Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2012 September 20

= September 20 =

renting a car
what are the mechanics of renting a car? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 204.101.54.90 (talk) 00:46, 20 September 2012 (UTC)


 * It may vary by nation, but, since you didn't say you wanted to "hire" a car, I will assume you are in the US. Some things you will need:


 * 1) A driver's license. Some refuse to rent to those below 25 years old.


 * 2) A credit card. They typically don't accept cash, or would require a huge cash deposit, before they allow you to drive a car away.


 * 3) You don't actually need car insurance, as they will sell you a temporary policy. But, if you have it, and ask to waive their insurance, you will save money, so bring in your proof of insurance.


 * 4) Be sure to inspect the car carefully before driving off, as any scratch on it may otherwise be billed to you and cost you lots of money.


 * 5) Be sure to refill the gas tank before returning it, or they will charge you an obscene rate for the gasoline.


 * 6) You must return it to where you rented it, or pay a fee for returning it elsewhere. Some will also offer pick-up and drop-off service.


 * 7) They lie about sizes. Whatever size they promise, you will get one size lower.  If they promise a full-sized car, you will get a midsize., etc.  They seem to be able to do so legally be using different definitions of sizes from everyone else.


 * 8) They don't typically guarantee you any particular model of car. You just get whatever is on the lot that's one size smaller than what they promised.


 * StuRat (talk) 00:53, 20 September 2012 (UTC)

(ec) :I'm assuming you're in the vicinity of Toronto. If you've never-ever rented a car, and have a reasonable amount of money, go to the (literal) gold standard, Hertz, and tell them you've never rented before and you want to know what to do. They will probably require that you are at least a certain minimum age, with a driver's license of course, and they will need other personal info to set up the reservation. A credit card would be a plus. Then find a way to the rental place and pick up the car, OR ask if they can provide a shuttle. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 00:57, 20 September 2012 (UTC)


 * I have never run into the problems StuRat points out in #7 and #8, not anywhere in Canada, Spain, Australia or New York, Boston, Los Angeles or Chicago. I've had exactly what I ordered or better. The Hertz site says you have to be 18 in Quebec or 20 in the rest of the country, and then they have an "age" charge of $15 a day or $25 a day elsewhere, until you reach the age of 24. They really want a credit card with at least $2000 of "room" on it; you may be able to negotiate something else, but you will need a good hunk of cash. You can reserve on-line, over the phone or in person. Bielle (talk) 01:14, 20 September 2012 (UTC)


 * They may be more honest about sizes these days, as I haven't rented one in many years. However, as to them not guaranteeing you a particular model, see this reservation page: .  Note that every car model has "or Similar" written by it.  This means they can substitute any other vehicle they please, in that class.  And, of course, there's no guarantee on the model year, miles, or condition.  This seems similar to the original strategy of Priceline.com, where you paid up front for a room in unknown hotel.  For some reason, customers are more accepting of blind car rentals than blind hotel reservations. StuRat (talk) 01:53, 20 September 2012 (UTC)
 * Actually, I've more often had the opposite problem. I generally prefer to rent the smallest car available &mdash; they use less gas, they're easier to park, and if there should be an accident, I'm on the hook for less money while I try to figure out how to submit a claim.  But lots of times I reserve "economy", but there's none available when I get to the lot.  They give me a "free upgrade", of course, but what I actually wanted was the smaller car. --Trovatore (talk) 04:33, 20 September 2012 (UTC)
 * They will happily tell you what the "similar" classes are if you ask them. I second the experience of everyone else here — I've never had them do anything weird about car models. In fact, I've had them give me free class upgrades when they have extra "better" cars on the lot and things aren't moving very quickly. I think your experience here is out of date. I rent cars two or three times a year. --Mr.98 (talk) 02:12, 20 September 2012 (UTC)
 * StuRat's experience is indeed out of date, by "many years". He told us so.  Not sure why he thought this old information would necessarily be relevant to 2012, but there you go.  --  ♬  Jack of Oz  ♬  [your turn]  03:28, 20 September 2012 (UTC)


