Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently asked questions and answers about Montana State
University's Rental Program.
Who is Eligible to Rent:
Q. |
Who is eligible to rent? |
A. |
Employees, registered Club members, University Volunteers,
and Student Volunteers age 18 years and older are allowed to
rent under this agreement for
University business purposes.
|
Q. |
Can I use the corporate discount for
personal rentals? |
A. |
Staff and students age 21 years and older can rent for
personal use by using account #63MSU01. The
rates associated with the corporate program can be used on
personal rentals. Please
note that insurance coverage is not included for personal
use rentals.
|
Vehicle Rental:
Q. |
How do I rent? |
A. |
A couple of options. MSU has a WSCA contract with Enterprise/National and Hertz;:
Enterprise/National: WSCA 9950, CDP# XZ63MSU
There are several ways to reserve a vehicle through Enterprise®:
Hertz: WSCA 9949, CDP# 1985856
|
Q. |
Why is the MSU contract number so important? |
A. |
If you do not use the account number or name; then the terms
and conditions will not apply - you will not get the
contractually provided pricing discounts and will not get the
$1 Million CSL Liability is included in the rates for
business travel. This illustrates the importance of booking
your reservations through the approved channels or making
sure that you reference the MSU account numbers as shown
above.
|
Q. |
How can I pay for a rental? |
A. |
-
Purchasing Card. The preferred method is a University
P-Card in your name to be input as a payment option.
If you do not have a P-Card or wish to make a reservation
for another person, please use (2a.) listed below to
complete the resveration.
- These cards offer an extra layer of insurance
beyond the contractual insurance.
-
Alternate methods include:
-
Paying with a personal credit card and completing a
Travel Reimbursement form; or
-
Work with University Business Services (UBS) to
set up a billing account so that departments with
frequent travelers can have rental car charges paid
via a departmental purchasing card. Please note:
travelers will still be required to provide a valid
rental receipt to their departmental contact.
Contact Katie Matzinger, Director of Accounting,
University Business Services (UBS) 994-7508 or
kathryn.matzinger@montana.edu.
-
Contact the vendor with your Index Number and setup
an account directly with the vendor.
-
If travelers cannot use one of the above methods (e.g.
student groups without credit cards), they should talk
with their departmental accountant. It may be possible to
give the vendor a Banner Index number, which UBS will use
to appropriately direct the expense. For more information
departmental accountants can call Katie Matzinger in UBS
at 994-7508.
|
Q. |
What if I want my departmental
administrative staff to make my reservations for me with
his/her Purchasing Card? |
A. |
Instead of using their purchasing card, the administrative
staff should contact Katie Matzinger (as listed above) and
request a Billing Number. Use of a purchasing card that is
not in the name of the renter will not work if you intend to
pick up the vehicle. You have to present the card used.
The renter will need to take a Photo ID with them to pick up
the vehicle.
|
Q. |
Do I accept insurance? |
A. |
No. Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) and $1 Million Combined
Single Limit (CSL) Liability is included in the rates for
business travel.
|
Q. |
What is required when obtaining the car? |
A. |
A valid driver's license and purchasing credit card is
required. Billing is available for travelers without
purchasing cards. In this case, a credit card is not
required for business use rentals. A credit card in
the renter's name is required for all personal rentals.
Please contact the local branch should you have questions
regarding debit cards or cash rentals.
|
Q. |
Are one-way rentals allowed? |
A. |
Please contact the specific vendor for the answer.
|
Vehicle Delivery:
Q. |
How do I schedule a delivery or pick up service? |
A. |
Enterprise® is the only vendor
at this time that offers a delivery service to the MSU Motor
Pool Lot.
Delivery to the MSU Motor Pool lot is available with 24 hours
advance notice. Please provide 48 hours notice for all
specialty vehicles. You can request this when you call your
local branch, or you can click the “Select for Delivery”
button during the on-line reservation process (see link for
instructions in the "Vehicle Rental" section above.)
Enrollment into Enterprise Plus
is mandatory for vehicle delivery. (See the section in
the Enterprise® FAQ,
about Joining Enterprise Plus.)
