I need to give another point of view on this. We had a Hertz rental, through Auto Europe, in Paris two weeks ago. I don't know whether it was the Auto Europe connection or the fact that we are Gold Club members that made the difference. Somehow, though we never mentioned the Gold Club to Auto Europe, the Hertz agent knew about it. On our records with Hertz it shows that we don't want the insurance, and they never even ask us about it.

We always rent through Auto Europe and have found no reason not to do so. Their quotes are clear and specific; we were told we would be charged a 10 Euro tax of some sort that was not included. They will match and usually beat any price you find elsewhere. I usually reserve on line but often have questions that I ask over the phone. We have always had prompt and helpful service. One representative told me, "You are reserving early. Make sure you check back from time to time and see if the rates go down or if there is a special." On the down side for some people is that you pre- pay. For us, this is fine. It helps spread out the cost of the trip and it protects us if the dollar goes down. If it goes up, AE may reduce their prices and credit us the difference if we ask. When we had to cancel a reservation, our account was credited almost immediately.

No, I don't have stock in the company! We will be using them again in June for a 16 day trip through Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium. This time it will be with National.

Happy travels, Janet Riverview, Florida