Fourth of July in Las Vegas seems to be gaining popularity. The crowds were bigger this year than last year.
Alamo Car Rental:
They require you to actually show your entertainment coupon for the discount. First time I have had to do that in years. Of course I didn't bring it with me. Should have been an omen. Much, much more on Alamo later in this email.
Hard Rock:
New limit is one 6-pack per year. Also, 1 $10 freeplay coupon per year. The FPDW won't take free play. They also have the strange policy one coupon per table. I had a CP coupon and a POV coupon and had to play them at different tables. Just seems like more work for them with no real advantage.
Ellis Island:
They actually requested the card from the American Casino Guide. That is the first place that has ever asked for the card. Of course, I lightened my wallet before the trip ( taking out extra credit cards, airline cards, etc) and left the card at home.
Riviera:
Still has the 10/7/80 machines (4). The second one from the left has a bad glare problem but they are all pretty quick machines.
Saw Splash for the first time ( freebie with room offer). It was similar to the old Nuddes on Ice show at the Plaza with a few new twists. Same drum beating gaucho cowboy comedians, same mini bikes in a rollerdrome . The LV history shots on the big tvs are interesting. Good for free.
Hound Doggies dollar menu is pretty good for a quick snack. Ate there twice. First time I had a mini italian sub, shrimp cocktail and bottle of water for $4.00. The second time I had a big slice of pepperoni pizza, shrimp cocktail, side salad and a water for $4.80. The line is a little long but moves quickly.
Western:
Much, much nicer than I expected. There were some rough looking people but no one bothered us. The casino was pretty clean and bright. Good single deck blackjack game. Plenty of parking. I have always heard how rough the Western is but they must have cleaned it up.
Alamo Rental Again (long):
This is XVP but will still be of interest in picking out a rental car company.
Day 4 of the trip I am dropping my sister in law's husband ( George) at his father's house near Sam's Town. We were travelling on Boulder Highway near Sam's Town about 1 AM Sunday morning and a saw a rather large bucket ahead of me in the lane to my left. It was close to my lane so I slowed down to make sure I cleared. Unfortunately, I hit something else in the road next to it . Neither I nor my passenger saw the other object. I had 3 beers all day and last one was at 7 PM at the Western, my passenger had nothing to drink and neither one of us saw the other object. We pulled over and I pulled what looked like a metal carrier of some sort from underneath the car. I also saw a little bit of fluid leaking out. It was sweet smelling so I was pretty sure there was damage to the cooling system.
I drove another mile to SIL hubby house, took a look again, saw a little more fluid leaking and decided to call Alamo. At 1:30 AM on Sunday, no one answered even though they are supposed to be open 24 hours a day. No one answered at Alamo road side assistance either. I spent the night there.
7 AM I called Alamo again. I explained the vehicle was leaking antifreeze and needed to be towed. He asked if I hit anything and I told him what happened. After putting me on hold for about 10 minutes, he explained Alamo's procedure for these occurrences. Since I didn't take the CDW, my contract is immediately cancelled, but I am billed for the full rate of the contract. Alamo will not provide a replacement vehicle since it was a 'collision' and I am responsible for loss of use, repair cost and towing. I ask the guy how he can charge me the full term of the contract plus loss of use on the same days? He says that since they cancelled the contract because of the collision, they would be charging loss of use. There will be a battle from me on that one.
I talked to my insurance company and they said that they would pay the claim, they would probably waive the deductible since it was road debris and my insurance rates should not be affected. I am still going to fight Alamo tooth and nail over every nickel they try to bill me.
On that note, I wasn't thinking about gas and mileage when they towed the car. I figure I drove about 100 miles, with half of that on the freeway. I checked my credit card and they billed me $44.35 for gas. This is a Chevy Cobalt I rented. I think their fill price is $5.80 a gallon. I didn't realize Cobalts only get 12 miles per gallon. I know it's hot in Las Vegas and I was stuck in traffic once for half an hour but that still doesn't add up. Alamo has found a hidden profit center.
Now, I though I understood the risks of declining CDW. I never thought I wouldn't get a replacement vehicle. The claims office was supposed to call on Wednesday but I haven't heard from them yet. Stay tuned for more details.
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