Keys will be available at the Key Manager Kiosk at the
Motor Pool location. Your enrollment in Enterprise Plus
will give the vendor the contact information required to
contact you regarding your box number and combination code.
The contact information you give will be used for both
Business and Personal use. Personal Contact information is
required as they may contact you after business hours with
your box and combination information.
|
Where Can I Park My Personal Car During Rental:
Q. |
Where can I park my car while I rent? |
A. |
-
If you rent from Enterprise and pick your rental vehicle up at
the Motor Pool lot, you may leave your personal vehicle at the
Motor Pool lot. You may also leave your car on campus using
your parking hang tag, or can get your car to your house -
the same options you've always had.
-
If you rent from Enterprise, Hertz or National at the
Airport, you have options of getting your personal car to
campus and parking with your hang tag, getting your car
to your house, or paying to park in long-term parking at
the Airport.
|
Cancellations:
Q. |
Is there a cancellation fee? |
A. |
Possibly - see below for details.
-
Vehicles not yet delivered to motor pool location or
delivery not requested:
Cars - less than 24 hour notice, $20 per rig.
Vehicles other than cars - less than 36 hour notice, $35
per rig. (these vehicles are more expensive and they may
have had to bring the vehicle in from another location)
-
Vehicles already delivered to motor pool location:
Full day charge unless roads are listed as emergency
travel only.
-
For Monday early AM departures:
Vehicles are delivered Friday afternoon, so all
cancellations for early Monday will have to be done
before Friday at 2pm.
|
Returning a Rental Vehicle:
Q. |
Where can I turn in a rental vehicle? |
A. |
-
You can return a rental vehicle to the location from
which you rented it - either the airport or downtown.
-
With Enterprise downtown, if you had the vehicle
delivered to the Motor Pool lot, you can return the vehicle
in at the Motor Pool lot and leave the keys in the
Enterprise key return box.
|
Q. |
Do I need to return the vehicle full of fuel? |
A. |
Typically, no. There is a nominal surcharge (7 - 10 cents
per gallon with Enterprise, for example) to fuel the car if
it is returned without being refueled. Departments with
frequent gas purchases should consider getting a Wright
Express gas fleet card.
|
How Do I Resolve Rental Issues:
Q. |
Who do I call if I have trouble with my reservations? |
A. |
You contact the vendor from which you are renting and request
to speak with a manager.
All vendors have multiple employees. Any questions we've had
thus far have all related to unfamiliarity with the Western
States Contract Alliance (WSCA) contracts we use to rent from
Enterprise, National and Hertz. To date all questions have
been resolved quickly and to customer satisfaction.
Note: If you have difficulty getting the
issue resolved with the vendor, please alert the Purchasing
& Materials Manager at
motorpool@montana.edu so that we can look into it.
|
Q. |
What is the claim process if an employee has an accident with
a rental car?
|
A. |
Please contact the local office where you rented the vehicle as soon
as possible and they will fill out an accident report. Additionally,
you will need to complete the Report of Incident Form (within 5 days).
|
Long-Term Rentals:
Q. |
My department has the need for monthly rentals, how should these be handled? |
A. |
Additional discounts are available for long term rentals
through Enterprise®. Please contact Erin Kramarich at
406-896-0752 or via email at
erin.kramarich@ehi.com
to book.
Other vendors, please contact the vendor directly by phone to
make long term rentals through the WSCA contract.
|
Use Restrictions:
Q. |
Can I take a rental car on a gravel road? |
A. |
Vehicles are permitted on maintained gravel roads, including
forest service roads. Maintained roads also include the
ability for 2 cars to safely pass each other.
|
Benefits of Private Vendor Rentals:
Q. |
Why rent a car instead of getting reimbursed to drive my own vehicle? |
A. |
You will avoid costly wear and tear on your personal vehicle,
have peace of mind with 24-hour roadside assistance,
experience safety and comfort, and perhaps have the
opportunity to drive a newer car.
MSU will save money on travel (often more than 20%), reduce
insurance and liability risk, gain cost-effective alternative
to expensive airfare, ensure accurate accounting and
invoicing, and enhance employee satisfaction with newer
vehicles and more vehicle choices.
|