 * No. 6 isn't true for U-Haul, or at least it wasn't some years back. I drove from one end of the country to the other Ontario to Connecticut and dropped it off at my destination. (This is not an endorsement. The U-Haul article mentions serious safety issues.) Clarityfiend (talk) 02:10, 20 September 2012 (UTC)
 * There are different pricing schemes for U-Haul based on whether it is long-distance or "in town", if I recall. They aren't really what I'd consider a car rental company though — you can only rent trucks and vans, and they're not usually for casual transportation. --Mr.98 (talk) 02:12, 20 September 2012 (UTC)
 * Just giving the OP another option. Clarityfiend (talk) 10:25, 20 September 2012 (UTC)


 * Just as a note: many credit cards automatically include some amount of basic car rental insurance, even if you don't have other insurance. Call your credit card company to find out. --Mr.98 (talk) 02:14, 20 September 2012 (UTC)


 * Please ensure you are properly ensured (but not necessarily by buying their expensive insurance). A major car rental company (and I wish I could name them but it's probably against the rules) charged me $1400 for a broken tail light.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by Hayttom (talk • contribs)


 * You are actually fairly likely to get a larger vehicle than you requested. With the price of gasoline, people don't want as many full-size cars.--Wehwalt (talk) 09:07, 20 September 2012 (UTC)


 * A few years ago I pre-booked a small to mid sized all wheel drive in the US, aiming for something like a Subaru, because I was heading into snow country. None available when I arrived, so they kindly "upgraded" me to a rear wheel drive V8 Chrysler sedan. It was quite the opposite of what I needed. HiLo48 (talk) 11:46, 20 September 2012 (UTC)


 * Yes, well, it can work both ways. A couple of years Hertz upgraded me to a Sportage for a fairly lengthy trip I was making.  I remember looking at it a bit dubiously in the parking lot.  I liked it so much when it came time to get a new car, I bought one.--Wehwalt (talk) 13:18, 20 September 2012 (UTC)


 * StuRat is still partly right. Most rental car companies call a subcompact a "compact."  If you look at a company like Hertz they call something like a Chevy Aveo a "compact" when it is classed as a subcompact by the greater automotive world.  Some companies go further, calling compacts "intermediates" and some, like Hertz, still further, calling a Chevy Malibu "full size" when it is generally considered mid-sized.  It isn't a huge problem as they give clear examples of the type of car you are getting, but it is true that if all you see is "compact" and you know what that usually means you'd be surprised when they put you in a Toyota Yaris.  On the other hand, the last time I rented a car it cost a dollar a day more to go from an economy to an intermediate which put me in a fully loaded Chevy Cruze LTZ, a great car which got 39 mpg and had satellite radio.  In general it's good to watch out for up selling, which the person who rents you the car will always try, but sometimes it can be worth it (this time it certainly was just in fuel savings). -- Daniel  15:26, 20 September 2012 (UTC)


 * Thanks, Daniel, I knew I didn't imagine it. StuRat (talk) 16:59, 20 September 2012 (UTC)


 * I regularly rent a car from one of the major companies. It is generally as StuRat says in his first response.  The thing I usually have to look out for is the unsuitable vehicle masquerading as an upgrade - like in HiLo48's example.  Part of the problem is that I usually arrive towards the end of the day and the depot's fleet has been depleted by other customers and by the cleaning that needs to be done before the car can be rented out again.  Quite a few times when I arrive they have run out of clean "economy" or "compact" vehicles, but have plenty of Fiat 500s.  This is technically an upgrade but is totally unsuitable for my purposes.  Unfortunately, they can be reluctant to then offer me a different replacement vehicle, one with more room in the back seats.  I also look out for upselling of enhanced (and expensive) insurance options and unnecessary fuel options, and turn them all down.  I think there is also some variation over what is "a day's rental" - a 24 hour period or a number of calendar days.  The price for the exact same vehicle can also vary a lot depending on your country of residence.  Astronaut (talk) 14:05, 21 September 2012 (UTC)
 * Number 5 depends on the particular rental contract. The last few times I rented (in the US, from Germany), I had a flat fee contract that included plenty of insurance, additional drivers, all miles, and the first tank of gas (get it full, return empty). I also got cars that I considered smallish for the booked class. --Stephan Schulz (talk) 21:57, 21 September 2012 (UTC)


 * It could end up costing you thousands more than you expect! Two years ago while on vacation, I got a deal through my employer, an extra $15 for the whole week to be upgraded to a Ford Mustang.  My wife loved it so much while we were on that vacation that we now have one of our own sitting in the driveway.  Dismas |(talk) 22:01, 21 September 2012 (UTC)


