The Genius Car – Real life adventures in the share economy

I’m at home and have been immobile all day.  I have a gout flare-up that I’m trying to get rid of and not physically walking is the best cure.  I’ve got the Traverse to be rented that night to MV (renters initials).  The car is supposed to be picked up at 4:30 p.m.  One of the greatest things about the way I run my business is that I can do it while injured.  I could not even put my foot down on the gas pedal because the pain would be too great.  I don’t hear anything until later, again how do other people run their Turo business?

My phone rings at 6:32 p.m and I see the renter’s name.  I always hate that I generally prefer text (this is an exception because I understand the situation).  He states that he has walked around the section of the parking lot I told him to several times and can’t find the car.  Now this is one reason I tell people to text me when they land, I’m completely unaware and unprepared for what is now a crisis situation.  Losing the car, misplacing the car, not knowing the location of the car is about the worst thing for everybody.  Now I own five cars; four of which are on the Turo system currently.  I’m an expert now on automobile telematics.  I also manage a car for SK (person initials).  Now I have to think, which car do I have rented?  Is it on OnStar or Directed Smartstart?  I’m also thinking, great it is on the one car that currently doesn’t have GPS tracking available.  It is the Traverse with OnStar and if I flash the lights it’s got a horn that honks as well.  It announces its presence with authority!

As I’m waiting for the lights and horn to activate I go back into my Turo app and text messages to look who the last renter was and make sure they told me the right location.  The normal procedure is to first check the GPS and make sure the car is in the lot.  I told MV that the car was parked in C2.  Well he stopped in CC2.  It doesn’t happen that often, but I’ve had this happen before, that can happen in lots with double letters.  I 100% never let this happen and that is the only thing I always make 100% sure is right.  (I need to make sure renters realize this.)  MV is now headed to where the car is located.  I flash the lights again and he finds it quickly but the car is in D2 (dang it people this is why I ask for a picture of the sign).

My phone rings less than two minutes later.  The car has a completely flat tire.  This super sucks and is a horrible scenario.  Adrenalin starts pumping and I hop out of bed completely forgetting about my gout.  I tell MV that I will call him back in two minutes.  Mostly I walk out tell Rebecca what is going on.  I won’t write about all the different scenarios and options that we went through, merely come up with the decision.  MV is going up to the Rocky Mountains needing an AWD vehicle .   In order to be the most reliable owner on Turo that means having an extra car ready.  We have one AWD third row SUV vehicle that we use for our personal use.  This is how Mrs. Genius, baby Hope, and myself get around.

Mrs. Genius immediate goes to work cleaning out our car.  It takes less than five minutes to get the car seat and trash taken out of car.  We are very lucky that SK was here and actually with us as he was passing through town from Texas and checking on his car.  Since I’m pretty immobile and can’t drive, he is going to take our AWD SUV out to the airport.  This worst-case scenario means MV is going to be on his way to the mountains in less than an hour.  He seems really cool in that he is going to change the spare on the Traverse so that SK has a ride home.  This is not too bad. Well SK calls me and says that MV was unable to get the tire off and it’s pretty dark out, but it’s completely flat and looks like it has been driven on.  MV accepts the car and drives SK back to the terminal, he’s going to have to take the train back down here to Littleton Station and we will have to go pick him up.  It takes between 1.5 and 2.0 hours from DIA to home.

I immediately jump on my Turo app to file a damage claim.  This is the potential biggest hole in my system where the car is damaged and the renter doesn’t tell me.  Luckily I got to this in time and at least have a claim filed in time.  I don’t have any pictures and haven’t seen the tire but I do know some facts.

1. I have gout and can barely walk.
2. Mrs. Genius has now lost her personal car and has a lunch date with a friend tomorrow.
3. A car is stuck at the airport racking up charges.
4. When I wake up I’m going to have these same problems, mostly I have a car with a flat tire that won’t come off.
5. These tires are brand new and have less than a 1,000 miles on them.  (That’s actually a good thing.)
6. MV had a hard time finding the car (his fault), had a messed up flight, after all this he had to change a tire (wtf) and is getting an hour later start than his airline-induced late start.
7. SK had to drive out to the airport 29 miles away, deal with a flat tire, and take the light rail back.  It ended up being three hours wasted of his life.  We also need to go back out there in the morning to deal with this.
8. I now have to go back to the previous renter and see what the hell happened, it’s like CSI (never even seen the show).  I’ve been told that it looks like the previous renter drove on it destroyed the tire and bent the rim.  It is dark out though.  Why would a person do that?  Makes no sense?

Time to go to bed.  I’ll deal with this in the morning.

Let me say that I always try to do the right thing, most of the time it is easy, other times it relates to what is the right thing to do.  This relates to a recent rental of my MDX to B.F.  Some of these issues relate to me having robot cars.  I also now have five cars on the system and it relates to having different descriptions, different purchase times, and Turo updating their site with changes.

Note I have now updated the descriptions on all the cars (I think) so this doesn’t happen again.

My rental request comes in and as my protocol I say yes immediately.  The rental was for midnight and BF wanted curbside dropoff.  I’m a night owl, or I should say that I used to be.  Stand up comedy, poker player, and horticulture expert can involve some weird working hours.  Being a stay at home dad has kind of shifted my hours and definitely my priorities.  Being a Turo owner and a professional renter on the systems.  The airport pickup and drop offs proved to be challenging.  Thus the invention of the Robot cars.  The biggest screw-up is the airlines.  Planes land late all the time, am I just supposed to sit out there and wait.  What is my time worth?  Do or can I even charge the renter for being late arrival?  My robot cars solve this problem of planes being late as well as some time renters return the car several hours early and sometimes late.

I directed BF to read the description, but most importantly I directed him to my blog post which goes into great deal of pickup and dropoff procedures rental cars at Denver International Airport.  Now you can’t send a hyperlink through the Turo system.  Feature request for Turo can you please allow us to send hyperlinks through the communication and add hyperlinks to the description.  I also told him to read the description again.  In all fairness to BF it wasn’t in the description spelled out explicitly.  I blame Internet gremlins and think the site reverted to an earlier description.  I haven’t had this issue in a long time.  Mostly because I wrote the description.  Turo used to be called Relay Rides, that’s how long I’ve been around.

I’m not 100% sure this is visible to the renters or if they even see it.  It used to be a lot more prominent, now I’m not even sure it’s available.  Also it appears that some things are different on the PC versus a mobile app.  Does the renter see this or not?  I’m not 100% sure.  Full disclosure I made it much more prominent in my description and I’m not trying to pull a fast one.

