Better than Visa Magic Code?

[lilyv]

If this is the case then you have National dead to rights. If you try to decline insurance with this code and they say no you can't but still allow you to leave the lot under this contract (even though people say you are not authorized) and you get into an accident how can they have a case in court?

Judge: So National, you say that you won't cover the insurance even though it was included in the contract?

National: Yes your honor, the person in question was not authorized to use this code.

Judge: But you let them leave the lot using this code?

National: Yes your honor, it was very busy and it slipped by us.

Judge:

National:

Judge:

National:

Judge: If you let them leave under this code, you have accepted the conditions of this driver under this code.

National:

YOU:

Your scenario is interesting, but not accurate. The renter enters into a contract with the rental car company. The renter is is representing they are authorized for the rate, and they sign for it. Rental car companies don't need to absolutely verify eligibility of a renter for a rate code beyond a shadow of a doubt before driving off the lot, they have the renter's signature on the contract. If the renter signs for an unauthorized rate, or provides any other misrepresentation, it's simple for National to then prove misuse/misrepresentation and then decline coverage for an accident or other problem. (Those terms are spelled out in every rental car contract.)

 

[TinkerBellToo2]

Can I ask you about your statement that the customer signs the contract. I have never signed a contract with National. I just make my ressie online, pick my mini van, go to the gate and give the attendant my cc, licence, and a copy of my reservation. And off I go.

 

[bavaria]

If you are an Emerald Club member you definitely sign an agreement. Whenever I make a change to my Hertz or National general contract ie my Hertz PC or National EE, I have to sign and send back an ammended contract.

I just did this last week with National and last month with Hertz.

When booking online, you also agree to the terms of the rental agreement

 

[bavaria]

From the Emerald Club Master Agreement:
http://www.nationalcar.com/?action=emcIndex

Rate At the time you make a reservation, you can determine the rate you will be charged for such rental transaction including all optional products purchased by you. If you are an eligible renter under a commercial account agreement with National and you present National with that account's name ("Account") and contract I.D. number when making a reservation, you will be charged at the Account's commercial rate. If you are ineligible to rent under a commercial account agreement, you will be charged at the lower of the Program rate or any available promotional rate.

Final Audit - YOU UNDERSTAND THAT ALL CHARGES ARE SUBJECT TO FINAL AUDIT. You authorize any credits or additional charges to be made and paid by the method designated on your Profile

 

[TinkerBellToo2]

If you are an Emerald Club member you definitely sign an agreement. Whenever I make a change to my Hertz or National general contract ie my Hertz PC or National EE, I have to sign and send back an ammended contract.

I just did this last week with National and last month with Hertz.

When booking online, you also agree to the terms of the rental agreement

OMG!!! was I suppose to send that paper back??? There was no return envelope with it so never thought another thing about it. What a bad girl I am.............They have never contacted me asking for it to be sent in, and that was 7 months ago, and I have rented from National 2 times since then...

 

[lilyv]

OMG!!! was I suppose to send that paper back??? There was no return envelope with it so never thought another thing about it. What a bad girl I am.............They have never contacted me asking for it to be sent in, and that was 7 months ago, and I have rented from National 2 times since then...

No problem. You 100% agree to their terms of service every time you complete a reservation online. Sign/click, they have you either way.

 

[bavaria]

Generally the initial agreement does not need to be sent back; instead you need to sign at the counter and show your driver's license and card on file the first time you rent with that agency.

Changes do need an update; I scan and email those back.

 

[VinnyNYC]

so let me get this straight. I am an Emerald Club member, renting at MCO, have a reservation using the 57 code and a coupon. I get into an accident, what happens now. Like I said in earlier post, I emailed Emerald Club and they said basically the 57 and 67 were complimentary and anybody could use the code. I have this in writing from a customer service rep from Emerald Club. Now does National's insurance kick in, my cc insurance and my personal auto insurance kick in??? In my Emerald Club profile, I declined insurance, but somebody posted insurance cannot be declined???

 

[lilyv]

so let me get this straight. I am an Emerald Club member, renting at MCO, have a reservation using the 57 code and a coupon. I get into an accident, what happens now. Like I said in earlier post, I emailed Emerald Club and they said basically the 57 and 67 were complimentary and anybody could use the code. I have this in writing from a customer service rep from Emerald Club. Now does National's insurance kick in, my cc insurance and my personal auto insurance kick in??? In my Emerald Club profile, I declined insurance, but somebody posted insurance cannot be declined???

