Tag Archives: Car Rental

Advantages Of a Car Hire Service

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Before acknowledging the many advantages of car hire service, one should know what services car hire company provides. A car hire company would offer both cars for rental purposes and chauffeur driven luxurious cars for pick and drop services.

So if you are travelling to a new city or country, you can select from the different models of cars available which suit your purpose and budget and explore the new places. Similarly if it is a special occasion, like your wedding day, or you just need a reliable service to pick you up from home and drop you at the airport, you can call the car hire services and they would be happy to help you out.

Now let’s take a peek at some of the advantages you get if you opt for car hire services.

  • First and foremost, hiring a car is going to keep you away from the trouble of waiting for the cab, or looking for the right bus. If you hire the services of a rental car, then you are going to witness convenience right from the time that you land at the airport. The car is going to be waiting for you at the airport so that when you arrive you have transportation ready.

  • Car hire services will not prove to be expensive if you strike a good deal with them. You might think that getting a cab or taking a bus to different places is a cheap way of travelling around the city or the country. But it will not be if you have to go to a dozen places; if you add all the cab fare together, you are going to find that it is either going to cost you the same or more. Moreover taking a cab or bus is very inconvenient and this brings us to the next advantage.

  • Convenience is one of the biggest advantages that hiring a car service has. If you are travelling with your parents or young kids, then it is more convenient to travel in a car that is either chauffer driven or driven by you. This way you can control the speed and kind of be your own boss. Many cab drivers are very rigid about turning on the air conditioner or sometimes they don’t shut off the horrible loud music that is playing in their car. Similarly, travelling in a bus is not easy especially when you trying to make it as a family vacation.

  • You get to save a lot of time when you have your own car to travel in. Waiting for a cab or waiting for the bus on the right route can waste useful hours of your time. If you really want to explore the new place, then it is best that you leave your hotel room early in the morning to visit the most number of places there; it isn’t every day that you get to travel to a new country.

Avoiding the Hidden Charges of Car Hire

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Something you’ll hear about time and time again when friends regale you with their “Holidays from Hell” stories is how they got ripped off on their car hire. Car rental companies have a bad reputation when it comes to additional charges, with fees for additional mileage, fuel, damage, and more being added seemingly at will after the rental is long finished.

Admittedly the major car rental companies are starting to clean up their act and are at least trying to make these charges more transparent, but it would be much better if you could avoid them altogether, right?

Listen to enough of the horror stories and you’ll start to see general themes developing about the types of charges that can get applied to your rental. This article aims to help you avoid the possibility of incurring these additional charges and, if you do, how to prove you shouldn’t have to pay them (if it’s not your fault that is).

Collecting the Rental Car
When collecting your rental car there are a few things you need to take into account before driving away to ensure that you’re not going to get any nasty surprises later. Firstly don’t forget to give the car a good look around for signs of any obvious damage that’s not on the paperwork. This is a notorious scam of the less reputable car hire firms so check:

o the exterior of the car for minor damage, dents and scratches. Concentrate on the most likely areas; doors and bumpers.

o the interior of the car for tears and stains; don’t forget this includes the boot.

o that brakes, headlights and indicators are functioning properly.

o that windscreen wipers, electric windows, doors and latches, radio and heating are operating correctly.

o the tyre pressures (at the nearest garage), oil and water levels are appropriate.

o that the fuel tank is full if your contract specified it should be.

o that you have the car’s manual with you.

If you find any faults that are not already highlighted on the rental paperwork, report them back to the rental company, preferably before driving away. Should this not be possible, photograph the damage (this is where mobile phones with cameras can come in really handy) so that you’ve at least got a record of it.

Once you’re happy with the car just double check all the paperwork. Make sure the registration plate matches the vehicle and that you’ve got contact numbers in the case of a breakdown or accident.

Fuel

Most companies rent their cars out with a full tank of fuel and charge you for the difference between what’s left and refilling the tank. Often the price per litre of this charge is higher than the pump price and it’s very difficult to prove how much or little was in the car when you returned it.

Avoid this by filling the car at the nearest garage just before you take it back. Hold onto the receipt just in case and if they try and charge you, you’ve got some pretty good evidence on your side.

Booking Errors

Check the cost of your rental as car hire as an industry is notorious for it’s extras charging. You can get charged at the counter for extras like additional drivers, child seats, insurance upgrades, young driver surcharges, and more.

To avoid this make sure you read the rental terms when booking, and make sure your quotes are like for like. A company that appears cheaper may not always be the lowest cost option.

Hopefully having read this you’ll be able to enjoy your next car rental and be reasonably confident that it won’t come back to haunt you later.