BF made a point that he only expected to pay $2 an hour.  He was out of the the parking lot by 1:25 a.m.  BF feels like he is willing to pay $4.  Yes that is what the rental charge was during that time.  However the car was sitting there much longer.  What I tell people is that anything that is over $24 I will reimburse.  The car rarely sits there for that long, but I want renters to have comfort that there is a cap of what they will pay.  The robot cars also allow me to have them picked up or returned 24 hours a day.  The price for that level of service and guarantee that 100% your car will be waiting there is you need to pay for the parking, up to $24.

Did I communicate enough?  Am I covered?

Well fast forward to the end of the trip.  I actually meet the renter (a screw-up of sorts in my business model.)  My wife and I went to DIA to drop off another car and we were going to wait for the MDX to show up at 2:00 p.m. and drive down to Colorado Springs to pick up our baby from Grandparents.  I have ADD or ADHD never verified by doctor, and I’m waiting with wife.  We sit down around 12:15 and by 12:18 I’ve asked her are they here yet and I can tell the waiting is going to drive me insane.

I’m checking in with the robot car periodically to have it tell me where it is.  There is no hope of it getting here early, I hope it shows up on time.  It’s pretty cool for the renter to get the curbside dropoff and not have to park, take shuttle, pictures etc.  The waiting area is pretty crowded with traffic but they are showing up close to on time.  The car is due back at 2:00.  The car is actually returned at 2:03.  I know this because as I’m waiting outside at the terminal my phone goes off asking me to review BF’s trip.  That happens at 2:00 when the rental is due to be returned.  I flag them down and they show up at 2:03.  Here is one of the potential dirty tricks of Turo, but it has to be this way I believe, there is a late charge of $50 per half hour of being late.  Up to $200 not to exceed four times the daily rental.  It has to be this way because of the insurance.  The insurance is during the rental period.  Rental period ends at 2:00 what happens if there is a wreck at 2:02.  This is my nightmare.

What’s funny is that I feel the renter (BF) is innocent and I don’t hold his feet to the fire.  I could and say sure here is your full $24 parking credit, however you were three minutes late so you owe me $26 more.  How about them apples! (an awesome line from and awesome movie).  The renters were all pretty cool.  Younger guys mid 20’s early 30’s, I’m not really sure, I’m not sizing them up for a poker game or a business deal.  Car looks fine.  I notice the car is playing Katy Perry.  I ask them if that’s there Katy and they say no it’s yours.  I leave MP3’s in the vehicle because my wife and I drive these cars as well.  I thought it was pretty funny, and it was CD 4 which is a damn good mix tape.  That was the music for the end of the world Mayan calendar party.

BF asked me about the parking fee and I said I’d check the description to see.  I wanted to tell him to piss off and read it.  When I saw it wasn’t in there but the smaller one that you see in the image, damnit!  Well I’m working it out with BF and we will.  BF ask for 20 bucks or less and it’s yours

Here is the next part that irritates me though.  BF will have and has had an experience with Turo and Mike Henderson’s robot cars.  What is kind of funny is that he won’t bad mouth me (although he might), bad mouthing Turo though really affects them.  If people google or complain about their experiences it hurts Turo and the community of owners way more than it effects an individual owner.  I don’t have any pre-ipo stock options in Turo, but I want them to succeed.  A brilliant person said, a rising tide lifts all boats.

This likely ends up with some type of credit to BF.  Turo takes 25% of the revenue, this is for their marketing, customer support, overhead, and most important to me insurance for my vehicle.  What I hate is suppose the number is $20.  I’ll send in an email and say BF should get a $20 rental credit.  They’ll come back with sure you want to reduce your owner earnings $20.  No that is not what I want.  If this is a partnership between Turo and me,  I’m willing to eat $16 of it and Turo can pay the rest.  It’s just a frustrating attitude.  Pretty sure I’m going to generate over $1,000 for Turo this month, can you step up Turo.

Believe me I will fight and argue for everything I’m not interested in giving money away.  In this case we’ll see what BF wants and thinks is fair.

Well I closed a deal on the 2011 Chevy Traverse. The newest addition to the fleet might be the favorite car.  I spent $14,000 on this car without knowing everything I wanted to know.  They even wrote a couple of blog posts about this.  One was from the analytics person, the other was from the marketing guy.  I consider those things level one marketing.  I have much deeper questions and I even wonder if they chop up the data the various ways I would like.  In addition I’m trying to understand what the time variable is an entails.  I didn’t get a chance to plead with my Senior Account Manager that I really needed to know some of the answers to these questions because I can only buy one more vehicle, due to tax strategies and reasons, and I really want it to be the right one.  I went ahead and closed on the deal because it is an awesome car, awesome shape, all the bells and whistles, it came with free onstar and it might be a ticket to make some strategic linked in friends.

One of the first things that I do is get the professional photography done.  It looks so much better than what I can do, it is insane for me to do it myself.  I think I was one of the first Turo owners in Denver to get my car professionally photographed through the Turo program.  Mike Ricci is the professional photographer and he did a great job on all of my previous cars.  I actually thought they did away with the verified photo program.  Turo in a site redesign certainly made it much less noticable, which I feel is a mistake.  Verified photos add transparency and professionalism to this “car rental” process.

I was trying to get my photoshoot set up even before I purchased the car.  I was near Red Rocks ampitheater and state park where I would be purchasing the vehicle.  I also wanted to get the shoot scheduled as a Gant chart would have this be one of the critical path steps to get the car ideally listed and rented.  I reached out to Mike directly, if I meet you, you go in the database.  I’m excited they have this program still and plan to take full advantage.  Why isin’t there a search function for only cars with verified photos?  Mike is out of state on business and at this point I reach out to my account rep to see if I can get a response.  What is also fascinating is that when I put my listing up, (still hadn’t closed the deal yet.)  I made sure the listing reflected this and was able to close a deal with a renter during the presale phase.

I reach out to my VIP Support Team at Turo, yes that’s a real thing.  What’s interesting to me is this a thing/issue for the VIP Support Team.  I’m not 100% sure that it is or what the philosophy is for the unit.  The support team spends 99-100% of the time on rental issues and current rental issues.  Does this fit in with the technical support team?  If it is outside of their sphere of influence does it then fall upon the Senior Account Manager’s desk?  Is this too small of an issue for them?  I once had a job where I was a Regional Sales Representative for a telecom company.  I had about 50 agents that I supported.  I was the guy who flew in from out of town to close the deal.  What a lot of my day to day job though was to remove obstacles, like getting my pictures updated on the website.  Getting these pictures up will help me drive revenue.  Great pictures make a difference in rentals.  Getting them up in 24 hours versus potentially a week can mean the difference of filling the window between March 15-March 18th.  Filling these gaps has a huge effect on my profitability.

