Introduction

As a general rule, the Time and Mileage rate prices that are quoted on a reservation are honored by all CARS+ programs through out the the "life" of a transaction (from reservation to open RA to close). This is true even if the rate itself is terminated, edited or other wise changed in the Edit Rental Rules and Rates file after it was quoted but before the rental is closed. But events can occur that will cause CARS+ to re-quote the rates on a transaction. This chapter outlines what it is that can cause a confirmed rate to change. These changes fall into the following seven trigger events:

Expired Quotes

As an alternative to a reservation, CARS+ can save a Rate Quote for a client. Rate quotes are created by the Reservation program and saved in the Reservation File, but unlike a reservation, they do NOT represent a firm commitment on either the customer or rental company's part. As such, quotes have a limited life defined in days in a field in the Miscellaneous Control Fields. A quote that is converted into a reservation before it expires will honor the prices quoted. But one that is converted after it has expired will be re-quoted at that time.

Changes to Vehicle Classes

Obviously if a client books a reservation for a compact car and then later calls back because they have now decided that they need a larger, more expensive vehicle that change will cause the rate to be re-quoted. So a change to vehicle class will trigger a re-quote. The one exception to this rule is within the RA OPEN program in the case of a forced upgrade. If a client reserves a compact car but due to no availability you are "forced" to give them a larger more expensive car (this is NOT a sold upgrade), RA OPEN will notice the difference and ask the question:

USE EXISTING RATES? Y/N

If you answer "Y" the reserved rates for the smaller vehicle will be used even though the renter now has a more expensive unit.

If you answer "N", the rates will be re-quoted using the more expensive vehicle class.

Change of any of the Rate Determinates

Several pieces of data determine the proper rate that is to be used on a transaction. For example, the prices for your walk-up rate, WALK, may be greater in your high-season than they are using the same Rate Code during the off-season. So rates are pick-up date sensitive. Rates for the WALK rate at an airport location may be greater than the prices for the same Rate Code at a suburban neighborhood location. So rates are location sensitive. Pickup date and location are part of the determinates that CARS+ uses to select the proper rate for a transaction. The complete list of rate determinates are:

Any change made to any one or more of these determinates will cause CARS+ to re-quote a rate. For example, changing the pick-up date on a reservation from next Friday to next Thursday, will trigger a re-quote. Now it is possible that the prices for next Thursday and Friday are the same so that the look-up will return the same prices. But if a rate change was posted after this res was originally booked but is effective next Thursday, this reservation edit will result in new prices. And unlike the rate change due to a forced upgrade in RA Open, you cannot prevent it from occurring.

Changes that affect a Rate Rule

The return location on a reservation is not a rate determinate. But if you change a reservation from a local rental to a one-way rental and the rate involved does not allow inter-city rentals, the rate will change. Rules such as minimum or maximum keep, weekend return day and other Rate Rule fields may cause a rate change when a transaction is edited.

Edits to Transactions with Yield Managed Rates

There is a special rule that governs re-quoting prices on a yield managed rate. As the name implies, yield managed rates or those whose prices are tied to the anticipated utilization level of the transaction. For example, Rate ABC can be set up as follows for class CCAR:

Anticipated Utilization Percent range
 Daily price
0 - 40%
 $35.95
41-60%
 $39.95
61-80%
 $41.95
81-90%
 $43.95
91-100%
 $45.95


So if a reservation is booked three months in advance when the highest anticipated utilization of the rental period is less than 41%, the price will be quoted at $35.95 a day. Yet, if the same Rate Code is used just two days before the pickup date when the utilization has now reached 95%, the renter will be quoted the $45.95 a day price.

Going back to the reservation that was booked three months in advance, if they call two days before the pick-up date and ask that a baby seat be added to the reservation, the rates will not change (the addition of a baby sat does not affect T&M rates). But if on that same call, the renter also says that he wants to return the car a day later thus increasing the length of the rental, the prices will be re-quoted using the current anticipated utilization percentages. And here is where the special rule comes in:

If the reservation was originally booked for Monday noon through the following Sunday noon (six days) and the edit results in a transaction that is shorter in length and "fits" completely within the original reserved period, the yield level will not be re-checked. For example:

* It should be noted that pick-up date and time are one of the rate determinates (see section above) so delaying the pickup date and time will trigger a rate determinate re-quote which if a new rate is found will also then trigger a yielded price change.

Alternate Rates

The alternate rate logic may cause a rate change. When alternate rates are set up in the Rental Rules record, RA Close will calculate the rental using the rate on the RA plus using each alternate. Whichever rate gives the renter the lowest total T&K charges will be used.

Retroactive, Re-negotiated Rates

Finally, corporate rates are often re-negotiated on a regular schedule such as annually. Often these re-negotiations are meant to be retro-active, that is the prices on existing unfilled reservations are also to be changed at the same time. This change DOES NOT happen automatically in CARS+. If a rate change is to be retroactive, run the program Update Res/Rental Rates to change the prices on existing open reservations and optionally on open RAs.