 * And now your wife wonders why you refuse to rent anything bigger than a scooter ? :-) StuRat (talk) 19:55, 22 September 2012 (UTC)

Somali pirates and insider trading liability under US law
Back in February, Somali pirates captured a cargo ship owned by a small NASDAQ listed shipping company. If the pirate leader buys shares of FREE before the public announcement of a hostage release agreement, is he and his associates liable under US securities law?- Globalistcontributor (talk) 04:24, 20 September 2012 (UTC)


 * Acknowledging we do not do legal advice on these pages, the answer tends towards yes, to the extent that the hostage release agreement is share-price sensitive information. Good luck with jurisdictional issues, though. --Tagishsimon (talk) 10:10, 20 September 2012 (UTC)


 * I would think any "deals" made with criminals would be subject to being nullified once the perps are incarcerated. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 12:38, 20 September 2012 (UTC)

Tagishsimon: If possible, do you have a citation to support your answer? I'd like to do followup reading. Globalistcontributor (talk) 07:41, 21 September 2012 (UTC)
 * In all fairness, insider trading is typically less of a concern than piracy on the high seas, and their continued piracy means that the SEC agents (or whoever it is that enforces such laws) wouldn't be likely to catch them. Nyttend (talk) 05:30, 24 September 2012 (UTC)

Corrections and additions to my CV
I would like to correct a number of errors to my curriculum vitae, also to bring it up to date with a few additions.

How do I do that? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.42.145.252 (talk) 09:34, 20 September 2012 (UTC)


 * Assuming you wrote the original with word-processor software, and still have an electronic copy, you open the file in the same word-processor, and change it to reflect the current situation. Only you can know best how your career has progressed, and your skills improved, since you last edited your CV. A lot also depends on the format. AlexTiefling (talk) 09:37, 20 September 2012 (UTC)


 * If you're are indeed looking for help with your CV, we have an article Curriculum vitae and there are plenty of onlne sites that can advise you about yours. If you actually mean that you want to make changes to an existing Wikipedia article about you, then you should not be editing it yourself (see WP:COI).  There is usually no problem with making uncontroversial changes, such as correcting spelling errors, or dates, but it is strongly recommended that you request any changes you want at the article's talk page rather than editing the article directly, to ensure that changes are encyclopaedic and neutral in tone.  Remember that you will need to provide references to a reliable, previously published source to support the new information.  -  Ka renjc 09:46, 20 September 2012 (UTC)


 * Articles about living people (or dead ones, for that matter) should not be written in curriculum vitae style. --  ♬  Jack of Oz  ♬  [your turn]  12:14, 20 September 2012 (UTC)


 * If the problem is that you only have a paper copy, then you have three options:


 * 1) Use white-out, type over the top, and then make copies. Possibly cut pieces up, move them around, and tape it back together.  I've done this type of editing before, but it's painful and rarely looks quite right.


 * 2) Retype it onto computer, adding any changes.


 * 3) Scan it onto computer, using optical character recognition software, then correct any scanning errors and update it. If you don't already have a scanner and OCR software, it's probably not worth getting it for a one-time use.  I suspect a copy center would have both a scanner and OCR software to do this part for you. StuRat (talk) 17:05, 20 September 2012 (UTC)

Mathias Landau and the Bosphorus Bridge
I have heard that Mathias Landau (the son of the world famous mathematician Edmund Landau) was involved with the building of a bridge across the Bosphorus in Turkey (also known as the Istanbul Strait). Can any user please confirm whether or not this is correct, and if it is, what part did Mathias Landau play in this building. Thank you.Simonschaim (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 14:29, 20 September 2012 (UTC)
 * There is a Matthias Landau who would have been about the right age who wrote a German-language book titled "The Future of Technology": . Edmund's son was named Matthias: (confirmed here:, which has some good stuff for the Wikipedia article as well).  The two Bosporus Bridges were built by Freeman Fox & Partners, a British Engineering firm.  Perhaps Matthias worked for them as an engineer or something.  It's a lead.  -- Jayron  32  17:45, 20 September 2012 (UTC)


 * Googling "Mathias Landau" + "Bosphorus Bridge" only brings up this question! Alansplodge (talk) 01:41, 21 September 2012 (UTC)

Thank youSimonschaim (talk)