It’s been a while since I had pictures taken of a vehicle.  I hope the process is different and goes smoother.  What happens is the photographer, Mike Ricci, we finally got it scheduled for today March 8th, 2016.  Hopefully the sun will cooperate and I will have picked a good spot.  He then does his magic, I’d take and like them unedited, simply because they are better than nothing.  He then sends them in to Turo.  They sit in a vortex and last time it took around ten days to get published to the site.  Is this system fixed?  Can somebody shake it loose and make it happen.

Long story short.  My photoshoot got delayed again today.  So pissed, had a lot of running around to do in order to make these things happen.  Well tomorrow is another adventure.

It was bound to happen.  Denver, Colorado just has to much history, sports, culture, and business not to eventually rent to a famous person.  The fact that I specialize in AWD vehicles with three rows.  They are also targeted to have all the bells and whistles.  The third row ensures roominess in a vehicle.   This person is from the sports world.  He is a former Denver Nugget and one of their five greatest players in history.  I need to check in with my older sports advisor, Mark Batten, I just haven’t seen some of those older players like he did.  If you didn’t see them play how can you really compare?

What is interesting and I’m not sure how unexpected, they asked for a discount.  I didn’t even offer a discount because it is in real high demand.  I will however offer exceptional service;)  My robot cars generally live at the airport.  Especially during ski and summer season they are almost constantly booked.  My minivan is booked 28 days in March and those other three day are consecutive, there is hope!

At the start of the process the car was listed at my house (various marketing tests) and that is where the customer wanted to pick it up.  I really do want to meet the guy, but I’m just a fan.  If I met Rod Smith I could talk about his first catch (AMAZING!), Joplin, Missouri or real estate stuff.  He just wants and needs a car, he doesn’t need another doting fan.  If I did the pickup at my house it would greatly increase the chances of my meeting him.  I’d love to get a picture of him next to the car.  No athletes are bigger than NBA players!  Not even NFL players, and most people don’t realize that.  I’d love to get a picture of him and Hope in front of the car.  Talk about a size juxtaposition.  How else am I going to get a chance to meet him to get invited to a Nuggets game because my car is so awesome.  I actually try to steer the renter to picking the car up and dropping it off at the airport.  The trip is a long trip and it overlaps an airport rental on both the start and the end.

Turns out they live fairly close to my house and this location works out a lot better than Denver International Airport.  Well I’ll make that special trip out to the airport, I might of anyway just because it is a long rental.  Throw in the fact that I know who this person is, it’s pretty amazing.  I like meeting famous people.  I really like meeting future famous people like Denver comic Anthony Crawford.  I’ll make a special trip out to DIA (I so hate that, I’ve invested thousands of dollars of technology to avoid it.)  I also have to make a special trip back right at the end of the trip.

This will allow me to take the car by Waterways Car wash (damn those people need to sponsor me).  This will allow me to have a clear car ready for the renter.  I wish I would of been more proactive with this marketing opportunity.  The problem is I’m just one guy.  I’ve manage to buy four cars, already had two of them, and manage a car for a friend.  I’m a one person show who is just now getting ready to expand.  If you judge me with the standard of a full time stay at home mom I’m a great business person.  I don’t have the budget or the time.  I do think of some awesome things.

Pictures with Mr. NBA star and my minivan

“A slam dunk of savings.”

“Shattering the world of rental cars.” (picture a broken backboard)

“Big choice and big vehicles for big renters.”

If not for a few weeks down with a wrenched back, now I know how Larry Bird felt.  I used my uptime to close on a new car for the fleet.  Not sure if it was the right time, or the right move.  The car is awesome and it was to good a deal to pass up.  I would of loved to reach out to Turo earlier to see if there is a marketing opportunity.  I’ll just continue to provide exceptional customer service and an experience to my renters, and hope for the best.

Well I’m just going to do my job, maybe a little bit extra in this case.  If a friend cancels and you happen to have an extra ticket to the Nuggets game and are going is there anybody we can take?  I’m happy to help out anyway that I can.

Well they’ve got a car that works.  The next car for sure will be a AWD SUV or Crossover with a Third Row.  As always ten years or newer and under 100,000 miles.  Once you add in all the bells and whistles it’s both kind of hard to find and kind of easy as well.  I’m an autobroker and I’m willing to look nationwide.  I had my car dialed in and zoned in left to write.  Called down to the dealer after seeing the exterior of the car in person the day before.  (In Colorado you can’t buy cars on Sunday.)  I’m arranging details, the car is in Colorado Springs, and I get a call back and it is determined that it just sold.  I’m so pissed.  I get over it in five minutes.  I don’t get emotional.  I’m a former professional poker player and a businessman.

I did set aside time, cash, and psychological energy to buy a car.  I’d also like to hear back from Turo for a deeper level of analytics before investing 10-20K, but I know the market.  Every day I wait is a day lost.  March is superbusy with high rates and high usage.  Every day I wait is a day lost.  The next awesome time to buy a car is June.  If I don’t do it now then I’m likely going to wait until then.  Two vehicles show up Chevy Traverse and Hyundai Azera.  Later on that day I hear a commercial on the radio about free OnStar.  That tips me over to the Traverse.  Both cars are kind of far away, but I have a car today and it is February 29, last day of the month.

My dream is to walk into a dealership on the last day of the month and or last day of the quarter and find a desperate need to make a sale to keep from getting fired or need to sell a car to win a contest.  When you consider that sale could make a big difference to a sales person, sales manager, and a general manager there are potentially six good outcomes.

Rebecca gets home and she was going to take the car, I told her about should I buy a car or not and she agreed that I should go look at it.  As we are heading home from dinner I’m wearing my stay at home dad, who is recovering from a back injury, not planning on going anywhere, or seeing anyone.  My attitude is exactly like the Captain in Lethal Weapon.  I told Rebecca should I go like this she says, “You look exactly like that.”  I yell back, “What do you mean!”  We both start laughing.

I decide to call and give the sales person the choice.  “I tell him listen I can come down right now and that gives us more time to negotiate and close the deal or I can take 30 -40 minutes to spruce myself up and look and act like a serious businessman.  He said, “If you can stand a little ridicule you can come down in sweat pants.”  As I look down on my sweatpants I’m thinking when did I have Nacho Cheese Doritos?  Oh yeah maybe five days ago.  Well I’m going to see what my financing options are so at that point I’ll be treated seriously.  Plus I’m bringing my checkbook and a pen, which I reserve the right to pull out in a theatrical manner.

