Carhire warning

[billy]

Hi All,
Perhaps I,ve been lucky but over the past 4 and a half years I have used various car hire companies from Rome and Lamezia[Auto Europa,Europcar,Hertz etc] and ,to date,have had no trouble with any of them. I was wary of Auto Europe this year because of the experiences of other members of the forum. This year I stuck with Hertz booked through the Ryanair website---I have used the Edinburgh/Rome route 4 times this year.Each time I booked a Lancia Ipsilon and for a total this year of 9 weeks and 5 days car hire it has cost me £964 which I think is OK. The only minor complaint I may have is that I only received a Diesel car on one occasion.
Just thought I would share my experiences regarding car hire with other members.
Regards, Billy.

[travelingsuep]

Originally Posted by Hev&Steve

Hi all
We all seem to spend time criticizing Car Hire, which most of the time is rightly deserved. But every once in a while we have a good experience with them.
Surprise, surprise in a matter of days a credit note arrived refunding us the full amount even including the extra days hire charge as a "gesture of goodwill" the letter said. So next time, it's Europcar for me, can't beat good service.

I'm glad you had a good experience, I also have had good service from Europecar.

I am still in discussion with my creditcard company to get the unathorised payment back... AutoEurope are playing the "final audit" clause, which doesn't work as I have paid the bill for the damage in full.

[bella_ciao]

Hi all,

Billy,
Thanks for sharing your positive experiences, which is always encouraging. After an initial problem with Hertz (which was partially due to a mistake on our part), we have also found their service, which we booked through Ryanair, was very good and also very reasonable. Also, I think it helps when you are a frequent or regular traveller to a country because, not only do you 'know the ropes' but people get to know you and realize you're not easily "hoodwinked" into parting with your hard-earned cash, which just shows it pays to be on the ball.
Not knowing much about cars, I'm wondering how the Lancia Ipsilion compares with the Punto, which is the one we usually hire from Hertz. How does it work out for fuel economy and does it manage those mountain roads OK?
All the best,
Ciao,
Frances.

travelingsuep,
It does seem that this matter is dragging on a bit for you - you do have to be persistent with these companies and they should step up to the plate if they want to preserve their good reputation.
The most objectionable thing about this whole car hire issue is that some companies seem to think that, simply because you have booked a car through them, they have carte blanche to deduct unauthorised charges, giving a number of diverse reasons for doing so, although these are unrelated to anything you have ordered from them or have done. That's why it's important to stand your ground and make sure you get a refund.
However, as Billy has shown, it is possible to travel to a country frequently and hire a car successfully, without all the hassle, so long as you keep alert to possible pitfalls and take precautionary steps to prevent any possible problems. It's worth it in the long run.
Then again, as we've seen, not all companies are tarred with the same brush.
All the best with your claim and I hope it's successful for you.
Ciao,
Frances.

[MART]

Hi

Mostly used Europcar picking the vehicle at Naples airport, and touchwood, found them to be very good, again we booked through Holiday Auto`s.

Cheers

Mart

[billy]

Hi Frances,
Regarding car hire, I can't speak for the Fiat Punto as I've never had one but I find the Lancia Ipsilon a good economical and comfortable car. I also find it a good size for ease of parking. I only returned from Scalea last Monday after a 12 day holiday and I'm already wishing I was back there.
I'm not able to give you an MPG figure I'm afraid.The car this time was a petrol model and the petrol cost me 140 Euros in total. This included the return journey from Rome to Scalea. I also visited Maratea,Praia,Belvedere[twice],Diamante[3times] and I also did a lot of local runs--in fact the car was used every day. Had I been given the Diesel model the cost would have been less than 140 euros but Hertz didn't have a Diesel available when I picked up the car at Ciampino Airport.I found the car OK on the run up to Maratea,the road being quite steep and winding at times so I think it would be fine on the mountain roads.
I don't think I will be back in Italy until April/May next year and I hope my luck holds out as far as the car hire is concerned. I take out an Annual insurance with Insurance4carhire which covers the Excess payments and windscreen and costs £49 per year--this means that I only take the Basic insurance from the car hire firm--well worth the money considering I was in Italy 4 times this year.
Hope this helps,
Ciao for Now, Billy.

