Part 2 of my holiday tips follows.. but first of all a special reminder about how important it is to decide in advance what size of car you’ll need. I’m going to Jersey on holiday next week, and have booked an MX5 to whizz around in – My husband pointed out that the several large suitcases I’m stacking up, wouldn’t fit into the car, and suggested I take less luggage 
(( I had a better idea and booked a taxi to take us from the airport to the hotel and back, and arranged to collect the car later 
)) But it’s lucky we thought about it in advance, otherwise we’d have had a domestic incident at Jersey Airport !
This happens to customers all the time, they might book what they drive at home , or what’s cheapest, without thinking through the implications, and then have a woeful start to the holiday when they get off a long haul flight and realise kids and luggage can’t be fitted into the car. And usually at this stage the luggage is the quieter of the two options:) So think about passenger capacity and luggage capacity, our website has handy little pictures showing how many people and cases the model will carry. On to Tips for Renting a Car on Holiday Part 2…
1. Most of our major locations will have English speaking staff on duty, but please be patient and remember you are in another country, it’s not reasonable to expect everyone you come across to speak English as if it were their native language. And remember some cultures are different to ours, a shrug of the shoulders in France doesn’t have the same connotations that it does in the UK, so keep an open mind:) Our rental agreements are available in English at all major locations in Europe and terms and conditions of rental should be available in English at all locations worldwide.
2. Cars will usually be provided with a full tank of fuel and you’ll normally be asked to return it full or be offered the option of paying for a tank at the beginning of your rental. There are some exceptions, notably in Malta and Cyprus. Local agreements apply where all car rental companies make a mandatory charge for the fuel in advance.
3. Take a few minutes whilst you’re loading the car, to check that it looks ok, and that if there any scratches on the bodywork, they’re recorded on the paperwork you’ve been given. If they’re not, tell someone before you leave the rental location or as soon as possible afterwards.
4. Take care when driving, and while you should be mindful of local driving customs .. don’t panic!
5. When you return your car, ask the rental staff to check the car over when you’re there and to confirm what the cost of your rental is. The price displayed on the receipt supplied by our Rapid Return staff is the final price you will have to pay and that is our guarantee. That way there’ll be no nasty surprises afterwards.
6. Finally, in the unlikely event that you follow our advice and encounter a problem that can’t be solved by the Avis staff on location, we’re always here to help when you get home.
(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)
Loading ...
I recently had a nasty surprise when I found out that I had inadvertently signed for additional insurance to reduce the excess amount.
I signed the rental agreement assuming that the amounts on the form represented the items I had already prepaid in the voucher from a booking agent.
It was not made clear that I was paying for extra insurance to reduce the excess. I did not want this insurance, did not request it and would not have taken it out if it were offered to me.
To hire this car from Avis has cost me almost double what I was expecting to pay and amounts have been debited from my credit card without my permission.
After numerous phone calls, I wrote to Avis to complain on 1 June 2007 and have heard nothing to date.
It really should be made explicit that you will be charging extra, and what these items are for.
Hello Daniel,
You should never be asked to sign something without having the Rental Contract reviewed and explained to you, and any additional cover should be offered, not simply added to the contract. If you mail me your Rental Contract number to comments@avis.co.uk , I’ll have a look at the case.
Thanks Eibhlin, I have just received a full refund for the additional insurance. Hopefully this level of service will filter down to the less visible parts of Avis.
I had a similar case to Daniel… although I HAD requested additional insurance, I expected excess reduction insurance ONLY (by the way Eibhlin, you may want to add this to your wish list for Preferred members – choose which insurance you would like as an option), instead was given full insurance cover, which was not necessary (because most of it was already covered by the included insurance).
I learnt my lesson from this and although this should not be necessary anymore, still double-check my insurance details.
No need to worry about my agreement… I’m taking that as a lesson.
Actually I think this is something that is worth clarifying as this will probably apply to other Avis Preferred members. When a customer signs up to Avis Preferred they will be asked to indicate what level of cover they prefer. The thing to be aware of is that if you choose the ‘Excess Reduction’ type product, what is included in the product and the price of the product can differ by country. If you are unsure, the safest bet is to indicate that you don’t want to include the ‘Excess Reduction’ type product. You can always ask to have this added to your rental when you rent (although this might mean that you don’t get through the Avis Preferred line as quickly as you normally do).