I show up and now it starts …

I’m actually fairly well pleased with Turo and my business.  Thanks to Samantha Erickson my strategic account manager and a VIP support hotline things are going pretty well.  I still have some operational issues to get nailed down on my end and they have some challenges of being a startup.  Wrecks will happen it is just a matter of statistical probability.  I’ve done over 100 rentals and it was bound to happen.  Colorado in the winter it is even more likely.  Damn you game theory and probability.  I’m even in the middle of trying to buy another awesome car to put on the Turo platform.  The cars I look for are hard to find.  I look for great cars, in great shape, at great prices.  I’m willing to settle for great cars, in great shape, at good prices.  I’m a pretty good auto broker and am now doing it for select other people.

I now have four cars on the platform three of my own and one I manage for somebody else.  BTW, they are loving the deal with the ROI and the effort that is required on their part.  I count events on Turo as every time somebody rents a car I count that as an event, the same thing when they return the car.  Monday and Tuesday I had a total of five events going on.  The last event was happening at midnight on Monday.  My Toyota Sienna was being returned.  I went to bed, life is hard when I’m a stay at home dad with a baby.  I woke up at around 6:00 a.m. simply to check my phone and check on the car.  There is no message from the renter about where the car is parked or that it has been returned.  Seeing the time and everything else involved I’m not thinking that calling the renter this early is a good idea.  Time to go back to bed or putz around.  I check on my robot car to have it tell me where it is.  Ok it is up in the mountains skiing.

I’m pretty sure that I know what happened the renter made an “innocent” mistake.  They made the reservation to be returned at 12:00 a.m aka midnight vs. 12:00 p.m. aka noon.  Now I’m not sure what the rental car return policies are of Avis, Hertz, or any of the major car rental companies, I’m pretty sure it’s not just don’t worry about it.  I know the Turo policies backwards and forwards.  The car needs to be returned on time or there are penalties.  This is designed to not be a Royal P.I.T.A. for the owner and to simply get the car returned on time to make sure the insurance policy is active and in effect.  As I’m writing this blog I’m not even sure the damage was during the rental period or was it after the rental period.

Because the car is returned late as an owner I can a) do nothing b) charge an additional day of rental rate c) charge a penalty of $50 for every half hour it is late up to $200 a day.  I’m not even sure the renter knows or realizes this.  Mostly I see how the renter behaves and leaves the car and follows directions to figure out what I am going to do.

I send a note to the renter to find out what happened.  I get a response back asking about the return procedure (dang I really need to get my procedures tightened up, especially since I’m starting to scale up.)  At this point it sounds like a minor scratch and he is willing to take care of it with me directly.  Said they backed into a pole and scratched the car and a minor dent.  I told them that body work generally costs more than we think and more than it should.  If he is willing when he gets back into Denver to go by a body shop, any of them on the way to the airport he’s welcome to get an estimate.  I just need to make sure that it is legit and most importantly that I can go back to that shop to get the work done and if the renter wants to settle out of pocket then I’m willing to do that once we have a baseline.  I also made sure that the renter contacted their insurance agent to check their coverage.

Sometime during his drive back to Denver he texts me a picture of the damage.  I’m now cringing because the damage is on the electronic sliding door and goes back to the quarter panel.  It is visible, cosmetic, pretty big, and will need to be fixed.  Further information that is exchanged during our conversation is that he purchased the supplemental insurance through Turo.  I’m not sure this is a good thing.  I’ve had one claim on a vehicle through Turo.  It was hell trying to deal with it (toned down my writing to avoid “trigger” words).  The previous renter and I were able and thank goodness he was able to get his insurance company to deal with the claim.  I felt pretty good that I was then dealing with State Farm insurance.

That was painful and like pulling teeth.  The best piece of advice I got was I was on the phone with one really cool guy who I bonded with.  His comment, “Mike every single insurance company is pretty bad, they simply don’t have and don’t hire enough staff to make things go smooth.”  The environment didn’t sound as bad as the loan modification departments during the depths of the housing crisis, but it sounded close.  He also said something brilliant, “You know Mike this sounds like a really cool concept.  Sounds like everybody (Turo and myself) gets to make some money and the renter is getting a better deal.  Why the hell is Turo trying to get into the insurance business and messing it up … well I know why.”

On a side note.  Turo would of covered the vehicle and I feel confident enough in them as a company that I’m willing to invest ten of thousand of dollars into my rental car business with them.  In the darkest days, who the hell remembers exactly what was going on.  I told my wife I’m going to start another company just like Turo.  Just like there is an Uber I’ll be Lyft. I’m going to take 30% of the total earnings instead of 25%.  As an owner right now I would sign up right now.  I was going to invest the extra money into back office, owner support, renter support, and insurance support.  I said I’d give them the extra money just make my head stop hurting, irritating me, and fix my car and let’s get it rented and start making some more money!

Part of the problem is simply structural with our economy and legal system.  This entire share economy is not setup for stuff like this, Lyft and Uber with their insurance, Airbnb, etc.  I even got my property and casualty license in Colorado so I could find insurance and sell it.  Once the company comes up with some great solutions from these issues I have a huge potential market to sell too. I was so frustrated with the insurance claim with my previous renter damaging the car that I did not buy a car I was going to buy and was preparing an exit strategy to get off the system if necessary.  Turns out my problem was just with the insurance industry.  When I finally got an appointment with the State Farm adjustor, they said it was the most complicated insurance file they had ever seen.  What happened there needs about 10 blogs written.  I didn’t have time to blog or Facebook I was busy fighting with insurance, raising a baby, and running a business.  I think my ultimate advice for a renter is to try to deal with your own insurance company for the claim.  I’m potentially willing to go down this route if the renter is, and most importantly their insurance company will cover you in this situation.

What really sucks is now the clock it ticking on me.  I have to get this done quickly.  I know that I need to file this claim within 24 hours or risk getting screwed.  Well my friend let me down, dirty rat bastard, to help with all of the crap that I had to do.  Two weeks ago I had a wicked fall on the ice and wrenched my back enough that I had to go to the chiropractor.  My wife is at work, like she is every single day Monday through Friday from 7-4.  Time to suck it up and be a man.  Got to make that 31 mile drive that takes 42 minutes, and that is just one way.  One of the keys to my business is to minimize this and I’ve invested thousands in technology to make this happen.  I have to put the car seat in the car, with my back it weighs like 200 pounds, put the baby in (she weighs like 150 lbs.)  I take the baby into Kidstown, drop off child care.  Unload both again.  So my back was feeling like crap anyway, this didn’t help, I also had to reschedule my chiropractor so I can get the car to get pictures and submitted within 24 hours or risk getting screwed.  Setting up my own company and taking 30% is starting to look like an interesting idea again to avoid stuff like this.  If this thing ends up with lawyers I’m claiming further back injury and my day care for the day was $46.24.

