Car Hire Included but Thomson still charge

SkyBlue1987_2

I wonder if anyone can advise me on the problem I have with Thomson who sold me a 'Car Hire Included' package but I actually had to pay £400 for the included car!
Below is an extract from my first letter to Thomson. Needless to say i've been turned down, but in the last reply they used the phrase "I have to be mindful of a consistency of response to any other complaints received on similar issues" indicating that others have had the same problem? I would be grateful of any comments or guidance on my options to reclaim the cost.

Letter extract:
You will see from the enclosed documents that I have recently returned from a family holiday in Florida, [Doc 1] booked direct with TUI Thomson Holidays, which advertised ‘Car Hire Included’
There is no indication on this page [Doc 2] that any costs to this car hire are the responsibility of the customer, and I would maintain that you have a duty of care to ensure that any costs that would be incurred by accepting ‘Car Hire Included’ should be clearly indicated on the page in question, or clearly referenced to an appropriate page and not buried somewhere in the small print, which it may well be.

You may well be able to gauge my distress at being presented with a charge of $635.63 [Doc 3&4] for ‘Car Hire Included’ and as part of that to be informed by the Alomo representative that the car was not even big enough to take my family and four suitcases and that we would have to upgrade if we wanted to travel to our hotel in some comfort, as it was we had to have the fourth suitcase on the back seat, between my two grown up sons. When I queried this with the Alomo representative he indicated I would need to take that up with Thomson. I did so with your representative at the hotel, but she is so far removed from the decision making process, that she could do nothing other than offer the report [Doc 5]

It is my contention that this is at best misleading and at worse a deliberate intention to give the impression that the customer is receiving something for nothing when in fact the cost as constructed i.e. no included CDW, between TUI Thomson & Alomo, is not far short of the full cost of taking out a hire car that is NOT included in the holiday cost.

Ich_2

Which is why the last time we went it was cheaper to arrange our own limo transfers.
The cost of the car hire is included, just not the cost of all the insurance add ons tax and other stuff. A careful read of the brochure and T&Cs make this clear

Alan_Bowen

Every major operator to Florida pulls this stunt, the 'hire' is free but nothing else is and I have to say if your read the brochures they do give estimates of how much extra you will have to pay. It is often cheaper to book your own car hire before departure than take the 'free' offer

SkyBlue1987_2

Ok thanks, it's clear I've been conned, I'm suprised that this level of deception is still rife in a high profile company like Thomson. They could at least refer you to the small print where the car hire included is shown. I realise a careful read of the T&C's is good advice, I never thought a company like Thomson would be involved in such a swindle. The company letters in response to my complaint do not even refer to the T&C's so not much point in spending another £108 on an ABTA arbitration then! Perhaps one day someone will put a stop to this disgraceful practice.

photome

SkyBlue1987 wrote: »

Ok thanks, it's clear I've been conned, I'm suprised that this level of deception is still rife in a high profile company like Thomson. They could at least refer you to the small print where the car hire included is shown. I realise a careful read of the T&C's is good advice, I never thought a company like Thomson would be involved in such a swindle. The company letters in response to my complaint do not even refer to the T&C's so not much point in spending another £108 on an ABTA arbitration then! Perhaps one day someone will put a stop to this disgraceful practice.

I dont see how you have been conned.

All brochures I have seen that include free car hire make it clear that insurances and fees are not included

A quick search even in this forum would have told you it is cheaper to hire a car through a third party than take up the "free" hire car.

I just did a dummy booking with Thomson and when I got to the choose a car section, it seems quite clear to me that compulsory extras are to be paid and only the economy car includes any kind of insurance and even then it isnt adequate.

see below, it wasnt in the small print it was clear when choosing your car




Why not discover the Sunshine State on four wheels? Basic car hire is included with all our Florida holidays - or you've got the chance to upgrade for an extra fee. All cars include air-conditioning, unlimited mileage, automatic transmission and a radio. Plus, you'll also get local road maps and third party liability protection to the state minimum of $20,000 per accident.

