Reader cautions: Be sure to take out rental car insurance

Dear Heloise: I read your column daily. It ruins my day if I miss it. But looking at the past two times you wrote about renting a car, your readers missed a very important topic.

I was in the insurance industry for 55 years. One of the most important things you must do when you rent an automobile is take out the rental company’s insurance. Why? Because if you don’t and you get into an accident, the company will charge you for downtime. Downtime is the time the car will be in the repair shop and not available for rental by the rental company. That charge is not covered by your insurance company.

Just thought that people should know and should make their own choice if they want to take a chance. The cost for the insurance is a pittance compared with the downtime charge. Ciao for now. Frank Sciarra, Orange, Calif.

Frank, you taught Heloise something! Checking about this, indeed one may be charged. Folks, call your credit-card company to find out if this is part of your coverage. Heloise

Dear Heloise: This is to remind people to copy their receipts for purchases that have a warranty. I discovered too late, on purchases from earlier in the year, that my receipts had faded to nothingness. I read your column in the Fort Morgan (Colo.) Times — great hints! Pat from Colorado

Pat, good hint, and thanks for the reminder. Also, a big hello to my readers in Fort Morgan, Colo. Your paper was one of the very first Hints From Heloise clients! Heloise

Dear Heloise: When I have a garage sale, it’s hard to get signposts into the ground. I staple signs on both sides of a box and put it out with a few rocks in the bottom to hold it. LaVonne White, Huntsville, Ala.

Dear Heloise: Thank you kindly for publishing my hint about using an online file-sharing site to obtain guests’ wedding photos. Here’s another hint:

I use my cell phone’s camera to take photos of important things, like my license-plate number, or to take a quick snapshot when I use a large parking garage at a mall or an airport. I take a photo of the displayed level sign where I parked. I use the camera when shopping to take photos of home decor.

I find this to be a great way of remembering important things, and the information is always right at my fingertips! Veronika, via e-mail

Dear Heloise: My mother-in-law, Cecilia, has trouble keeping her newspaper’s TV guide together. Since she quilts, her sewing machine is always set up, ready to sew. So, she just runs a stitch up the center of the fold and has a bound guide. Works great. No more fighting with pages falling out when you try to read. Geneva J., via e-mail

SBlt Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, or you can fax it to (210) HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com.

King Features Syndicate