The irony is I get a call from WK (initials only) on my way to the airport.  He is the person who coordinates the real insurance and problem issues for Turo.  That is a golden number of having his cell phone.  It was really nice because he was following up on a previous claim.  I thought this was pretty awesome.  It was in the Turo files that State Farm was handling and he wanted to make sure.  I’m not sure how long WK has been in the industry or how much he knows about cars, but this guy knows his stuff.  There are still two issues going on with State Farm and he gave me some advice on how to deal with them.  He also stated that he added an employee who is great to help him out.  I asked him point blank if he had to add that person from all the Turo business that he is getting.  I heard him laugh, that’s my answer.  Also gave WK a heads up on this issue and he said follow the Turo process, I’m like yes and of course.  The damage on this is much easier and I’m not even sure he will be involved.

I get the car washed, thank you Waterways (where is my sponsorship or corporate deal).  I then take the car by my mechanic.  My Auto Parts in Englewood, owned by Dave Fyke.  He is awesome and I’m not sure I’d be doing this without a trusted mechanic.  I was really impressed that he saw me pulling up and came across the street.  Another customer was blocking the entrance.  His son Zach saw me and then said were going to have to move this car that way Henderson can come in and block the damn service door.  Hey I play poker aggressively, and deal with situations aggressively at times.  Parking your car in front of the service bay is a great way to get attention at auto places.  Sorry Dave, old habbits die hard 😉  I’m there so he can check the issue of squeaking wheel from the last auto claim with State Farm.  Hint it’s the wheel bearings.  He submitted that on the claim with State Farm, the adjustor came out and said nope we don’t do that.  Well the problem is that when you do all of the other stuff that was done it can cause noise/grinding in the wheel bearings.  Well Dave was right and I did bring it back in.  Great another call to State Farm.  I hear Dave’s side of dealing with State Farm and I’m like OMG freaking insurance.

It’s after 3:00 now my baby is racking up charges by the minute at drop in day care, she has missed her normal nap time and going to get off schedule, plus she is getting over a cough and is now around a bunch of germy kids.  Pick Hope up and come home.  SERENITY NOW!

Now it is back to the normal pattern of life.  I’ve got more stuff to do, mostly get an estimate for when I submit my claim.  My advice for anyone involved in an insurance accident or claim take your car to a mechanic or body shop and don’t just let them tell you what it is.  With this information I at least have some idea and the renter does as well.  This claim goes beyond hey here’s a few hundred bucks and forget about it.  I go down my local John Elway Chevy dealership on Broadway.  I choose this place because 1) Thanks for winning the Superbowl 2) I really want to check out GM cars for the wifi and see the latest telematics why I wait 3)  very few new car dealers even have a body shop (FFTKT) 4) The renter would recognize it and not think I’m pulling some type of scam.  5)  Taking it to a dealership if they say it is going to cost x it is very likely that anywhere else in town is not going to charge more than x.

I wait patiently for my wife to get home.  Off at 4:00 and twenty minutes to drive home.  We do a tag team like sprinters handing off a baton and I try to accomplish things before businesses close at 5:00.  I go to John Elway Chevrolet find the body shop and go inside.  I’m very calm and in a good state of mind.  I really, really, really wanted to get an estimate submitted with my claims.  The receptionist is like do you have an appointment.  I’m like no I have a wrecked car, I just need an estimate.  She is willing to get me in at 4:00 tomorrow.  I’m like for an estimate?  Now I’m about on a warpath and concerned it is exactly 4:30.  I ask where is the next closest body shop.  She is clueless.  Now I’m in the zone of being pissed off and getting ready to tell her off, but there is zero time for emotions I need to solve my problem.  I reach a good comprimise.  I’m 6’2″ and 230 lbs., I have a loud voice naturally and can raise my volume.  I get on my phone and call the next body shop right in front of her in the lobby, it is clear by body language I’m not moving and going to make this call.  Google helps me find it in 1.2 seconds.  My voice might be a little bit loud 😉  I’m ticked because they take appointments from 8:00-4:30.  Can’t talk my way in, but I get first spot in the morning.  I politely tell the receptionist that FYI there is a body shop one block south of her and another one two blocks north.

As I leave I call the other body shop and am able to get in there right away.  I like the place because it looks like a place that works and fixes cars.  They have 8 bays.  You even have to honk the horn and then they open the door to let you in.  Good I don’t need overhead of a parking lot or a customer waiting area.  I get the estimate, I’m not sure I want to go to this place.  My biggest concern is turnaround time.  I ask them how long they will need it and it is at least four days of work and they can’t get it in for a week.  Well I get an estimate to send into Turo and something to send to the renter.  I did my part now I’ve just got to communicate with the renter.  I’ve got a lot to communicate 😉

Well Mr. Renter the ball is in your court.  I filed a claim with Turo, I simply had to within 24 hours to make sure I don’t get screwed.  I’m certain that it is stuck in the system while I let you figure out how you want to handle it.  Here are your options a) let Turo deal with it b) let or try to get your insurance to handle it or c) pay cash.

HERE ARE MY MAIN CONCERNS

SPEED –  Today is February 24th which is Wednesday.  The car goes out on Sunday February 28th first thing in the morning.  This means that if Turo or Mr. Renters insurance company needs to see it to do an appraisal or inspection we have two days to get this done!  Potentially on Saturday I still have the car if you need me to take some pics.  After that point this car is rented NON-STOP.  The next business day I will have the car is Monday March 21st.  I can’t wait that long for this to be hanging.

IF YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY HANDLES IT – 

See speed.  Other issues that I would want to know about before I agree.

Rental car – I need one while this is being fixed.  State Farm screwed me.  Turo will cover me.

Diminished value – Car is in a wreck with a claim.  When I go to sell it that will affect its value.  Will your company cover a diminished value?

Lost rental income – I even got a rental request for today and tomorrow while I was writing this.  I had to say no simply so I can potentially deal with this before March busy season.  $126.75 lost income.

IF YOU PAY CASH TO SETTLE THIS –

What happens if they find something else wrong when repairing or if the estimate is wrong?

I have already sent the renter a copy of the estimate.  Not sure if this is near where you thought it would be.  I actually thought potentially higher.  Think I found a good shop at least for pricing,  That is the floor and minimum I’m willing to take.

Rental car for 4 days minimum.  Lost income?  The late fee or additional rental day?

Make an offer.

————

NOTE Turo claims has been very responsive and they are ready to go.  I put them on hold to see what you want to do.  I’m sorry this happened to you, I’m sorry this happened to me 😉  I just want me car fixed and back running on the Turo platform.  I’m going to try to make this as painless as possible for Mr. Renter.  Let me know what you want to do.

