Bonaire -- Spare Tire Stolen From Truck at Something Special

[tkaelin]

This was 10 years ago.

That would have been my guess. I recall a story about an issue with an employee, I think one of the guards, that needed his own guard. Was caught and the issue addressed. If nothing more though may be an unfair criticism of Capt Don and the state of their security since.

Geez, you guys sure make it sound like the juice ain't worth the squeeze.

Not by a long shot. Looking forward to our return in June. I was just addressing the insurance issue which is universal and not Bon centric.

 

[nippurmagnum]

I am not an expert in this area but I am coming to the conclusion that if I want to avoid a potential big hassle and claims I will pay for all the extra coverage from the rental car company that gives complete coverage with them with either no deductible or exposure or one that is limited to a small amount, say $100. When I have read the policy that my credit cards provide it really doesn't sound that useful, at least when I rent pick ups or trucks and plan on going off road. BTW I just read my JetBlue Barclays policy and it excludes not only trucks but anything that occurs off road or unpaved road. That does not provide me much in Bonaire or Curacao. In Iceland we spent as much on full coverage as we did for the rental. Who knew volcanic ash damage and chips in paint from all those stones on the road were not covered.

Even when you use a credit card policy in lieu of the rental car, as I understand it you are settling up first with your own money with the rental car company and then you make a claim with the cc and hope to get reimbursed. No thanks. I would rather pay the extra $ and hand the keys over at the end of the trip. That's what we did in Iceland and in Curacao (they didnt' even bother with the return inspection because of the full coverage). I know it sucks to shell out another $100 for the full coverage but it is better IMHO than having to deal with a claim and cc insurance coverage claim.

The "full coverage" insurance from Budget would have cost me nearly as much as the stolen tire. I never buy the rental car insurance for personal travel, and this is the first time that I have been in a position to file a claim (out of many dozens of rentals, including three just on Bonaire). So on balance, I feel like I am still ahead, so to speak.

I view the Costco Visa insurance as a catastrophic-type policy, and I do tend to think that if the truck itself had been stolen, they would have covered it. But I wasn't surprised that they nickel and dimed me on the stolen tire, particularly because they know I'm not going to take them to court for $150.

 

[nippurmagnum]

I literally just came in from Something Special and am enjoying a Bright as I type this. I can say that I did not see your spare tire anywhere on the site I covered. Some eels, one really cute drum and lots of busy fish. Sorry about you getting dinged on the tire. It's hard to believe that a spare is worth that much to a thief.

There are plenty of tires at Something Special, you must have not looked very hard!

I had much the same thought about why anyone would bother to steal a spare tire. But many people on Bonaire drive "island cars" that are basically rust buckets with stripped tires, and I can imagine that someone might steal it for their own vehicle, rather than to sell the tire. Either way, if they need it that badly, they can keep it. I'm just glad they left the other four tires on my truck . . .

 

[nippurmagnum]

Also assuming that they cover rentals in foreign countries...

The Costco VISA cc policy does cover foreign rentals, as well as any vehicle that has four wheels and is meant to be driven on public roads. When I called them, Costco VISA told me that there was no issue with it being Bonaire, nor that it was a truck, nor that I hadn't filed a police report. (I did not volunteer that I had driven the truck offroad like a fiend, with three buddies, 8-12 scuba tanks in the back, and gear sloshing about in salt water, but nor did they ask.) But they said that they weren't about to cover a stolen tire, basically inviting me to sue them if that didn't sit well with me. If the whole car had been stolen, and they'd stiffed me, I certainly would have sued them. But I'm not about to do that for a $150 charge, especially when I'm splitting that with my other buddies.

 

[nippurmagnum]

Geez, you guys sure make it sound like the juice ain't worth the squeeze.

He he. Just to be clear, we had a BLAST on Bonaire, and I'm already looking forward to a fourth trip. And next time, I'll probably roll the dice again, and still just go with the CC insurance. But maybe I'll booby trap the spare.

 

[BoundForElsewhere]

voluntarily deleted.

 

[boat sju]

I still think you're being too easy on Budget. If Poppy can let a stolen tire slide so can they. I'd bet you a Polarcita that the spare they put back on that truck has negligible value.

The way some of the rental car companies treat customers on Boanaire is kind of a pet peeve of mind.

 

[darook]

There are plenty of tires at Something Special, you must have not looked very hard!

I saw those but they appeared to have been there for years not days!

 

[divezonescuba]

As an aside, AVIS has a new insurance that is not included in the expensive full coverage. It is another $5 per day for windshield and tire damage. There was yet another $5 per day charge for something else, but we declined that.

our 15 day total with the full coverage and the windshield / tire coverage was over $1200.

 

[nippurmagnum]

I still think you're being too easy on Budget. If Poppy can let a stolen tire slide so can they. I'd bet you a Polarcita that the spare they put back on that truck has negligible value.

The way some of the rental car companies treat customers on Bonaire is kind of a pet peeve of mind.

In Budget's defense, they treated me courteously all three times I rented from them, and they gave me no other hassles at all when I returned the vehicles (which I had driven offroad, covered in sand, and generally abused grossly). Also, I don't think they can just shrug off a missing tire. And it's not their fault that a thief targeted my vehicle. I'd probably rent from them again.