March 31, 2008
Budget Rent A Car screwing people over in Europe
Another travel troubleshooter article, this one warning us of potential problems renting cars in Europe. One piece of advice seemed pretty strange to me: "If none of those strategies work, you should consider walking away from the car rental counter. You might do better elsewhere."
I don't think anyone wants to spend their vacation shopping around for a rental car, especially after making reservations in the US.
Posted by James Trotta at March 31, 2008 5:07 AM | TrackBack
It seems to be that this particular person didn't ask all the correct questions when renting his car. My guess is that he used the internet to book rather than speaking directly to a Budget representative in the U.S. about the booking.
You should always ask:
1) How much is the insurance? You are not covered by your American insurance while overseas and the price of this insurance is extremely high and people should be aware of this in advance.
2) You should always fill up the car before you return it. Gasoline in Europe is very expensive. I spent over $100 U.S. filling up 3/4 of the tank in the Netherlands.
3) Adding another driver adds daily costs to your payment. Pick one driver and stick to that person unless you plan to drive straight through to someplace, which I doubt most people do.
4) Make sure you know the currency you are boooking the car for. My first guess when I read this is that the car was quoted in Euros and the online booker assumed it was in U.S. dollars.
Book online -- only if you already know the answers to the questions.
And by walking away, most rental companies at European airports are right next to each other...a few feet. It shouldn't take all that long to walk away and check out the prices at other counters nearby.
Or, take a cab to your first hotel and use the phone to get local prices.
Posted by: travelfan at March 31, 2008 12:32 PM