Travel Options

My first leg of travel was to London. Nothing unusual, I have been there many times. I wanted to 'roam' around so I thought it 'll be cool to get a car. Have done that before but more recent experience has been they are prohibitively expensive so I found out it was cheaper to book it on line-that's exactly what I did. A cool 17 pounds something per day (About35 dollars or so) and I got on the bus from the airport to go to the "thrifty" car hire people
That it was going to be a unique experience, I had not anticipated at all. A youngman sitting across the counter (appeared Asian which does not necessarily excite me any more) asked my name etc. and looked at the computer for a while and sitting back started telling me
"Sir, you have three options", in perfect British accent. "What are they?" I enqured.
"Sir you need to get an Insurance." Perfectly logical, a thought that had slipped my mind, so I agreed and he announced,
"That would cost about 19 pounds something/day". I was displeased at the expense but with a slight hesitation I agreed. I thought that this was not so bad after all
Then there was the second option. I thought I had chosen a good option out of three, now what?
So he started expalining that I am over 70 and therefore the insurance surcharge will be 10 pounds a day more.
Now I could not resist expressing my displeasure. That is not an "Option" I said I cannot reduce my age no matter how young I to look and no matter how "undemented" I appear to be. He insisted this was an option and still wanted me to understand that I cant hire the car unless I paid the extra penulty of being over 70 in age.
I started thinking about the thrifty business and how I started from 18 pounds and adding 30 pounds more perday totalling close to a hundred dollars a day. Is it thrifty?
Did I have that kind of money? It was evident that I was trapped and so I thought there was no option for me but to agree.
Then came the third "Option" which took me completely off the ground but I was not frothing at the mouth. I had to have Insurance on my MasterCharge Card. Never heard of it before. He said' "Since you are a foriegner and the card must be covered with an insurance in case something happens to the car or you"
I tried to argue that the insurance coverage of 30 pounds a day is enough to cover for the car but he kept on with that third 'option'
To cut the story short, I asked"Is there an option of cancelling my car?"
He was hesitant and said he will inquire from his boss (another Asian-looking) who then came to explain to me the same thing. How could I tell him I have treated senile and other types of demntias in my life and am clean and healthy in my "upper story". They must have thought I am an old man from India with a white beard etc. and unable to undertand English. All this while I had told them I cannot hear very good but I had no problem hearing about the "Options".
I said these are not "Options" in my language of English that I had learnt.
"It will cost you 25 pounds to cancel."
I had a sigh of relief and got out of the office as quickly as I could, lest some other "option" may come my way.