It is that time of the year again when we all look forward to our holidays, but some planning can ensure that all aspects run smoothly, particularly if travelling abroad.
Having arrived at their destination, many tourists pick up a car for all or some of the holiday. Convenient as this is, potential traps lay in wait, of which the earliest may be as a result of a delay in your flight, in which case some companies may charge for late pick up of the car or worse, give your car away, and then charge you for the higher “walk-up rates”.
To try and avoid these surprises, make sure to include your flight details and pick-up time when you book, so the staff can anticipate delays. It’s also a good idea to directly inform the rental company if you know you’ll be arriving late.
The next minefield is insurance. Although in Europe, car hire should always include the basic cover of damage, theft and third-party liability, there is invariably offered an extremely high excess fee which hirers hope will encourage tourists to take out the extra travel insurance.
However, while in Europe there’s no legal requirement to buy extra insurance, and you can get your own excess insurance from a third party instead. There are various specialist insurers in the UK who will offer these policies, but just make sure that they cover all eventualities.
When you are arranging to hire a car, look for hirers offering full tank on pick-up, with full tank on drop off. With petrol stations invariably in the neighbourhood of airports, this by far both saves money and prevents disputes with potential penalties, as compared with, for example, empty to empty.
It is, however, disputes over supposedly damaged cars which often lead to a sting in the tale at the end of the holiday. Most hire car companies these days give consumers a report on the condition of the car, itemising all scratches and dents. There is usually a hard copy, although many companies send it digitally to your email address. Make sure that you have looked at this and agreed the condition before you set off.
If there are problems, they invariably occur when the car is dropped off, usually at the airport. Ideally, the car should be checked in your presence to agree any issues. In practice, issues such as busy car hire locations and time pressures to catch your flight, mean that often there is practically no ability to do this. In some cases, if you are dropping the car out of hours, then it is impossible to do so.
As a minimum, make sure you have videoed the condition of the car before you leave. This is particularly important if you are unfortunate enough subsequently to receive an email from the hirers claiming that the car has been damaged whilst in your care. Some companies may try and charge for alleged dents and scratches (when, often given the condition of the car when picked up, indicates that they have no intention of repairing the car).
Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to challenge these claims and the previous routes available when the UK was in the EU are no longer available. However, you should contact your card company making them aware of the issue and that you wish to challenge the claim. Often, online reviews of a business may show similar complaints by other consumers to support your contention.
Further advice can be obtained by emailing
trading.standards@croydon.gov.uk
To report a suspected crime, or if you have fallen victim to fraud or cyber-crime, contact Action Fraud via its website or by calling 0300 123 2040.