I know I’m letting some things slip through the cracks.  Holidays, baby, and the adventure of trying to buy a new car.  I’ve let some of the paperwork and issues slide with my Turo business.  Today I was going to get all of my paperwork organized and spend some time analyzing the data.  It’s really kind of neat to examine the data for patterns.  I get all of my data entered and synced across all of my platforms.  Update contacts in Outlook as well as calendar, and putting the data into my spreadsheet which lets me analyze various metrics.

After spending several hours of doing this, dotting i’s and crossing t’s I get to look at the data.  I’m amazed that for one thing all three cars are on about the same revenue rate.  Three cars with different price points and target markets.  They were acquired at different times, became robot cars at different dates.  They also have slightly different markets.  I specialize in AWD vehicle rentals with 7 passenger seating.  Kind of a unique car, try to find my rentals at Hertz or Avis.

Two amazing things with the data

1.  All the cars are very close to each other in total revenue.  I look at revenue that they have earned as well as what they are booked out in advance.  If I take the midpoint car and use that as a baseline the other vehicles have a variance of less than 10%.
2. December was not as good as July.  I purchased Freedom, the AWD Toyota Sienna XLE on July 4th.  It took a couple days to get it up and the site and I’m not even sure the Azera was a robot car yet.  There were a couple of other factors, but I’m like I’ll analyze more later.  I’ve got a rental coming up in a little bit and I’ll wait until that takes off successfully.

Now the crisis happens

It all starts going off fine.  The renter Kelly O. send me a text going where is the car.  I had sent the information earlier through the Turo system and didn’t text here directly.  Tell her where the car is and I’m like no problem.  Dealing with getting windows installed on the house with two contractors in the house in addition to the two dogs and the baby.  Now I get the text that they can’t find the car.  This happens more than I would like it too, but I’m used to it and it’s not the first time.

STEP 1 – Make sure the renter is in the right letter and row as well as the right lot.  I’m checking the information the last renter sent me.  So far everything is checking out.  I check the software on the Robot Cars and it is inaccurate since the last software update.  (Note to author; write next blog targeting SAR at Turo, Viper corporate, Car Toys, Jacob Ford, and automobile and telematics futurists.).  The software makes it looks like it’s on the runway under a 737.

STEP 2 – Hear from renter that the car is not there.  I’m also activating its panic alarm, which at one point would flash the hazards for 5 minutes.  Now I’m not sure what it does.  Freaking software upgrades.  Next time I get each car I need to test out the functionality to make sure it all works the same.  I know it’s freezing outside, not nearly as cold as when I was there and it was one degree from a rental screw-up.  (write that blog as well, might be a video blog, hysterical rant Dennis Miller style)  I tell the renter to get back on the shuttle and head to the terminal, there is no sense freezing in the parking lot.  I also tell them to contact Turo’s emergency contact number to see if they can expedite the matter.  I said let me start working on stuff.

What I have been doing

Texting like crazy with the previous renter.  That mundane activity earlier of updating my raw data 100% made my life so much easier.  I was able to find the previous renters name on my calendar and knowing I had there mobile number that they reserved the car under programmed into my phone made for awesome efficiency.  I’m also able to be sitting at my desktop with awesome Internet and wi-fi connectivity and a fully charged Samsung Note 3.  At least I’m prepared.

The previous renter Susan B. was a great renter.  It was an elderly couple and their grandson just driving out to Nebraska to visit family.  I normally don’t do out of state rentals, but in cool exceptions like this one I do.  She was very communicative.  Used the site.  Didn’t ask stupid questions.  Did ask questions.  Was proactive.  She even used the app to take more pictures than most. When I texted her today she responded immediately. It was about trying to find where the car was parked.

I was also on the phone with DIA parking operations.  I’m really excited that I have this in my phone.  I also know that these people keep track of lost tickets.  They are supposed to run through the lot at least every 24 hours and record the plates of every car.  It might even be every 12 hours.  This is how they deal with lost parking tickets and scammers.  When they can’t find the car now I’m really freaking concerned.

I call my wife to give her a quick heads up on the situation.  I ask her to call in and check for me.  I told her I didn’t like the answer that I got.  Meanwhile I get a call from Turo customer support that went to voice mail.  Guess I was giving instructions to my wife while Turo customer support contacted me.

I’m also really pissed off that it looks like the directed site is wanting me to contact Car Toys most likely that means I need to get a hold of Jacob Ford, my commercial rep.  There is no freaking way that he is going to be able to track this down or know what I am talking about.  (write that blog)

I eventually hear back from the previous renter Susan B.  that they car might of been parked in b4 or c4, but the d bus terminal pickup was right there.  I’m firmly convinced that she knows exactly what she is talking about.  I now have to contact the current renter and give them the good news / bad news situation that the car was there but was in a slightly different spot.  This really matters.

Turo customer support

I finally get a hold of Turo customer support, or I should say they got a hold of me.  As I had to listen to the voice mail three times, btw what is the button to rewind like 10 or 15 seconds?  I only know “4” restart from beginning.  Very annoying on a two minute voice mail.  As I’m getting ready to dial my phone rings and just then I realize I had the number programmed.  As I’m talking to the representative I can tell that she is kind of like not 100% sure of what to do with the situation.  All the rep has heard is the car can’t be found and I told the renter to call the support line.  The rep is talking to me and she says, “Well if you can’t find the car we are going to need to refund the entire rental fee to the renter.”  I salute them for matter of fact and not really listening, but understanding the car is not there you can’t rent the car and have people give you money.  I clearly understand this.  What is funny is that I’m actually like, “No hold on for a second, I’m a Turo owner and have done a lot of these, this is the first time I’ve gone as far as contacting emergency support in this situation, but you will soon have two priority technical support calls because Kelly O. is officially screwed because they are standing at the airport with no car to rent and as a Turo owner you now have a stolen car situation on your hands!  The previous renter may have been involved, but it appears unlikely, but the car is not where it is supposed to be.  DIA parking operations can’t find the car either and they inventory the entire system every 24 hours and the car has been there as least 36 hours.”

At this point the rep now puts me on hold, I’m thinking that I’ve got there attention.  What is so nice is that about two minutes into the call that I get a text from Kelly O. that they found the car.  Thank goodness and I unlock the car remotely as Kelly O. has already sent me the two pictures that I needed.  Turo customer support finally gets back on the phone with me,  I quickly interrupt and say no crisis we found the car.

The stress level of all three people involved was sky high.  Kelly O. had a day of travel and a short trip out to Denver.  This is not how she wanted to spend the first hour of her trip out here.  This was the time I actually worried the most about the car being stolen this time.  This is going to be hell.  Which insurance company and who is responsible.  Susan B. is now stressed like wow I rented the car and it was so nice and smooth why am I being bothered 48 hours later about where the car is parked.

The aftermath

Well it all survived now to clean up the mess.  I’m filled with some questions.

