Jesus at Continental?

[beachreader]

Wow, that thread title just doesn't look right without an accent key.

Anyway, I reserved with Continental for this upcoming trip, and when I got the confirmation, I wrote back with a couple of questions. In December, Jesus Betanzos wrote back immediately with all the answers and was very helpful. This time, no reply at all.

Anyone know if Jesus is still there?

I hope they haven't changed management, that could be dangerous.

[Jana]

Hi beachreader,

When did you send the email with no response? It took Jesus over a week to reply to the questions I sent late November. Hopefully he's just a little inconsistent and you got lucky in December! :)

Jana

[mariposa]

Hmm, that is odd..last february when we reserved Jesus was at Easyway:confused::p

[lazydog]

And January he was at Caribbean, I think it's all America Car Rental. I think they all run out of the same office also, maybe it's just who picks up the phone or answers the email. He got us the cute Lupo.

[beachreader]

How funny is that? You know that Plaza Santa Fe has all kinds of little rental agencies in it. I bet they're all the same staff.

But yes, in December he was incredibly swift and helpful, this time it's been two weeks since my first e-mail so I wrote again today. We'll see. It's not a critical question, but it is nice to have someone reply so you know you're in the picture.

But I'll ask you guys part of the question. Friday, 2/29-Friday 3/7, both pick up and drop-off times similar (11 a.m. and 10 a.m.).

Wouldn't you call that 7 days? 7 24-hour periods? Or am I counting wrong? The computerized reservation system called it 1 week and 1 day, but I'm wondering if it's making a mistake because it's leap-year February and the dates are weird?

[mayaflya]

It's really pretty simple. Since it's leap year, February has an extra day this year and since it falls during your rental you are being charged for it....you'll be driving that car that day, no?....

[piecesmama]

I also e-mailed with questions to Continental without any reply (three times!) I've read so many good things about this rental agency on the forum, that I'm just trusting it'll be ok!

[beachreader]

It's really pretty simple. Since it's leap year, February has an extra day this year and since it falls during your rental you are being charged for it....you'll be driving that car that day, no?....



Don't be messing with my head, man, I'm loaded up on cold drugs and I could blow at any minute!

[minniemex]

Fran, you are right - it is only 7 days. Since your drop time is an hour earlier than your pick up I figure 7 days.

I just checked my emails from last time and I had the same problem with the extra day. Instead of doing my reservation online, I emailed and asked for the quote. It was Jesus who I dealt with also.

[bellydancer]

We had a really good experience with our car rental back in August. We used America Car Rental in Playa for 2 different car rentals during our 2-week stay. We took the ADO bus from the Cancun airport to the bus station in Playa. America was located on 5 ave. and 16th at the Hotel Plaza Mariachi. Emails reserving the car were answered quickly. We had a standard transmission Atos both times and both were in great shape. We were intending on paying cash but wound up charging both times and had no extra charges when we received our statement. Our 5 day rental cost was $2035 pesos, full coverage and no deductible. Even though we had full coverage, etc. I still took pics all around the car but not underneath (will have to remember to do that next time). They barely glanced at the cars when we brought them back. We dealt with Carlos Limon in Playa. Will definitely use them when we return. Just hope next time we receive the same kind of service!:D

[mayaflya]

Don't be messing with my head, man, I'm loaded up on cold drugs and I could blow at any minute!

Sorry, BR...couldn't help it....I was feeling all smartass until I realized that leap year meant I had to add another whole day to the wait for MY trip to Tulum....waaaah!

Back on topic, I checked my car reservation with Caribbean Car Rental for March, from 7pm Saturday to 1pm Friday and the confirmation clearly states six days at a daily rate.

Who knows how they decide to figure? Did they get the AM's and PM's switched?

And for what it's worth, I made the reservation online rather than via e-mail.

[beachreader]

Your rental is clearly for 6 days, Maya, right? Not sure if you're saying it should be five days? I'll double check the am/pm thing, that's a thought.

I booked my reservation on line, so it was the online system that's calling it one week plus one day. My e-mails to them have as yet gone unanswered, it's in the e-mails that I'm asking to them to re-figure the rate to one week.

I'm concerned that they haven't responded yet to either e-mail, since in December I had really fast and helpful response from the same company. I'm considering now checking more companies and their rates and seeing what their systems say about my dates. I really liked working with Continental in December, just worried if maybe they've changed.

[mayaflya]

Your rental is clearly for 6 days, Maya, right? Not sure if you're saying it should be five days? I'll double check the am/pm thing, that's a thought.

