Cheap car hire article discussion

eDicky · 1 February 2016 at 5:25PM

Gman4815 wrote: »

I have the available cash in my debit card account, which doesn't appear to be acceptable.

I think it depends on the particular card and also the particular rental firm. It's hard to know for sure until you arrive at the desk, even if you call to enquire beforehand.

I have been renting cars all my life and never used a 'real' credit card, yet I have never had a card refused. But I have never tried a UK bank account debit card so I cannot vouch for that. Others may know, if you identify your card(s). Prepaid cards are often recognised as a credit card and accepted, such as the FairFX euro card, which I have used more than once.

But as I say, there's no way to be sure beforehand - unless you can overcome your lack of desire for a credit card and obtain one.

studentguy · 2 February 2016 at 1:37PM

How are they allowed to get away with this? http://imgur.com/t6mmvbG - in very small writing it basically says that I need to give them another £500 on pick up! It's disgusting.

We're trying to do a one way car hire from Poland to France but the hidden fees are extortionate.

eDicky · 3 February 2016 at 3:59AM

studentguy wrote: »

How are they allowed to get away with this? http://imgur.com/t6mmvbG - in very small writing it basically says that I need to give them another £500 on pick up! It's disgusting.

We're trying to do a one way car hire from Poland to France but the hidden fees are extortionate.

I can't see any £500 indicated or what the reason might be. If it is the 'one way' fee it's hardly surprising, it would probably cost something like that to have the car returned to Poland. Nobody would expect to receive a rental car with Polish plates in France, even if it was legal to supply one.

Alan_Ryan · 4 February 2016 at 9:34PM

Hi, First post, We came back from Tenerife after 2 weeks last week, we arrived on the 11th Jan till 25th, I booked car hire with Goldcar hire through the internet. We arrived and gave the usual documents to their Rep at the airport office, I explained I have car hire excess insurance which I have had for approx 7 years. the lady refused to accept this and said it was not recognised and I would not be insured without their own insurance? They would however accept an open credit card. I did not want to do this and was forced to pay their excess. I contacted their office by e-mail on my return and did get a reply but they would not refund my payment. I will never use them again. If I had not paid for this before I went then I would have gone elsewhere. Lesson learned, I booked this through Alamos website, you get a cheap price but dont know who the company is until you make your payment.

eDicky · 5 February 2016 at 1:59AM

Alan_Ryan wrote: »

, I explained I have car hire excess insurance which I have had for approx 7 years. the lady refused to accept this and said it was not recognised and I would not be insured without their own insurance? They would however accept an open credit card. I did not want to do this and was forced to pay their excess..

You were not forced to pay it, you could have let them pre-auth your CC for the excess, which is normal for any company to do when you decline their excess cover. There was no reason to mention your own separate cover when declining, it is nothing to do with them and the lady was correct, that insurance would reimburse you, not the hire company, which is why they need to block your CC.

Lulu1803 · 9 February 2016 at 8:00AM

Do not use Goldcar they are unashamed extortionists who brazenly rip off their customers and treat them with complete contempt.
After reading about the savings which can be made on car hire my husband booked goldcar from Malaga airport. He even booked a seperate stand alone insurance. When we arrived the staff member completely disregarded out cover and demanded we pay for their own insurance which was three times the price. Also we had to pay for a non refundable tank of petrol costing almost €100. We only wanted the car for 3 days as a run arround and would only need €20 worth of petrol maximum. In the end we walked away and booked with a different company. We lost the money we had already paid. I will Wright to complain but I don't expect any recompense. Keep away from Goldcar.

eDicky · 10 February 2016 at 12:14PM

Lulu1803 wrote: »

He even booked a seperate stand alone insurance. When we arrived the staff member completely disregarded out cover and demanded we pay for their own insurance which was three times the price.

What do you mean by "demanded"? Tried forcefully to talk you into it? Said they will need to block an amount on your CC without it, which you were not prepared to do? Or actually refused to supply the car unless you purchased their own excess cover?

drew12a · 3 March 2016 at 11:21PM

I wish to hire a car from 2nd April to 30th April in Florida but am very concerned about the paperwork I have to sign when I get to the counter.

I fully intend to carry out the checks and balances that have been stipulated on Martin's web site to the best of my ability, but have become familiar with a number of car hire horror stories that have given me pause. The source of these problems appears to be the result of a person signing paperwork incorrectly.

At this moment in time I intend to hire a car by looking through the various comparison sites, purchasing the correct insurance and studying carefully the terms and conditions of both of these.

So once I have completed these tasks, what more paperwork will I have to sign and acknowledge when I get to the desk in Orlando airport? And what paperwork will I need to sign when I drop the car off?

Any help much appreciated.

EssexExile · 3 March 2016 at 11:41PM

I know this is a money saving website but if you're that worried about it I'd just go with one of the big ones. I've been using Alamo since 1978 & never had any problems, nowadays I use their all inclusive package & it really is all inclusive.

What you sign at the desk depends on the company & the scheme, with some you have to sign the rental agreement there, with others it's all been done beforehand. With Alamo I don't sign anything on return, I just park the car, they scan the barcode & give you a "no charge" printout.

drew12a · 5 March 2016 at 9:53PM

Whilst looking on the "moneymaxin" for car hire insurance I have noticed many quotes having a £5,000 excess and one or two having an access of £50,000.

My question is why? I would have thought that having an insurance policy with a £5,000 excess is plenty.

Could the reason be that not all hire car companies offer a CDW and having a £50,000 excess on your insurance would be enough to cover the cost of a vehicle?

Many thanks.

Cheap car hire article discussion

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