Car hire - alicante,spain
Comments
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BELLATOR-MORTIS wrote: »Thanks, but I seem to be running out of options.
I hate gold car and most of the others there too.
Google does not help as all I see is the negatives.
I just need to find car hire at a good price that won’t sting me when I collect the car.
Recommdations on who to use and to make that one off payment when booking and collect those keys on arrival.
I only booked gold car as the quote for 7 days was good @ £48 inc insurance with AXA.
With this booking are there any hidden costs?
What will happen when I collect the car?
You will likely have to pay for a tank of fuel in advance. They may 'find' damage to the car on your return and charge that to your CC.
You'll then need to try to recoup that from AXA.
They may pressure you into purchasing their Relax Cover buy scaring you with all that could occur, as the AXA policy has no connection with GoldCar whatsoever.0 -
After hiring cars at Alicante airport for many years and probably tried all the various companies through Do You Spain I find one is faced with 2 options
Option 1
Buy annual car hire excess insurance from one of the recommended companies in UK £30 odd quid?? Get the cheapest full to full deal available on DYS, don't pay upfront. Keep checking prices using a private window on your browser, rebook, cancelling the previous booking as the prices become lower, even up to the day before travel. eventually you will have to pay with booking. Get to airport, put up with the queues, do not take any extras however they are trying to cajole you into accepting. Take your paperwork and go to your car, then carefully inspect it, photograph it, then find an employee to go over all the scratches, marks and dents that aren't on your contract and make sure he marks them on both their copy and your copy. On return fill up at the petrol station on the approach road to the Airport, keep the receipt. Photograph the receipt in front of the dash showing a full tank. Photograph your returning car and give the keys and petrol receipt to the hirer. I regularly used to get car hire for 10/11 euros per week. Never, never, use Dickmanns and look in the hire t's & c's for a company that blocks the excess amount from your card rather than one that actually takes it then eventually refunds it.
Option 2
Pay a reasonable price in the first place, take the full insurance and have a worry free holiday!
I find Wiber to be the best for price, easy pick up at airport and very little queue. All new cars and great people. I have just paid under 300 euros for 25 days all in with a Focus.
Hope i didn't miss anything out, getting too old and can't be bothered any more with option 1
I have even seen people in the queue for the car hire rebooking with DYS to get the cheapest prices. I was sitting next to a chap on the plane bragging about my 3 week car hire for 40 odd euros and he showed me his latest booking for 14 euros for 3 weeks!
Obviously the company can't possibly make money on this so you will be harangued to take extras, they will try to sting you for "scratches"on your return, or charge you for cleaning, not filling the tank, 50 euros for a removal of car hire company sticker (check and photograph that it is on at collection and return) etc, etc. You can beat them but be prepared to take a bit time.0 -
As noted above Goldcar=Dreadful
Massive queues at the desk as they try to upsell everyone then there is never anyone there at the car park so if you do find a problem you have to go back up in the lift over the bridge and back down again ! Similarly on return they wont check it immediately on return - so the first thing you know of a problem is the charge on your CC.
In addition to checking for scratches etc check the spare wheel and the 2 warning triangles are there
Personally use Centauro at Alicante - and non of the above applies and their form includes a circle around the size of a £2 coin and any marks less than that don't count as damage so you don't need a magnifying glass to check the car
oh and the nearest petrol station is only accessible if you are travelling westbound on the N338 ie from the N332 not from the N340/A70/A790 -
Please follow the threads advise. I have just returned from a trip to Spain, I followed the MSE tips and advice. Used the sky scanner website, took out my own excess insurance.
When I arrived at Alicante Airport, I was subject to Goldcar pressuring me to take out their zero excess waiver insurance. I explained I had my own excess insurance which they told me was not adequate. I still refused to take the insurance and therefore they blocked £1,400 on my credit card as the deposit.
We received the paperwork / contract for the car and there were a number of significantly damaged areas. We checked the car with the service rep down in the car park area and took pictures of the damaged panels.
On returning the car we checked it back in and women in the service office who asked if we had any damage to report, we said no and she said fine (should have got her to sign paperwork!).
On returning to the UK, I have received a bill for 830 euros for damage to hirer car. Goldcar have charged us for the previous damage to the car even though it was clearly highlighted in their contract!!
I've put a temporary block on my credit card, so they can't take any more money but I am not sure if that means money can't be credited back again?? Anyone know?
I've already started complaints procedure with Goldcar through their website but I have heard nothing back. If you call them you get referred to their online complaints procedure.
I can't claim for the damage with my excess waiver insurance policy because I did not cause any damage.
I am now thinking it would have been cheaper to take out their zero waiver insurance with Goldcar:(
Anyone else don't use Goldcar there are many hidden costs.0 -
I am looking to hire a car in alicante in sep so just monitoring this thread0
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I used a company called Yellow Car 3 times. I could not rate them enough. No extras, just return the car with the same petrol as I received it. They dropped the car at my villa, you can pick it up at the airport.0
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I used a company called Yellow Car 3 times. I could not rate them enough. No extras, just return the car with the same petrol as I received it. They dropped the car at my villa, you can pick it up at the airport.
I thought, great a recomendation, went to look, to find they are at Malaga airport
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As noted above Goldcar=Dreadful
Massive queues at the desk as they try to upsell everyone then there is never anyone there at the car park so if you do find a problem you have to go back up in the lift over the bridge and back down again ! Similarly on return they wont check it immediately on return - so the first thing you know of a problem is the charge on your CC.
In addition to checking for scratches etc check the spare wheel and the 2 warning triangles are there
Personally use Centauro at Alicante - and non of the above applies and their form includes a circle around the size of a £2 coin and any marks less than that don't count as damage so you don't need a magnifying glass to check the car
oh and the nearest petrol station is only accessible if you are travelling westbound on the N338 ie from the N332 not from the N340/A70/A79
anyone else have recomendations for centauro, I can get an astra for a week with AXA damage insurance for around £850 -
We hire a car 4/5 times a year in Spain, usually in Murcia but perhaps once a year in Alicante. We book through Doyouspain and for the last couple of years have mostly used Goldcar at both airports.
We take out the yearly policy with insurance4carhire or icarinsurance.
I have to say that we have found staff at both airports very pleasant. We just hand over the booking voucher and credit card and tell them to ringfence the deposit as we have our own insurance. I think if you show any kind of hesitation they move in for the kill. I witness this many times with Goldcar and other companies. Never had to queue very long but our flight gets in quite late at Alicante.
Whoever we use, we go over the car with a fine tooth comb to make sure there is no damage not listed and I walk round the car and video it on my phone. We fill up at a garage about ten minutes from the airport and I photograph the fuel tank when we hand the keys in.
My next holiday is in three weeks flying into Murcia and using Goldcar. Hope I haven’t just put the mockers on it!0
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