueling charges to insurance to sur charges on frequent flyer credits. Of course they all charge about $10.00/ day for a 2nd driver.

 We found a really good article about Car rentals at www.netTrav.com/travelplace.  

When you pull up the home page you’ll see the tool bar. Hover your mouse cursor over the car tab and you will see a drop down. Select Tips and Advice and you will see a lot of eye-opening information.

 I don’t know if this was just  a new policy or if it’s more noticeable because Dusty tries not to use credit cards now and keeps really low limits. I know a lot of her friends have also stopped using credit cards so something like this “hidden” charge can really throw a monkey wrench in your travel plans.

Another thing to be aware of is the return policy. Return the car late and they will get you for another day’s rental. But did you know that if you return it early they may also charge you for the early return? There’s no financial benefit to returning it early.

When Dusty returned her car at Payless they told her she was early and would get a credit. Of course no credit was ever processed and they point to the fact that they didn’t charge her for an early return. What a racket!

 So bottom line…Traveler/ car renter beware.  Call your car rental agency and confirm how much you will need at the counter and what form of payment they accept, unless of course you aren’t on a tight budget and don’t mind having and extra $250- $300 tied up while you’re on vacation. Do your due diligence!

 Oh yes, one more thing….Happy Traveling! 🙂

 

Let me tell you a story about a man named Charlie

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…On that tragic and fateful day.

He put 10 cents in his pocket, kissed his wife and family,

went to ride ont he MTA.

We all know the tale of Charlie and the MTA ..he never returned , no he never returned…

Sadly on our return trip on the MBTA, a “Charlie” went to ride at Wollaston Station. As of this writing no one knows what happened. All that we, the public and other passengers know is that  a young man was hit by a red line train and there was no miracle. The young man did not make it. Was it an accident? Was it suicide? Was he drunk, impaired by some other substance? Was he distracted by his phone, texting? or an i-pod? We may never know. Hopefully the family will learn the details and be able achieve some kind of closure.

My heart goes out to the family and to the engineer and the conductor on that train. It was surely traumatic for them, a life changing event.

But I want to comment on the actions of the rest of the MBTA; how the tragic affair affected the rest of the passengers and there were many as it was rush hour.

So let me start at the top. We left the MFA and decided to walk (I know, I’m a glutton for punishment) because I wanted to get some pictures at the Christian Science Center. It is a beautiful spot and I recommend that anyone visiting Boston take a minute to  stop by.

Using the benches along the sidewalk and taking frequent rest stops, I was finally able to get to the Christian Science Center and get some pictures. Yea!

After another rest stop it was back to the OP Shuffle (No offence but it’s the “old person” shuffle. As a card-carrying member of AARP I can say that. I was bent over and had to shuffle my feet . I couldn’t pick them up) Pretty funny now but it wasn’t at the time.

We stopped at Border’s Cafe for a fruit smoothy and then hooked up with the Green Line. If I had hopes of relief there I was sorely (Pun intended) mistaken. It was standing room only and even though it was 4:30 (rush hour) we had to wait 30 minutes for a train, not the normal 10-15.

Arriving at Park St we changed to the Red Line where conditions were no better. We finally got on a train where we hung from poles and straps and my back screamed in protest. I was counting the stops when 2 stops from where the car was parked we were thrown off the train.  A medical emergency in Wollaston we were told. You’ll have to take a shuttle bus.

We were herded off the train and up to the platform where there was 1 bus. Yup, just one. I took advantage of our misfortune by snagging a seat on a bench but the relief was short-lived. It was quickly apparent that if we wanted to have any chance of getting in a shuttle that we would have to stand on the curb and push into the fray when the buses pulled in.

We got on the 4th or 5 th bus..standing room only..again. As the bus pulled into Wollaston Station we saw the crime scene tape and the ME’s van pulling out. We knew it was something bad then. The few passengers for Wollaston exited and the bus turned around to take the majority of us to Quincy Center where we would get off the bus and back onto the train. Standing room only…again.

One of the other passengers used her cell phone to get the latest news and told us a man had been hit by the train in front of ours. That was all we knew and as I write this it is all I have been able to find out.

