Comments on: Renting a car this Christmas

By: Rob White- Marketing, Avis UK

Rob White- Marketing, Avis UK — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 14:27:20 +0000

Hi Liam Christmas is one of the busiest times of the year for us so unfortunately this means that we can only expect prices to get even higher. The summer, any bank holiday and Christmas are our busiest periods and if you are planning to rent a car at any of these periods then my advice would be to book as early as possible to get the best price, like with airlines and hotels (see blog post Renting a Car this Christmas and Tips for getting the best price).

By: Robert White - Marketing, Avis UK

Robert White - Marketing, Avis UK — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 09:42:17 +0000

Hi Martin

Sorry for the late reply, it’s been a busy few days! Michael is pretty much correct in what he says. It is worth highlighting his second point that prices offered to US residents generally do not include Vehicle Damage and Theft Cover as this cover will often be provided by their credit card. On the other hand prices for UK residents almost always include Vehicle Damage and Theft Cover so you are covered for damage to or theft of the vehicle, subject to an excess. Therefore, prices can be different due to different inclusions. Be sure to check this when you book!

Finally, back to your original problem, I have asked our Web Development team to look into why your Englewood search isn’t working and to find a fix for this. In fact I’ve just had a response from them so I know they are on the case!

Rob

By: Liam

Liam — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 14:25:04 +0000

Hi, interested in a 20 day rental over Xmas of Audi A4 1.9 at LHR from Dec 20. For web booking, last week price for guaranteed model was approx 675 UKP….but is now more than 950 UKP! Any way to access better price from last week and is there areaosn for such a big fluctuation within 2 days of checking ? Many thanks

By: Michael Bonte

Michael Bonte — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 14:34:25 +0000

Ohh this is a can of worms you opened. A very interesting subject as it is not seen as “price discrimination” by Avis. They say each market ( country ) will have different price levels. For example. I think we agree that the England is expensive compared to other EU countries. Why is everyone shopping for XMas in the US…right ’cause it is cheaper. Well the same for carrental although not necessarily true as prices quoted in US are excluding tax add this and prices tend to be higher. UK prices of Avis is the whole package including insurance, which you really need.
As a matter of fact I am also looking for a 11 day rental for a standard car. Pick up at LAX.
Well th lowest I could find was £ 276 including. A competitor can do it for £197. Sorry Avis.
I do not mind paying a touch more for the great service I always get from Avis but 80 quid is still $ 165.

By: Martin Reed

Martin Reed — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 16:18:44 +0000

I was looking to book a car for a trip to the USA this Christmas. I noticed that when I put in my country of residence as UK at avis.com, the rental price was $50 more expensive compared to when I put my country of residence as the USA.

I was unable to use the UK version of the Avis website as it couldn’t find the car rental station in Englewood, New Jersey.

Why is there a price discrimination based on my nationality?