Vinny, I gotta get back to real life. May I just say this? Hypothetically, let's say you do have a problem, and it becomes a dispute. You'll have your email, they'll have your complete agreement to their terms of service. They cry misuse/misrepresentation/fraud/ you cry email. They have a boatload of attorneys to choose from-they probably have a whole wing for the offices of their in-house counsel.
You may be a lawyer, or have one you know who will take the case for free. Otherwise, you'll be paying billable hours, and who knows how may hundreds (or thousands) of dollars you'll be parting with to try to fight the dispute. And no, you can't decline the insurance, it's part of the corporate contract.
Bottom line, it may not be worth it.

This is an individual decision. I don't really care what the informed person does, that's their business. My real problem with the 57 and 67 codes at the DIS is there are folks who are fairly infrequent travelers who visit here. They may not totally realize the full implications of choosing a code that is not a verified public code.

 

[VinnyNYC]

i agree lilyv, is it really worth it??? Spending thousands on a vacation to save about $40 (I have a back up ressie with Dollar).
I just think if the code was for employees of TQ3, I would think the Emerald Club customer service agent would have told me it was for emplyees only and the code was not "complimentary".
I don't know...

 

[bavaria]

i agree lilyv, is it really worth it??? Spending thousands on a vacation to save about $40 (I have a back up ressie with Dollar).
I just think if the code was for employees of TQ3, I would think the Emerald Club customer service agent would have told me it was for emplyees only and the code was not "complimentary".
I don't know...

But what is the defintion of 'complimentary'? I checked three different online dictionary sites and they all say 'at no charge'. Not 'open to the public', 'for all to use', etc. I think that some posters are trying to manipulate the wording to their benefit, and haven't yet realized that it may not be worth it (as you point out!)

My contract ID has similar wording, but that doesn't make it open to everyone.

 

[goofy4tink]

I'm going to assume (knowing full well what happens when you do that!!) that if you call a car rental company and ask if a particular code is good, you will get an answer that is either..yes, that's a good code or no, that's an invalid code. I would assume that the person you got the 'yes, that's a good code' answer from is making an assumption (there it is again) that you are entitled to said code.
I have put in various codes and wording has come up to the effect of 'you may have to prove you are entitled to this discount' or something like that...bring ID, whatever.

So, I truly think that if you see a code floating around on the internet, and you are not truly entitled to use it, or you have any kind of doubt, don't use it. Mousesavers has a pretty comprehensive listing of usable codes..if Mary doesn't show it as usuable by the general public, then it's probably not usable by the general public.

 

[Nigel8600]

Try making a ressie with it now. Its $8000 for me. So they caught on to the glitch in the system.

LOL. I'm kind of wondering if the reservation was made for 1 yr longer than it should have been IE pickup July 03 08 drop July 15 09 instead of 08. I made a reservation just a few days ago in June 08 (one month after this was posted by SplshMtn99) for October 08 and it STILL worked. A SUV for 18 days for 480.00 . What an INCREDIBLE rate. Time to party!!!

 

[Muddy Rivers]

Just recently returned from Orlando. Used the 57 code with no problem. Months before this I emailed National and asked if the 8572957 code is used for a reservation,is there any type of special ID I need to provide upon picking up the car - I wanted to make sure that I brought all my proper ID's with me. National's response (In writing) was " You will be required to present a credit card issued by VISA and a passport". None of this was requested at the kiosk. All went well.

 

[VinnyNYC]

I just called National and they told me in this exact way, "this code is a Travel Solutions complimentary code." Then I asked her if I need to be an employee of Travel Solutions and she said no. SHe asked me how I got the code and I told her from Travel Solutions??? She said I will have no problems using the code. I asked her about the insurance and she told me it was included.
I called National and got an email from National stating this code is "complimentary" and you DO NOT need to be an employee of Travel Solutions. How much more proof do I need???
I know I'm beating this topic into the ground...

 

[5boyz]

I also called the MCO and spoke with the manager explained all and he asked for my conf # looked it up and said no all is fine. I said I do not want to come and they tell me I can't use it and have to pay the full price at the time. He said mamn (LOL dont know how to spell) that will not happen. That was the manager. So hopefully it all goes well for everyone!!!!

