CDW insurance

[cvchief]

So after some digging and some calls to my CCs I wanted to post what I believe are the facts now. I'm going to quote CVchief because his statements address the issues the most succiently and for no other reason

Not because you like me best? Really?

1) If you hit a mexican and/or injure them you go to jail and pay them cash, this seems not to be true according to the definitions of the mandatory PLI included with all rental car rentals in Mexico

2) If you damage or destroy you own rental car in a accident you go to jail until you can pay cash for the damages or the entire value of the car which might include loss of use to the rental agency, this seems not to be true according to AE and VISA.

Thanks in advance, just trying to sort this all out once and for all.

In the 1st case you are probably fine with the rental insurance.

In the second, I am not as sure. And you will note from the one story I quoted, the reimbursement from the CC didn't match what they paid the rental agency but it was close. So even if you did get reimbursed there is a question about if it will match or not. This assumes they find a credit card payment acceptable. Your CC says they *should*. I would maybe ask the rental company: 1. How much is the car worth, should I total it, and; 2. would you accept charging those thousands of dollars on my CC? It isn't the CC company that is going to make you happy if you are in trouble; it will be you trying to make the owner of the rental car happy.

Maybe be it will be all fine. Or maybe you end up waiting for the CC company to wire you an advance? You ain't in Kansas anymore Toto.

I finally remember the other story I heard from Cozumel. Sometime the GOOD insurance isn't enough:

Istoria Ministries Blog: Saved from Hell in a Jail Cell at Cozumel

 

[mmmbelows]

Hey BRT -I don't think I'll need a letter from my CC. The information is extremely specific and extremely detailed on their website, they specifically list the exceptions - Jamaica, Ireland and a few others. I'm not worried about a conspiracy or that their website has been hacked.

I suspect the big problem you had was you were taking a rental car from one country to another, that's always a bit tricky and many rental agencies don't have blanket acceptance of it.

A $3.00 rental rate for my stay using Dollar is not the exception.

Fox is $2.00 day
Dollar is $3.00
Thrifty is $3.00
Europcar is $4.00
Firefly is $3
Alamo is $4
National is $5
etc...

Why are they giving away their rental cars over this period? I don't know, the last time I was there I paid a lot more. Maybe Uber is jacking them up? LOL

The add on insurance scam is alive and well. It is easy to say just don't buy the insurance but they may say that means you can't rent the car.

Could be, I'll bring copies of my paperwork just in case, and print out from their Cabo office

• Personal Liability Coverage: Basic personal liability insurance (PLI) is included in the base rental rate and covers the liability of the driver for bodily injury to third parties and for property damage (other than damage to the rental vehicle) up to a maximum of MXN 100,000 pesos. You are advised, however, that this basic coverage may not cover the full extent of your potential liability for personal or property injuries under the laws of the various states of Mexico in which the injury or damage may occur. For personal injury claims, a driver in many Mexican states may be liable for between MXN 2,000,000 to MXN 4,000,000 pesos in liability per person, per occurrence. • If you desire additional liability insurance protection to better protect you against the liability exposure for a particular State, Dollar offers the following protection: • Supple

 

[cvchief]

100,000 pesos? Dude that is like 6,000 US. No wonder is it cheap.

TANSTAAFL, TANSTAAFL......

 

[mmmbelows]

100,000 pesos? Dude that is like 6,000 US. No wonder is it cheap.

TANSTAAFL, TANSTAAFL......

Right, that is why there is also in addition to CDW other insurances available called Supplemental Liability Excess (SLE) for about $15.00 /day that will increase your liability coverage.

I think you mentioned ISIS on Cozumel and a couple of good things about them, but they were I believe in regard to that CDW was included, does ISIS also include SLE? I see on their website they say "tax, liability and collision" included, those are pretty generic labels, what liability exactly is that they are including? Unless its specifically SLE above and beyond the basic liability required by Mexican law, the risks with ISIS are the same unless you're purchasing additional coverage for liability. I think I've read a lot of people really gravitate to ISIS because they believe they are getting "full coverage" insurance included. Are they really?

---------- Post added October 11th, 2015 at 10:47 PM ----------

I finally remember the other story I heard from Cozumel. Sometime the GOOD insurance isn't enough:

Istoria Ministries Blog: Saved from Hell in a Jail Cell at Cozumel

Thanks for posting that.