Clearly I need to do something for Kelly O. she did ask and I did offer but what to do?  What does she expect?  What is fair? Is Turo going to do there part? Is Susan B. responsible? How do I rate her?  Why does my Directed software not work as well as it once did for geotargeting?

Note this isin’t even my biggest problem or issue in life with Turo, my cars, or my immediate financial future.  It was just a problem that dropped into my lap and is taking a bit of time and energy.  Just cleaning up the mess and trying to do the right thing for everyone.

I’m potentially unique and unlike any other Toro owner or rental car company in the United States.  I can provide you with a choice of three different rental cars at Denver International Airport.  I have a great sedan for the value priced renter that is the generally the busiest, I bought this car brand new from winnings from the World Series of Poker.  I also have two vehicles and specialize in all wheel drive vehicles that seat seven people.  I have an MDX for the luxury and awesome handling and driving vehicle and a minivan for families who want to go to the mountains.

All of my vehicles are equipped with a brain.  My working title for them is “Robot Cars”  This means a few great things for you as a renter.  As of the date of this blog post I have done 72 successful rental this year on the Toro platform.  Not one time has the car not been waiting at the airport on time for the renter when they landed.  This is certainly a risk.  I’ve used Toro one time as a customer for my sister in laws wedding in Chicago and my car did not show up.  Ninety percent of the time I have the car parked for you in the Pikes Peak parking lot.  This is the long term parking lot at Denver International Airport.  There is a free shuttle that goes from the terminal to the Pikes Peak lot.  This shuttle leaves every 15 minutes 24 hours a day.  Parking here costs $2 and hour with a maximum fee of $8 a day.  Some customers prefer short term parking.  You can actually walk from where you get the luggage and walk directly to the car.  It is also covered so it won’t be snowy, your time in the elements is limited, and it is the fastest way.  This must be arranged beforehand and it is costlier.  The fee for short term garage is $3 and hour and is a maximum fee of $24 a day.  This must be arranged in advance

HOW EXACTLY DOES THIS WORK FOR THE RENTER

When your flight is in the air I will send you a text as well as a message through the Toro system.  It will read your car is located in D4 or KK1 in the Pikes Peak lot.  These are two examples.  When you land please send a text to me or a message through the Toro system that you have landed.  This simply gives me a heads up.  I generally recommend using the Toro system for all communication, except for maybe this pickup.  I will rarely talk on the phone, there are some exceptions, but it is best to have a record of our conversations for both of us.  This is the only time I recommend direct text messaging is during the car pickup.  We know how fast text messaging works, sometimes there is a delay in the Toro system.

Step 2 – After you take the shuttle to Pikes Peak lot and find the car send me a text.  I’m looking for at least 3 pictures.  The first one is a copy of your license in front of the car.  I don’t care or need to see any identifying information like birthday, address, etc.  I just want to be able to read the name and see it in front of my car.  The second picture is of your face.  I’ll accept a selfie if you are by yourself or have another member of your party take it.  The third picture comes after I’ve unlocked the car for you.

Step 3 – At this point I will unlock the car for you, I also disable the security features.  If security is not disable once you leave one mile from the lot it alerts me and the police, I don’t want to ruin your vacation    The keys should be left in the center console along with the parking ticket to exit the garage.  This is where I want to get picture 3 of the odometer.  I simply need to prove that the car hasn’t been renter since the last renter.  This is for both security and insurance purpose.  Also at this point this is where you need to point out anything that is wrong with the car.  Any damage, gas tank low, car smells like smoke etc.  This is the point where you are accepting responsibility for the car.  If the car has a dent if you don’t report it at this point you can be held responsible.

Step 4 – Get out there and drive and have fun.  You came to Colorado for business or pleasure make the most of it!  You got a great car at a great price.  The process is simple.  No paperwork, no lines at the rental car, you don’t even have to talk to a person.  When you return the car make sure the gas tank is full.  Make sure you return it on time.  Make sure you send me a message of where the car is located, exact row and letter.  The car is not considered returned until it is parked and you tell me where it is.  Make sure you tell me the odometer reading as well.  Take as many pictures as necessary to make you feel comfortable that you returned the car in great condition.

WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF RENTING ROBOTCARS

1.  Your car is always guaranteed to be waiting for you at the airport
2. This way is faster and easier than any other method from Toro or any national or local car rental place.
3. This way is cheaper than any national rental place.  For giggles compare my AWD minivan against any national rental company, if they even have one.  Compare my MDX luxury SUV versus there luxury SUV’s.  Frequently you can save up to 50%.
4. You don’t have to pay any airport or car rental taxes.
5. Car comes with free unlimited car washes.  (The Sienna starts Jan. 2016) it is still on gift certificates.  The car wash is Waterways, five location throughout the metro area.  It is registered through the license plate.  All you have to do is pull up and get out of the car.  The will do a full service wash inside and out.  Even if the car is sparkling clean one snowfall or rain shower will turn it spotty.  Feel free to clean as many times as you want.
6. Lots of times plans change and people need to extend the trip.  I never so no.  The car is available for your use as long as no other renter has it after you.

DISADVANTAGES

1.  You have to pay for parking.  To ensure that your cars is there I need to have it parked there.  If I personally have the car, my wife and I do drive all of these cars periodically to check there condition.  I get it parked as close as possible in time to your scheduled rental.  We also get all the cars maintained in tip top condition.  Oil is changed regularly, once a year all wheel alignment, as well as all other services required.  Lots of times during busy seasons; summer, winter, and holiday periods we won’t see the car as it goes directly from one renter to the other.  This is the closest thing to a hidden charge.  Parking costs $8 a day in Pikes Peak.  I don’t always know how much many days the car will be waiting there anything that is over $24 I will pay.  You just need to send me a copy of your parking ticket and I will immediately credit the additional cost against your rental fee.
2. I don’t always see the car between rentals.  This can result in the car having some issues sometimes.  The most common is the previous renter did not fill up the gas.  If this happens there is a gas station at the airport in the cell phone lot.  Please take picture of the gas tank and the receipt after you fill up the gas.  You will be immediately reimbursed.  Out of 72 rentals this has happened twice.  One time somebody smoked in the car.  Major Toro violation and I need to know about it.  One renter scratched the mirrors on the MDX, thank godness the next renter sent me pictures before the rental started, they are not responsible or liable.  Another renter smoked in the car.  These issue are still being worked out with Toro.

