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The police advised us that street theft is a common occurrence, especially in the area around the hotel. Travelers to Montevideo should be aware of this.

Delbert A. Fitchett, Bethesda

Rental Car Key Bundles

I AM A REGULAR Avis rental car customer and am always burdened with a huge block of keys to lug around in my pocket. What's the deal? Is this standard industry practice?

Rent a car from Avis and you get: two identical keys (the big ones), the remote control and the Avis plastic tag, all inextricably linked with a plastic-coated, metal-core wire. No practical way to get them apart, so I usually ask them to do so, but am told "the keys must stay together." Why? So I can lock all of them in the car together?

I admit to resorting to various nefarious ways to get them apart, minimizing the chance that the Rubik's Cube-size brick will leave my suit pants misshapen. I have managed to cut the metal wire (not easy in an era when wire cutters don't clear TSA screening) or break the plastic holder open to separate one key. And once in a while, the remote will have a ring that can be removed, so I take that with me and lock the keys in the car. God help me if the battery dies in the remote, though.

Please, tell Avis to stop making its key bundle so ridiculously large, lest someone hang themselves from the oversize ring in frustration.

Tim Fenton, Washington

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