Correct me if I'm wrong but what I got out of that is that is a story about:

1) an accident in mexico with a hurt local
2) the renter had purchased all the additional insurance possible.
3) no insurance you can buy in mexico will cover the lost wages of a hurt mexican

If everything in that story is true, the moral is if you hurt somebody in a car accident it doesn't matter if you bought all the insurance possible or didn't buy any, no insurance is going to save you from going to jail and having to pay a cash fee/bribe to the person you hurt.

So the lesson is really, all this insurance questions are really a waste of time and that nobody should ever rent a car in Mexico right?

Is that guys story 100% real? Is it the real law or is this a story exposing a case of corruption?

 

[cvchief]

I think you mentioned ISIS on Cozumel and a couple of good things about them, but they were I believe in regard to that CDW was included, does ISIS also include SLE? I see on their website they say "tax, liability and collision" included, those are pretty generic labels, what liability exactly is that they are including? Unless its SLE above and beyond the basic liability required by Mexican law, the risks with ISIS are the same unless you're purchasing additional coverage for liability.

I believe each of their rentals include collision. I might have been mistaken on the deductible. I hear $300 and change US and also 10% of the vehicle value, so probably between 300-700 US maybe given the cars they have. I do not have an answer on the liability amount, but my guess would be it is something reasonable, but it might not be enough. I don't know.

In addition to GOOD insurance on the car I own, I also have two attorneys in my phone and a friend who neighbor has some rank in the cops. Be prepared, I say!

---------- Post added October 11th, 2015 at 10:55 PM ----------

I also know a story of a woman riding in the back of a rental vehicle that ran a stop sign and was hit. The insurance covered the other guy's damage, but the woman in the back had to eat her own medical cost.

My BC covers me in MX, but I have DAN insurance for the chamber and a little extra trip insurance for evac and such. Try to cover it all.

 

[mmmbelows]

Just kind of thinking about that story of the pastor in jail. I can't imagine that he's the only tourist who has ever gotten into an accident on Cozumel and injured a local. Just kind of logically thinking Anne Harris, The US Consular Agent in Cozumel must be one busy bee spending a huge amount of her time dealing with American tourists in the Cozumel jail all of the time. My stink meter is going off the charts, not sure I'm buying that story 100% at this point. He sure has one hell of a story to tell in regard to his 'saving' of the mountain he was handcuffed to, probably goes or went a long way in his circle.

 

[mstevens]

Anne Harris retired some time ago, and the consular agency on the island is closed. Now people have to deal with the Playa del Carmen office.My 30 pesos' worth: I do not have any confidence that my US credit cards or my USAA insurance will be of practical use in Cozumel. When I rented cars, I did so with an agency that included the maximal insurance she was allowed to sell (Isis Rentadora). There are other good agencies, but in general they're are all local and NOT franchises of big US-based rental companies. One hears plenty of complaints about the franchises.

 

[Bill Parker]

I wouldn't rent or drive a car in Mexico or anywhere in Latin America because they hold you in jail until you pay if you get involved in an accident. There's no need to take the responsibility of operating a car there during a short term visit. I found there's always buses, taxis, or special transportation a tour guide will set you up with.

 

[cvchief]

Well, at the end of the day, if the rental is actually $3, lucky you. I can't imagine it to be true without a timeshare presentation.

And $6000US in liability is kinda nuts, but then a local friend of mine told me I was nut to put insurance on my moto. He said no one does that. My insurance agent says they have amended the traffic code of Cozumel and insurance on moto will be required end of the year I think, join many other MX municipalities. However it will probably be a very low amount to keep it affordable, but I digress.

So you get it for $3 a day and don't hit anything or get hit, you are good golden then and let face it, most of the time rentals happen without crashes, theft, vandalism and the like, so you are probably not going to have an issue.

And if it goes terribly south, it will make a cool story and you will probably come out of it ok. For instance a drunk, French Canadian guy (as I recall) hit a local girl injuring her badly with little or no insurance. He paid what he had to get sprung and then promptly fled the country. The guy never had to pay what he owed and lots of fundraisers happened to help her, proving you might still avoid responsibility with some cash.