Trusting travelers tripped up by Holiday Car Hire pitfalls – Wise up or pay up, says Insurance4carhire.com
31 March 2008
- Watch out for costly add-ons
- Awareness of industry practices can avoid shock credit card charges
- Keep paperwork, take photos, follow the rules to keep costs down
As thousannds of families with school age children prepare to hit the road in hired vehicles this holiday period, standalone Excess insurance specialist Insurance4carhire.com warns of a number of key pointers drivers need to be wary of when using car rental firms at home and abroad.
While the basic cost of a hire car can appear very reasonable, add-ons - especially for ‘damage' incurred to a vehicle during the rental period - can run into hundreds of pounds.
Insurance4carhire.com advises that one of the most common areas where
holidaymakers are tripped up is when there is damage to the vehicle's windows, tyres, roof or undercarriage - areas which are not normally covered on the rental firm's own excess cover.
"So many people are innocently caught out on this, yet these are precisely the areas that people don't think about," says Insurance4carhire.com spokesman Larry Ursich.
"We have also had many reports of drivers being asked to pay for scratches or dents on the rental vehicle that they believed they had nothing to do with. Our advice is to make sure you take digital snaps of the vehicle at the point of hire."
Ursich also recommends making notes of the condition of the vehicle on the hire company's form, taking care to photograph, if possible, any old scratches or dents it may have as these can be the prime source of dispute.
"Inspection of a returned vehicle's condition almost always takes place after the keys have been handed back, but it is essential to be there when the inspection is done. "Don't just drop the car off, otherwise you may have bumps and scratches unfairly assigned to you. If you can't be there, again, take photos and notes to prove there were no problems; and make sure you record the mileage."
Insurance4carhire.com Top Tips on Car Hire
√ Take photos of the vehicle before and after the hire period - it's the best way to avoid being charged for damage you didn't cause.
√ Ask for all paperwork to be completed on the spot and keep it until your credit card statement arrives and you are happy with the charges.
√Always return the vehicle with a full tank - car hire firms can charge double the pump price to do it themselves
√ Don't leave before the final inspection is completed - and don't sign anything unless you and the hire firm are in agreement
√ The person renting the vehicle must have a credit card - most car rental companies will not accept debit cards or cash.
√ Don't return the car late - you could face an extra day's hire charge.
√ Make sure the car you get is the same class as the one you booked - if they choose to give you an upgrade this should be free so check the small print as they may charge you more.
√If you do have an accident, keep all relevant paperwork as you will need it to make a claim when you get home.
√Some countries have their own legal requirements such as breakdown kits - if the car doesn't have one you may be a risk of police fines
Insurance4 Car Hire has developed an alternative that will save motorists a small fortune: low annual car rental Excess insurance products to protect customers whenever they rent a car, with peace of mind that the total amount ofExcess will be covered.
Europe-wide cover costs just £49, covering the policyholder and all additional driverson the car rental agreement for multiple use throughout the year.
Annual Worldwide cover costs just £59 to provide protection anywhere in the world where Excess is charged.
Notes
Founded in 2002 Insurance 4 Car Hire is an innovative online insurance company whose core business is the provision of car rental Excess insurance. The business was born out of the high costs being charged by the car rental companies for Excess cover. Insurance4carhire strives to bring customers annual Excess insurance products offering customers convenience, peace of mind and very significant savings when they rent cars.
In 2005, for the second year running, Insurance4carhire received the accolade of "World's Leading Innovative Ecommerce Travel Product" from The World Travel Awards. These annual awards celebrate achievement in the travel industry and are based on votes cast by travel industry professionals throughout Europe.
To reflect the increasingly global reach of its products, Insurance4carhire changed
underwriters to AIG UK Ltd, a member company of American International Group, Inc., (AIG) in December 2007. AIG is one of the worlds leading insurance companies with operations in more than 130 countries.
Insurance 4 Car Hire is now part of the Towergate Partnership the largest independently owned insurance intermediary in Europe.
Source: Insurance4carhire.com
See Also:
Excess Protection Gives a Financial Boost to All - May 2009
Insurance4carhire.com's Best Drives in the US - January 2009
INSURE4EXCESS.COM Launches New Policies at Competitive Rates
insurance4car hire.com - March 2008
Towergate Partnership announces the acquisition of Insurance 4 Car Hire Agents Ltd - January 2008
Lower prices for car hire excess insurance from December - December 2007
Annual Car Rental Insurance Renewal is here again - October 2007
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