My reservation Saturday to Friday is for five full days plus 18 hours = six days...so the computer got mine right. Your schedule Friday to Friday should be seven days, as long as you drop off before the same time of day that you picked up.

I just surfed over to the Continental site and plugged in your rental dates to generate some quotes. The only way I could get it to give me 1 week plus one day was to make my return time 10 pm. Even if I switched the 10am and 11am, the computer didn't charge me for the extra hour.

I think you'll be fine...

[beachreader]

Thanks. I'll go back and re-do my reservation. I must have somehow put in the pm thing.

[beachreader]

OK, another question for you all. How does one cancel a reservation once made? I just checked the e-mail from Continental and there's no little link to get me back to the original reservation.

I was reading a comment from Pepper on TA, and she said that Cancunrentacar lets you drop off right at the airport rather than at Plaza Santa Fe, so I went to their site, got a normal 7 day rate quoted and what I think will be a nicer car for the same rate I got at Continental.

I liked working with Continental in December, but their lack of response this time around was making me nervous, and dropping the car at their office was a little bit of a hassle. Not huge, but that 20-30 minutes makes a difference.

So I might go with Cancun this time around, but I want to be fair to Continental and cancel my reservation. I guess I'll go to their site and see if there's a place I can enter my reservation number.

[minniemex]

Like I said, I had the same experience as you Fran and I have to say with not hearing from them and the price is the same or cheaper with another rental agency I would go with that one. I am trying to remember if that sign in back of the desk at the office listed "Cancun" also as one of their companies.

To cancel them I would just send them an email through the rental site with your confirmation number in it and cancel. Let them know why also. That might have some effect and then again, it's Mexico.

[PhyllisB]

Hey Fran, just as an FYI, I rented with Continental and we did drop it off at the airport... We arranged that when we were there to pick it up.

[beachreader]

OK, all is well.

I finally heard from Jesus, he apologized for not getting back to me sooner and said yes, he and Eduardo are still there. They also handle Caribbean/Cancun as well, he said, so he caught my second reservation. He's giving me an upgrade (even though the site said they weren't available) and the lower of the two rates and he's going to check the lighter to make sure it will work with my cell phone charger (if you remember from my trip report that was an issue last time).

Oh, and he caught that it's only one week, not one plus one day, so the rate is $276 for everything included on an automatic.

In other words, he's making it all good and I'm very happy now. Just feel a bit silly for sending him like three different reservations at two different companies. :o

[PhyllisB]

Don't feel bad, it's probably what got him to email you back!!!!!!!

Glad to hear it all worked out! So I guess this means that Continental is in fact part of Cancun/Caribbean?

[beachreader]

Yupper, seems to be the case. 'Cuz I did that second reservation with Cancun, the e-mail confirmation came back to me saying Caribbean, and Jesus said he saw the one come through from Caribbean, so there you are. All happy-happy at Plaza Santa Fe.

I guess they don't really fully comprehend the concept of monopoly. Otherwise, I'm wondering what benefit they get from running all these companies separately, separate websites, all that?

It's interesting, anyway. I'm just glad to hear from Jesus, with his complete sentences and full grasp of multiple concepts. It's a relief.

[Julie in PA]

Beachreader/Phyllis,

I didn't know that the drop off for Continental wasn't at the airport when I reserved with them. Will they definitely let you drop off at the airport if you arrange in advance or is it "hit or miss". I really would like to drop at the airport.

[beachreader]

Me too. I'm going to ask when I pick the car up. When I had the car in December, he didn't even offer me the chance. Or maybe, now that Jesus is talking to me again, I'll ask him now.

[PhyllisB]

You know, I don't think I even thought twice about it when we made our reservation, just assumed we could return at the airport.

I think he asked us when we picked up the car and when he asked us when we would be returning the car. I wasn't that thrilled about trying to find their offices (I hadn't paid attention on the way over there) so I said "the airport." They didn't bat an eye.

Regardless, we did return it to the airport. They were about five minutes later than the time we arranged, but that was fine. It made me a tad bit nervous but I had to remind myself we were still on Mexico time!

So it's definitely doable. If they don't, then they've changed their policy.

And really why wouldn't they? Won't every company let you do that? You just pull into the same area where they pick you up.

p.

[minniemex]

I wish I would have known to even ask about an airport drop-off - that would be perfecto. Doesn't hurt to ask does it?? I mean they drive over to drop you off so why not??

[beachreader]

Works for me. I'm definitely going to ask them about that.

[lazydog]

They met us at downtown hotel and picked up the car at a hotel-zone hotel in Cancun (which are pretty far away from downtown, we were way down the road), I think they will basically work with what you want...... if you ask.