BOTTOM LINE IS YOU ARE GETTING AND AWESOME VEHICLE, LOW COST, AND EASE OF RENTAL

If you are can find a better vehicle, better price, or a better method you should rent it.  Please let me know about it.  Using this method makes me able to keep the cost as low as possible for you.  Sometimes I have a delivery fee based on what you are getting sometimes I don’t, I wish I could offer promotional offers, or coupons, but the current Toro system does not allow it.  I see other people hey give me a ride home from the airport or they’ll charge $50 if you can’t give them a ride.  I’ve actually done six Toro ride dropoffs or pickups with my two year old baby in the car.  I invested in technology to make this process easier.

The delivery fee covers 1) guarantee the car is there on time for your trip 2) unlimited car washes 3) a remote starter for the car on your keychain which is actually really nice in the winter.

TORO CUSTOMER SERVICE

Please realize and understand that this is how my customers rent my cars.  Whenever something goes wrong the standard answer is well notify us in 24 hours.  As you can see most of the time I don’t even see the car between rentals.  I will not know about issues like smoking, you can’t see smoke in the pictures, but you can smell it when you get in the car.  If the previous renter didn’t send me trip photos, I DON’T HAVE THEM.

Out of 72 rental I have never not had the car there on time for the renter.  I imagine this is one of the most common complaints and issues you have.  I know I had a lot of problems when I rented a car in Chicago and my car wasn’t there when I landed.  You can also imagine that Tuesday December 15, 2015 was a horrible day.  It was virtually impossible to drive and a lot of people probably didn’t have their cars at the airport.  I’m an uber black car limo driver and I saw all sorts of issues.  When you and the other people are scrambling to get a car please look to see if my cars are available.  They are sitting there at the airport and if they are available and not rented this is the easiest way to help the renters out.  I know the first priority for all of us is to take care of the renters.

Once Turo, previously know as Relay Rides took down their ability to reach out to car owners from potential renters my earnings have gone down, but hey that’s another story.  I got a request through my Facebook page, wow this Internet stuff really does work so I will follow up with this and give Turo renters and potential Turo owners an idea of what goes through the thought process.

So you are flying in on a Wednesday to Denver, Colorado.  You’ve got all day Thursday to sight see in Denver and the mountains and maybe part of the day on Friday as well.  I’ve got a car for you and I think I can work out a win win situation.  This is because I know you want to be able to pick the rental car up at Denver International Airport.  However you don’t want to take the car back to DIA.  I can give you a few different drop off locations and ideas.  After your sight seeing in colorful Colorado you are spending the rest of the time downtown maybe you are here for a convention event, corporate work event, or wedding.  At this point you don’t need a car for the rest of your visit.

My solution would be to have you drop the car off at the Littleton light rail station.  We have a great light rail system here in Denver and you could drop the car off at this station.  The train to downtown cost about $6 and takes about 25 minutes to get downtown.  I can look at other options, but this is the easiest.  Now which car do you want to rent?

This really depends on your situation.  I will give you the ideas, but a lot will depend on what your needs are:

How many passengers will there be?

How much luggage?

Where are you going?

What time of the year is it?

My Hyundai Azera – This car is my only car that is not all wheel drive.  It has front wheel drive with traction stability control but it does not have all wheel drive.  It has a lot of power and is a full size car.  Adults can sit in the back seat and be comfortable as well as has a huge trunk.  My only hesitation with this is if you are planning on going into the mountains and heck even staying in Denver, Colorado we can have massive snowstorms any time from November to April.  You are taking a gamble on your vacation.  This car will rent for between 25-30 a day 99% of the time.  I do lower the price to $20 sometimes for the first day to get the car rented out.  This car sits at Denver International Airport and is waiting for you to pick her up.  This car has a delivery fee about 50% of the time and 50% of the time it doesn’t.  It depends on how busy demand is during the year.  If there is no delivery fee I contend that this car is the best value in Turo for Denver, Colorado.

The All wheel drive family cars designed for ski season.  There are two of these the luxury minivan Toyota Sienna XLE AWD  This is the strangest car that I own on Relay Rides as far a rentals go.  During the summer it stayed rented 80-95% of the time at a rental rate of $60-$80 a day with a $70 delivery fee.  At the start of September demand just fell off the cliff and I didn’t adjust my price fast enough.  Sometime now I have to rent this van at $30 a day other times during the peak of ski season this car is getting rented at $100 per day.  This AWD minivan is the only one listed on Turo.com.  This car is also living at the airport and is designed to be rented full time.  You can pick this up at Denver International Airport and drop it off at the light rail station.  You can actually rent this car super cheap right now.  It is going for between 30-50 per day.  After Thanksgiving …

My favorite car and the car I love.  My luxury awesome handling SUV the Acura MDX.  This car does absolutely awesome in the snow.  I think it does better than any other car out there.  The one that came the closest was the GMC Acadia.  I’m actually going to be working a lot of Uber and Lyft next week in this car.  It’s currently listed at $80 a day and I won’t negotiate.  If you want to rent this though I’m always happy to as well.  This car lives at our house and is what we drive.

Hope this helps.  Wouldn’t you rather rent through Turo.com and help out a private individual and person rather than a Faceless Greedy fortune 500 company that is using millions of dollar of computer systems to try to extract the maximum amount of money from you?

I have three cars now on Relay Rides and inquiries from multiple people.  Some dates overlap with others and the car can only be rented to one of you.  The early bird gets the worm.  Some of you weren’t sure about your travel plans, some asked a question or two which I thought I answered.  I’m now preparing a owners manual which will hopefully make the process easier for both of us.  It’s been hard buying a car, changing insurance, delivering and pricing three vehicles that are in use over 80% of the time I haven’t had time to adjust my pricing.  I do now and my prices are going to go up.  I’m not the only relay rides car owner who is doing this.  Relay Rides finally made this very easy to do.  In the past it was virtually impossible to accomplish, based on a recent software upgrade all owners can change there price per day very easily.

Hertz, Avis, Enterprise, and all of the big car companies do this automatically.  They are designed to extract every ounce of revenue from you that they can.  That’s there job and they are very good at their job.  We all know that demand for cars goes up in the summer and around certain holidays.  Now Relay Rides lets us charge for that.  I have already raised my rates over Labor Day Weekend.  I’m starting to get ready to raise my rates for the weekends in July and August.  I now have three cars on Relay Rides and they are all being rented over 80% of the time.

I’m writing this blog to tell fellow owners what I am experiencing.  Most important though is I am writing it for my potential renters who have reached out to me already and have not booked the trip yet for whatever reason.  Book it quick.  I’m giving all five of my potential requests and inquiries 24 hour notice to book or accept the trip because prices are going up.  This is not bait and switch this is the marketplace.  Even if you don’t end up booking you are welcome to come back and book at the higher price.  You are also able to use another Relay Rides owner.  Compare us to any of the commercial rental car companies.  They can’t compete on price or diversity of cars.  Best of luck and enjoy Colorado.