Less Was More

I read with interest James T. Yenckel’s “New Rates Help Avoid the Drop-Off Dilemma,” Jan. 3. In October, after the new Hertz plan (to eliminate drop-off charges) went into effect, we rented a minivan from Hertz, picking it up at the Pittsburgh airport and returning it to La Guardia in New York nine days later. (I realize the new promotion Yenckel wrote about specifies mid- and full-size cars, but they also offer no-drop-off charge plans for vans.)

We were charged $55.99 per day plus an “inner city” drop-off charge of $700. Under the new plan, we could have opted for the no-drop-off charge. Our rate then would have soared to $189.99 per day for nine days, and our bill would have totaled $1,709.91 instead of the $1,203.91 we were billed (without taxes or discounts). So much for the help in avoiding drop-off charges.

JUDITH G. FLORMAN

Santa Ana