So it’s June 30th the last night of the quarter and I’m not sure if this is my wife asking me or if it is me asking myself. In our experience with Relay Rides I’ve been pretty good to great at managing it. The one rule for the household is don’t let both cars leave at the same time. As long as I don’t violate this rule the homefront remains fairly tranquil. I rarely violate this rule, but I decided to this time because things looked so sweet.
After countless experimentation and game theory testing I felt I found the perfect price points for Relay Rides for both of the cars. I’m mostly concerned with the Hyundai Azera because it is the one rented most often. I also use the Acura MDX for Lyft, Lyft Plus, Uber XL, and Uber Select. That car makes money when it’s not doing Relay Rides. It actually makes a lot more with me doing other things.
The Acura MDX got a request at the new full price and the correct pricing model. The extra bonus was the fact that I can pick up and deliver at DIA when Rebecca is not working. This is a super awesome rental and of course it’s accepted.
The potential problem came in, and I knew about it in advance that was there was a request for the Hyundai Azera that went from June 16th all the way to July 2nd. That was going to be an amazing amount of time gone. The longest trip so far. It would be a big time earner for the Azera. The problem was the overlap at the end. We are going to be without any vehicles for a four day overlap. The only other time we’ve had two cars gone at the same time Donna Henderson was out here with her smoking hot Hyundai. This was going to be a challenge.
We are going to be without wheels for the weekend, which just means we are stuck together all weekend and really won’t be leaving the house. The worst part though is Rebecca is having to take Uber’s into work. Note with the recent price drop in Lyft in Denver, Colorado those would be Lyft’s if taken today. Rebecca is one of the most easy going people in the world, after all she married me. A few things that she doesn’t like though are; strangers, talking, paying for anything, and I’m not sure how excited she is about going to work in the first place. Taking Uber’s to work combines all of these horrible things for her. Since I am the king of empathy I understand her pain.
What I know about the renter though are a few things that intrigue me. It is a wife and husband with two kids. What is so exciting is that they are relocating to Boulder, CO from Hawaii. This triggers a few big things for me. The first is that I’m a licensed Property and Casualty agent in the state of Colorado. When people move out of state that means new insurance and a host of other services. Since they are coming from Hawaii this means they might be needing a new car. Mike Henderson, auto broker to the rescue.
During our negotiations with both trying to get the car back sooner and finding other business opportunities that he’s actually going to be purchasing a car very soon and I think I can get the car back Tuesday night. I accept the rental. The drop off is a little challenging as they have a delayed flight. Traveling cross country with two small children and the flight is delayed means don’t try to sell anything and these people won’t be real happy. Plus Relay Rides is kind of a wierd thing anyway.
I’m not being proactive or trying to get a hold of Steve when he is out here. I’m busy with a bunch of stupid stuff and have a lot on my plate. I’m not being proactive and eventually I send him a message through the Relay Ride system. I’m waiting to hear back to find out when/where to pick up the car. It’s also my chance for a five minute pitch.
I just hope we get it all worked out before I hear Rebecca, “Where the hell is the car at?”
To be continued …