[bella_ciao]

Hi Billy,
Thanks for your prompt reply and for the info. re: Lancia Ypsilon - I had always wondered because we simply go for the Punto to play safe and get a slightly higher spec. Sounds like a great deal, especially for longer or frequent stays in the area. The petrol consumption is excellent, too - it makes such a difference to the cost of your whole trip if you can get a good deal on car hire and, yes, good old Insurance4carhire really have come up trumps with the premium for the excess and I wouldn't do it any other way. We have found their service to be excellent and they are now doing other insurances, too.
Have a great trip the next time you return to Italy.
Ciao,
Frances.

[brynithel3]

Hi All

The last car I had was a Fiat Punto, diesel, 6 gears. It was so fuel efficient that they offered me temporary membership of OPEC. No seriously, it was very good. I think Steve and Heather had a similar car.

Ciao

John

[billy]

I've just booked a 6 week car hire for May/June this year from Hertz through the Ryanair web site. It's a Fiat Panda or similar and it is costing £494 [Roughly £82 per week ]. If I had gone directly to the Hertz site, the same car would be costing me £727 for the 6 weeks---a difference of £233.I would suggest to anyone flying with Ryanair this year that now could be a good time to book car hire when this offer is still available. The price quoted is the Prepaid price.
Hope you all have a good 2010,
Cheers, Billy.

[bella_ciao]

Originally Posted by billy

I've just booked a 6 week car hire for May/June this year from Hertz through the Ryanair web site. It's a Fiat Panda or similar and it is costing £494 [Roughly £82 per week ]. If I had gone directly to the Hertz site, the same car would be costing me £727 for the 6 weeks---a difference of £233.I would suggest to anyone flying with Ryanair this year that now could be a good time to book car hire when this offer is still available. The price quoted is the Prepaid price.
Hope you all have a good 2010,
Cheers, Billy.

Hi,
Thanks for this very helpful piece of information, Billy - I know by your previous posts that you are a regular traveller to the area and I'm sure other members will benefit from knowing about this. Thanks also to all other contributors to this thread - I know it can seem a bit mundane at times but, if it saves on unnecessary expense, it gives you more to spend when you're over there in Italy. Also, by ironing out the other 'unauthorised charges on credit card' issues with car hire companies, it can help prevent the aggravation of having to deal with lengthy discussions and claim processes when you return home, which is the last thing you want when you've just returned from holiday.
I have to say that this seems like a brilliant deal for six weeks' hire, so well done!
Enjoy your stay in Scalea.
Ciao,
Frances.

[travelingsuep]

is that my credit card finally refunded the money on the 17th February. That's 5 months after the amount appeared on my statement and 7 from the rental. I was still arguing with Barclaycard over Christmas but they have finally, begrudgingly, paid up. Yeah I still won't use autoeuropa again, even having won this battle.

[bella_ciao]

Originally Posted by travelingsuep

is that my credit card finally refunded the money on the 17th February. That's 5 months after the amount appeared on my statement and 7 from the rental. I was still arguing with Barclaycard over Christmas but they have finally, begrudgingly, paid up. Yeah I still won't use autoeuropa again, even having won this battle.

Hi,
Well done you for sticking with it and seeing the matter through to the bitter end! I'm glad you had some success after all that - once bitten, twice shy, eh? Thanks for keeping us posted - it helps us all to be more "savvy" when it comes to car hire companies - forewarned is forearmed, etc. I'm surprised the bank was so slow in coming to your aid, though - we have to use a credit card to pay for things like car hire and it should offer security in these kind of situations. I have to say that Hertz were very polite and apologetic once I'd written to them a couple of times and I didn't have trouble getting the money back through the credit card company, either, once they had all the necessary info.
I'm glad it all worked out for you in the end, anyway.
Ciao,
Frances.

[dmbt54]

When you collect your hire car, make a big play of walking them round it, and having them write down every mark: let them see you taking loads of pictures - point at a mark and photograph your hand pointing at it.....

They then know not to roll you over!!!