• Car hire/transfer not required
  
  Just so you know, you won't be able to book a transfer when you arrive at your destination airport.
  
• Economy Car
  (UK equivalent: Vauxhall Corsa)2 passengers2 doors1 cases
  Included
  Please note your car hire only includesBasic Liability Cover. We strongly recommend that you add either Fully inclusive or Gold Insurance.
• Fully Inc Compact Car
  
  
  (UK equivalent: Vauxhall Astra)from £16.10 per day
  • Includes fully inclusive insurance
  3 passengers2 doors1 cases
  +£112.70
• Fully Inc Convertible
  
  
  (UK equivalent: Vauxhall Astra Convertible)from £26.60 per day
  • Includes fully inclusive insurance
  3 passengers2 doors1 cases
  +£186.20
  
  
  CloseBasic Liability cover
  
  It's important to note, Basic Liability Insurance covers you for damage to a third-party's car but not your own hire car. You'll need to have additional insurance to cover you for damage to your own hire car. If you don't take this then you will be responsible for the cost of repair/damage to the hire car if you're involved in an accident, up to the full value of the car.
  
  
  
  
  

• Fully Inc Midsize Car
  
  
  (UK equivalent: Vauxhall Vectra)from £20.30 per day
  • Includes fully inclusive insurance
  4 passengers4 doors2 cases
  +£142.10
• Fully Inc Full Size Car
  
  
  (UK equivalent: Ford Mondeo)from £21.00 per day
  • Includes fully inclusive insurance
  5 passengers4 doors3 cases
  +£147.00
• Fully Inc Sports 4x4
  
  
  (UK equivalent: Vauxhall Frontera)from £26.60 per day
  • Includes fully inclusive insurance
  4 passengers4 doors3 cases
  +£186.20
• Fully Inc Minivan
  
  
  (UK equivalent: VW Sharan)from £28.70 per day
  • Includes fully inclusive insurance
  6 passengers4 doors3 cases
  +£200.90
• Fully Inc 8 Seater Van
  
  
  (UK equivalent: VW Sharan)from £29.40 per day
  • Includes fully inclusive insurance
  8 passengers4 doors4 cases
  +£205.80