 

[Disneyhappy]

I just called National and they told me in this exact way, "this code is a Travel Solutions complimentary code." Then I asked her if I need to be an employee of Travel Solutions and she said no. SHe asked me how I got the code and I told her from Travel Solutions??? She said I will have no problems using the code. I asked her about the insurance and she told me it was included.
I called National and got an email from National stating this code is "complimentary" and you DO NOT need to be an employee of Travel Solutions. How much more proof do I need???
I know I'm beating this topic into the ground...

Just like WDW CM's, depending in who you speak with, you may get a different answer. I am not sure if it was on this thread or another thread regarding this post, someone posted an email received from National stating an ID was needed with the 67 code. I called in April when this code first came out and was told ID would be needed at the gate. Somone called on the same day as I did and got a different answer. You have a good argument if you have it in writing but it still does not mean you may have a hassle of a time until the issue is settled. National will have bigger resources ($) to fight the average comsumer on this issue, and they will. Quesiton is, is it worth the hassle for the money you save. Many people have chosen to take the risk, many have decided not to. It is up to you. Believe me, I was tempted but I have seen the worst case scenarios in my job which has scared me off. Any rental car code that includes insurance is almost guaranteed to be for international renters for ease of coverage for them. I have also read somewhere that the code is being denied at some locations, I think Burbank was specifcally mentioned. I wish you the best of luck with your rental.

 

[Disneyhappy]

One moe thought, was it on this thread where someone posted that they were in an accident and National refused to honor the insurance because he was not qualified for the code. He is now trying to get coverage through his credit card which is not too promising. National's inconsistencies almost sounds worse than WDW telephone CMs!

 

[Lewisc]

I think we can agree this isn't a code that's intended for the general public. If it was National would be promoting it and Mary would have it listed on mousesavers. She pulled the prior version of this code when she was told it's not a public code.

Complimentary code doesn't have anything to do with eligibility, it just means you don't have to pay a fee to use it. AFAIK Emerald Club is the only program/code that's not complimentary and requires a fee paid to National. Not sure how many customers pay the $50 fee but I'm sure some do.

You might have a case if your reservation was booked by a Travel Solution TA and that TA inputted the code, without prompting by the customer. The TS TA might be accountable if they used an inappropriate code for a customer.

You're not an employee of TS. You're not a customer of TS, at least with respect to this rental. Not sure why you think you're allowed to use a TS code.

I call about a COSTCO code (or AAA, AARP.....) The person on the other end of the phone will tell me the code (number) is valid and is complimentary. They don't to tell me I have to be a member of COSTCO, AAA, AARP etc in order to use the code.

The fact that you can phrase a question in a way that causes the person at the other end of the phone to give you information that you interpert in a way that supports your position doesn't mean much.

Who at Travel Solutions gave you the code? Do you have a name. That's the person you should be talking to if National gives you any difficulty with the rate or with an accident claim.

My guess is you got the code from the web and not from a TS employee. That would invalidate any information the National agent gave you. The fact that you indicated you were working with TS would imply the TS TA thought you were entitled to use that code.

My guess is most National offices won't be taking the time to check on the validity of the renter at the time of the rental. They may decide to check the validity of the renter if there is a claim. There has already been one example on FT.

Not sure why you insist on beating this to the ground, you know it's not a public code At best TS might be able to use this code for (some?) of their customers.

I just called National and they told me in this exact way, "this code is a Travel Solutions complimentary code." Then I asked her if I need to be an employee of Travel Solutions and she said no. SHe asked me how I got the code and I told her from Travel Solutions??? She said I will have no problems using the code. I asked her about the insurance and she told me it was included.
I called National and got an email from National stating this code is "complimentary" and you DO NOT need to be an employee of Travel Solutions. How much more proof do I need???
I know I'm beating this topic into the ground...

 

[lawgs]

I just wanted to let you know what I got in writing from National.

Don't flaim me for writing National as this was back in April when we first learned about the codes, and nobody knew what they were. I chose not to use the codes for the trip we went on in May since I received this response back from National in April regarding my inquiry about using the 57 and the 67 codes.

"Dear Ms. xxxxxx,

The codes in question are actually reserved for employees of TQ3 Travel Solutions. Unless you are one of their employees, I would not recommend that you use these codes.

Have a great day,

Jxxxxx
Help Desk

looks like the travel agency is overseas....

http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=Travel+Solutions+Tq&meta=


maybe that is why muddyriver above was told a "passport" was necessary