We finally made it to Quincy Adams Station where my car was parked. As we exited the garage we did a time check, 7:15! 2 hours an 15 minutes for a ride that shouldn’t have taken more than 1 hour! I dropped Nancy off about 15 minutes later and pulled into my complex at 8pm.

The sad part of all this is that this is not the first accident like this on the “T”. I tried to get the numbers of similar incidents for 2011 but couldn’t find any however I did find plenty of news clips about train hits and close calls going back to 2009. So I can’t help but wonder, what steps have the MBTA taken to prevent these kinds of accidents? And with experience with this type of thing, why aren’t they more prepared to provide for their other passengers? No one wants accidents or injuries but that’s why they are called accidents. Shouldn’t the T have contingency plans in place? Our driver said he didn’t even know what station he was supposed to be driving to! I give the “T” a C- for their response to the emergency.

As for my back, a visit to my doctor secured some muscle relaxants and although not 100%, I am well along on the road to recovery!

Chihuly Exhibit…Worth the walk

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Chihuly: Through the the Looking Glass

( Excerpted from the official biography) Dale Chihuly was born in 1941 in Tacoma Washington, USA. He first became interested in glass while studying interior design at the University of Washington. He followed up by enrolling in the first Glass program in the country at the University of Wisconsin. He continued his studies at the University of Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), eventually he established the glass program there, teaching it for a decade.

In 1968 he received a Fulbright Scholarship to study at the Venini Glass factory in Venice. There he observed the team approach to blowing glass which is critical to the way he works today.

http://www.chihuly.com/biography.aspx

One of the things that stands out for me is Chihuly suffered an eye injury in a car accident and now blind in that eye. I have heard , although it was not in the official biography, that this was instrumental in his adoption of the team approach that he had been exposed to in Venice.

I don’t have all of the names for his pieces but their beauty in my mind, speaks for itself.

Into Boston to the MFA on the MBTA

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It’s a  beautiful Monday in June. The Sun is shining and there’s a nice breeze, a perfect day for a little jaunt into Boston. I had to make a brief stop in Randolph and then I was parking at the Quincy Adams T-station for a ride on the red line.

I was meeting my friend Nancy at the MFA (Museum of Fine Arts) on Huntington Ave, Boston. I wanted to see the Chihuly Exhibit. I became enamoured of his work when I saw a chandelier in a casino at the Atlantis Resort in Nassau the Bahamas. I remember I stopped dead and exclaimed” WOW Look at that!”. Luckily the friends I was with knew the piece was a “Chihuly” . That one introduction made such an impression that 7 years later I recognized the name when I heard about the exhibit.

It’s a temporary collection so I was anxious to get into see it before it moved on.

I hadn’t been to the MFA in years so I checked the web page for  the address  and their directions for coming in on the MBTA. I also went to the MBTA web site and entered my start and end location in their “trip planner”.  Both advised to take the redline to Downtown crossing and change to the orange line. Get off at Copley Place and walk 7 minutes to the MFA.

Flower Vendor in Copley Square

Be warned…they are wrong! A better way is to take the red line to Park St. Station and change to the Green line. One of the green line trolleys stops right in front of the MFA! But I didn’t have that information when I started out so in Copley I asked directions from a doorman who directed me down Huntington..maybe a 10 minutes walk. He must be a runner because even a jogger wouldn’t have got there in 10 minutes.

I walked and walked and periodically asked directions always being told to keep walking. Along the way I took pictures of the sights of Boston. Boston is a great city for strolling and enjoying the sights. It’s full of history and old buildings with wonderful architecture.

 I also saw the green line trolley stops and could have grabbed a trolley at any one of them but the people I asked made it sound like I was almost there each time  I asked.

City Reflections

It was a beautiful day for a walk but I had hurt my back a couple of days before and was not at 100%.

Duck Tours

 Where I started out strong as I continued to walk my lower back began to spasm and pretty soon my thighs were burning, then my knees.

Old Town Trolley! The Best Trolley in Boston

By the time I reached the Christian Science building I was done in. I wasn’t even taking pictures anymore .Just cut me off at the waist and give me a new lower body all I wanted to do was to find the that museum. By the time I spotted the MFA even my ankles and feet hurt. I was hot, thirsty, in pain and cranky and it only made it worse when my friend Nancy pointed out the Green line stop right in front of the building.

Appeal to the Great Spirit at the MFA

 I’m not used to having to cry “uncle” over a simple walk but this one nearly “did me in.”

