Online marketing Business 15 June 2010 – With car hire prices going on rising and becoming more expensive,
leading car hire price comparator Carrentals.co.uk is throwing a helping hand
to avoid excessive high costs thanks to a new range of advice.
The leading online car
hire site has recently surveyed more than 1,500 people and Carrentals.co.uk reports
that more than one quarter of people admitted to having paid high excess
charges on car rentals, and they
ascribe it to a lack of transparency on the part of rental providers.
Gareth Robinson, Managing
Director of Carrentals.co.uk, said: “The survey we carried out reveals that
lots of people feel they want more transparency when renting a vehicle at home
or overseas, and also that lots of people have been hit hard by excess charges.
So our new advice is designed to help people enjoy increased peace of mind by
warning them what costly charges on insurance and fuel for example to keep an
eye out for.”
Carrentals.co.uk has released
the following advice to help people avoid costly car hire excess charges:
Credit Card Requirement – Be sure to carry a credit card with you in the name
of the main driver to book the vehicle. Just having a credit card from one of
the passengers in the car will not be enough unfortunately.
Excess Insurance – There are hidden charges on insurance which can be
avoided and these can be very expensive. A suggestion to save money here is to
have an excess charge insurance policy from a third party that covers expensive
charges incurred. A Collision Damage Excess Waiver insurance policy should be
carried at all times by the driver and Carrentals.co.uk offers Collision Damage
Excess Waiver policies from Questor Insurance for only £3.99 a day.
Border Charges – Lots of hire providers will charge a fee for
crossing a border, so always contact the rental company to find out about this
if you want to avoid paying a heavy charge for leaving a country.
One Way Rentals – If the hirer wants to take out a one way hire trip
then they could risk paying as much as £300 for it. The hirer should get in touch
with the rental company before booking car
hire to see just how much the company charges for one way hire.
Out of Hours – Smaller pick-up locations which have offices not in
airports can operate different opening hours. Travellers hiring cars therefore
can risk paying high charges for collecting a car outside business hours, so
always check with the hire company before booking.
Fuel Policies – As a rule there are three main fuel policies when
renting a car - returning it with a full tank, paying for fuel used and collecting
the car with a full tank and returning it empty. This third policy can be
really expensive for hirers since a lot of hire companies can charge up to 40% more
than the price at the pump for fuel.
Child Seats – Children’s seats can usually be available easily
enough but they can be a bit pricey - up to £60 per week in some cases. So if
your baggage allowance permits it then you might want to think about taking a
seat with you from home.
The Carrentals.co.uk car
hire tips are included in the company’s ‘Raising the Standard’ campaign, in
which the company calls for more fairness and transparency in the travel
sector. For further information on Raising the Standard or to use the forum,
read the blog or to get travel advice papers, visit Raising the Standard.
Carrentals.co.uk compares
car hire deals from up to 50 rental companies, including Alamo, Auto Europe,
Budget, easyCar, Holiday Autos and Sixt, in over 9,000 locations
worldwide.
To compare the latest car
hire deals visit www.carrentals.co.uk.
About
Carrentals.co.uk
Carrentals.co.uk
was launched in February 2003 and grew to become one of the UK's leading online
car hire companies by 2006.
In 2007
the company re-launched its site to create the first major online price
comparator in the travel industry. Using the latest technology the
Carrentals.co.uk site now searches up to 50 different car hire websites, providing
an impartial comparison of the best prices available in over 9,000 locations.
Websites
searched include Alamo, Auto Europe, Budget, easyCar, Ebookers, Hertz, Holiday
Autos, Opodo, Sixt and Thrifty, with the Carrentals.co.uk site quickly comparing
prices and allowing customers to refine their search by car type.
The
Carrentals.co.uk site also features over 5,000 pages of travel information in a
mini-guide format.
In 2008
Carrentals.co.uk was voted Best Car Hire Website in the Travolution Awards. To
book or for further information visit www.carrentals.co.uk
Media Contact
Debbie Williams and
Context
T: 01625 511966
F: 01625 511967
carrentals@contextpr.co.uk