Show more Read our Car hire terms & conditions


CloseAlamo Car Hire Terms & Conditions
The vehicle allocated is based on the size of your party including infants. The vehicle allocated does not take into account the amount of luggage you’ll be carrying or the distances you’ll be travelling.
Passengers per booking (car included): 1-2 (Economy 2 door); 3 (Compact 2 door); 4 (Mid size 4 door); 5 (Full size 4 door); 6 (Mini van); 7 or 8 (8 seater van); 9 or more (please call our Travel Advisors on 0844 871 0878 (calls cost 5p per minute plus network extras). Please note: A particular make of vehicle cannot be guaranteed.
Free car - What’s Included
-Air-conditioned car with unlimited mileage, automatic transmission, and radio
-Local road maps and information
-Liability cover offering third party liability protection to the state minimum of $20,000 per accident. Third party liability protection relates to any damage or injury you may cause with your rental vehicle to either the property or person of a third party excluding relatives.
Compulsory extras - paid locally
-Florida State Surcharge of $2.05 per vehicle per day
-Airport operating fees $3.00 - $3.50 per vehicle plus 10% on all optional extras
-Airport handling fees $3.00 - $3.50 per vehicle
-State and local taxes 7%
-Collision Damage Waiver (CDW): If you are involved in an accident CDW relieves you of all responsibility for the collision and covers you for all damage to the rental vehicle up to its full retail value regardless of fault. Alamo reserves the right to refuse a replacement vehicle to anyone who has had as a result of their negligence an accident, breakdown or contravened the law.
The above charges are compulsory and will be payable locally upon arrival.
Fully Inclusive Car – What’s Included
-Air-conditioned car with unlimited mileage, automatic transmission, and radio
-Local road maps and information
-Collision Damage Waiver (CDW)
-If any laws were passed which limit the sale of CDW then a payment of approximately $126.00 per vehicle per week would become compulsory and payable direct to Alamo in exchange for full coverage.
-Florida State Surcharge of $2.05 per vehicle per day
-Airport operating fees $3.00 - $3.50 per vehicle plus 10% on all optional extras
-Airport handling fees $3.00 - $3.50 per vehicle
-State and local taxes 7%
Gold Inclusive Car - What's Included
All the benefits of the Fully inclusive car plus additional drivers (aged 25 and above) and one tank of fuel.
For your increased protection and peace of mind we also include up to $1 million liability coverage for all fully inclusive cars free of charge. Liability cover offers third party liability protection up to $1,000,000 maximum per accident. Third party liability protection, relates to any damage or injury you may cause with your rental vehicle to either the property or person of a third party excluding relatives. The liability cover also offers protection against uninsured motorists to a limit of $100,000 per accident. Motorists in the USA can legally drive with only minimal insurance cover. Uninsured motorist protection (UM) benefits the renter and any family member related by blood, marriage or adoption, up to an aggregate single limit of $100,000 per accident (for accidental death or injury should you be hit by an uninsured or underinsured driver).
Optional extras - payable locally
Fuel: vehicles have a full tank of fuel for which a charge is made based on the average full service pump price for mid-grade fuel. This charge is payable when you sign your rental agreement. Vehicles can be returned with an empty tank.
Under 25 surcharge $25.00 per day for each driver aged 21-24 inclusive
Additional driver surcharge of $10.00 per day for each additional driver
Child seats (compulsory for children under 6 yrs of age), $5.99 per day per seat
All items purchased locally are subject to airport operating fees, handling fees and taxes plus local sales tax of 7%
Deposits
Alamo requires a credit card imprint or a cash deposit of $100 per week.
Documentation
-Details of your booking are transferred directly to Alamo
-When you collect the vehicle, the driver(s) will be asked to sign Alamo’s conditions of rental making the rental the subject of a direct contract between each driver and the rental company. At this point you will be charged for fuel and any applicable extras, please check the charges at this point. Only drivers named at the start of the rental may drive the vehicle, and each driver must sign the contract.
General conditions
-A full UK driving licence is required if you intend to drive whilst on holiday. This must be the original licence, as photocopies are not accepted. If you are entitled to drive in the UK, you can drive in the USA regardless of endorsements however you must be at least 21 years of age. Alamo will not accept US or International driving licences.
-Laws, especially on drinking driving, may differ from those in the UK.
-Alamo operate a 24-hour system, so on your final day you must return your vehicle(s) by the same time as originally collected, or an extra day’s rental will be charged at a local rate.






Car hire Insurance options



Don't forget car hire insurance...

• No insurance
  
  Please note, this option is only available for the economy car included in your booking. You'll need to arrange your own insurance when you land at your destination.
  
• Fully inclusive insurance
  
  Fully inclusive insurance
  
  In addition to Third Party Liability, with the Fully Inclusive package you get Collision Damage Waiver* (Please note, rentals within New York State are subject to a $100 excess), $1million Liability Coverage (Liability Protection LP) (Up to an aggregate, single limit of $100,000), Uninsured Motorist benefit (Up to an aggregate, single limit of $100,000)
  *Collision Damage Waiver (CDW): If you are involved in an accident CDW relieves you of all responsibility for the collision and covers you for all damage to the car up to its full retail value regardless of fault. Alamo reserves the right to refuse a replacement vehicle to anyone who has had as a result of their negligence an accident, breakdown or contravened the law.
  
  
  
  
  £14.70 per day+£102.90
• Gold insurance

LairyMary

I can totally understand how you feel; whilst you may have expected to pay for things like insurance, you still wouldn't expect it to total £400 for all the add ons.

Definitely reinforces the need to check all t&c's thoroughly.

Thanks for the heads up