Appeal to the Great Spirit

At the ticket booth I told them I had a complaint about their website. I told them how following their directions put me in Copley Square and that it was not an easy 7 minute walk like it said on their web page. The girl at the desk wasn’t even surprised. She said it was a glitch and their IT guys were working on it! No ‘I’m sorry ‘ or anything as she swung right back into her speech about upgrading to a membership!

It was now 1 pm so Nancy & I decided to have lunch in the cafeteria and let me cool off. I got my first glimpse of the exhibit on the way to the cafeteria.

Chihuly

 I think it ‘s going to be worth the aggravation.

Inside the MFA

There’s a restaurant and a cafeteria. The restaurant is quite pricey so we went to the cafeteria. That wasn’t too bad. They had the usual cafeteria fare; hot dogs, hamburgers, salads, pizza, chicken fingers, things like that. I settled for a slice of pizza and a large cold bottled water. I added a package of cookies for desert. That totalled out at about $7.00. I would have gotten a discount if I had a membership.

We took our time over lunch so by the time we headed off to the exhibit my frame of mind, if not my body was in a much better place.

Fort Rodmen, New Bedford MA

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Fort Rodmen~ Fort Tabor…you say tomato I say….well you get the idea. Whatever you want to call it, it’s the same place, at the end of Rodney French Blvd.  I first heard of the old fort from a co-worker who grew up in New Bedford. I told Jay he should be working for the Chamber of Commerce because he knows all the neat places in New Bedford and sings their praises all of the time.

Anyway, let me address the name confusion first. Construction of the fort began during the late 1850’s . The local citizens of New Bedford called it Fort Tabor after the mayor of New Bedford during that time. The army renamed the fort after Lieutenant Colonel Logan Rodman of the 38th Massachusetts Infantry, a New Bedford native. He was killed in the assault on Fort Hudson, Louisiana in the Civil War.

There really were 2 forts on this location. A placard identifies the location of the earthen works fort that was used while the stone fort was under construction. It’s amazing how small that structure was based on the outline of the foundation that has been laid out with the paving stones .

Originally this area of New Bedford was known as Clark’s Point and Clark’s Point lighthouse was built there in 1797. As the Stone Fort grew in heght it obscured the lighthouse so a 2nd lighthouse was built in the Fort itself.

When the coast guard made a move to decommission the original lighthouse in the channel, once again the town rallied together and petitioned to keep Clark’s Point Light. The town won. 🙂

In memorial to more modern wars, there  is a World War II Exercise Tiger Tank on display in the park to honor the service men killed in an exercise in preparation for D-Day.

 

Landing exercises were being executed in Lyme Bay, England. The area was chosen for its similarity to Utah Beach. On April 28, 1944 as a mock beach landing was being attempted 9 German E-Boats attacked the convoy which was only protected at 50% strength. It is estimated that 946 American Servicemen died in the operation. 308 from friendly fire. To this day there is only limited information available which has sparked charges of a coverup. It’s doubtful we will ever know how everyone died but here at Fort Rodman Military Reservation they will be remembered.

There is also a beautiful memorial to the Vietnam Veterans. It is filled with symbolism that is explained with a great deal of sensitivity on the descriptive placard.

One last item of interest is the Military Museum which is also on site. I confess, I didn’t take the time to go through there this time. I was interested in some of the nonmilitary aspects of the grounds.

One of the first things I noticed was a play ground that was getting lots of use as I walked by.  The land around the fort right up to the retaining walls was seeded with grass and well maintained. The paths were paved and there were benches along the paths so you could stop and stare out to sea.

As you continue around the property you come to the side with the channel and there’s the old Clark Point Light house.

 There were tables and benches and a long concrete wharf lined with streetlights. There were a couple of concrete benches on the wharf .

 The first one wasn’t bad but the one at the end was pretty disgusting. I’m not sure if the seagulls had lunch there or if human fisherman had cleaned their catch on it but it was covered with dried fish guts and blood. That was the only discordant touch in the lovely park.

There were several beaches and they were far from packed. It could have been because it was windy so not especially hot. But the rumor I heard is that even on hot days these are “forgotten” beaches and usually not too crowded.

I will definitely have to return over the summer and give you updates.