I want to hire a car for this friday, from Knock airport, and i wanted to know if i can book it online with my partners credit card, and then pay cash for any extra charges when i pick up car? I will be on my own and the problem is i dont own a credit card and i only have a Maestro debit card.
Hello Becky,
You can pay cash at Knock airportsfor most car categories (i.e. small , medium and large) but not executive ones. You will need to show the prepaid voucher made through the internet and then provide a minimum deposit of €450 subject to qualification/credit check. You must also present a passport or similar visual identification with full clean drivers licence held for one year. Cash rentals are accepted Monday to Friday 0900-1600 only.
The best is that you contact our call centre on 0844 581 0147 if you have further questions.
Xavier
How can I find out a total overall price for a car rental INCLUDING the cost of excess reduction without having to make an international call to the actual office.
When checking the detail of the vehicle cost, I find there is a damage and theft excess of £2300.00 which is completely unacceptable.
There is no way that I could commit to paying the rental fee in advance, with an excess of more than the total of a family holiday, with absolutely no idea what the overall cost is going to be until I’ve landed.
If you can suggest a reasonable way to move this forward I’ll be happy to listen, otherwise I’ll have to go to a competitor that DOES state (even on their web booking system) what the additional cost will be.
You can call our central reservation centre on 08445 81 81 81 or email them and they will be able to advise you on the cost of reducing the excess based on your specific rental needs. Usually only specialist vehicles or those with a higher than normal risk attached will have a high excess – it depends on the location.
I have recently had an appaling experience hiring a car in Lanzarote. At best it’s incompetence at worst it’s fraud.
I paid in full for a fully inclusive car hire. On arrival I was asked for a credit card, I used two which were both refused. Why. My documents on returning the car show that the renters name was Robert Clark and not mine, but with my driver licence no and home address. Therefore both cards numbers and name dont match. Therefore I was aksed to cough up 100 euros in cash. It took 2 hours to pick up the car and 90 minutes to get my 100 euors back and my insurance was probably invalid as it said I hired for 14 days, not 7 as I booked, and the name of Robert Clark was just incompetence. How do I complain to Avis as I am seeking compensation for the sheer hassle. I had to work hard, Avis does need to try harder.
Hi Craig, this is disappointing to read and I am sorry that you have not received an acceptable level of service from us. The Contact Avis page on avis.co.uk provides all the information you need to get in touch with us with your issue.
I need help! I am going to Carcasonne in France in Aug. I do not have a credit card only a visa debit card. I rang an Avis op who told me if i took out additional insurance to reduce excess to zero I would not need my credit card, but then another op said I would still need to produce a credit card. I am getting desperate as I have booked my holiday now. I cannot risk getting stranded without a car. Please can avis assist with a definate arrangement?
June
Hi June,
I’ve spoken to Carcasonne who have confirmed that they will be happy to accept the Visa Debit card when you pick up the vehicle. I hope that helps!
Chris
I am looking to rent a car at Malaga Airport. I do not have a credit card in my name but in the name of my business for which I am a signatory. Can you please confirm whether I will have a problem using this.
Hi Sean,
I’ve spoken to Malaga and I’m afraid that your name would have to appear on the company credit card somewhere. If it didn’t then they would be unable to accept it as a method of payment.
Apologies
Chris
Hi,
We are hiring a ‘luxury’ (Group H) car in Toronto Airport in a couple of weeks time (25th). From our last hiring we spent well over an hour before we had to settle for a car, as the booked grade/type was not available. We were even offered a van!
How can we ensure that our car is available?
Because we always tend to book a luxury car, we can hardly often be upgraded, and seems often downgraded.
As this is a honeymoon, I am trying to ensure that we do not have any issues.
Thank you.
Hi Ian,
You should always be given the group that you’ve requested or certainly as to close to that as possible so I’m very surprised that you’ve been offered a van in the past!!!! Certainly if your reservation has been taken for a more prestigious model of car all efforts should be made to match your booking.
If you want to email me your reservation number to comments@avis.co.uk I’ll speak to the office and try to ensure that your honeymoon is one to remember in a positive light.
Chris
Thank you – email sent
I do not wish for my new bride to be upset – I can’t afford a divorce!!