Vehicle Hire queries

Rows Grower · 27-09-2019 10:30pm

I went to book a van with Enterprise last week, I couldn't remember the PIN for my credit card as I rarely use it and asked to use a debit card as I have used one to rent from them in a different branch before. No dice, first he told me I couldn't have rented from them using a debit card and then didn't apologise when he checked my booking history.

Rang the bank from their office phone (which was manky) and the best they could do was send out a new credit card PIN in three days although the guy on the line did offer to speak to the chap from Enterprise when I asked him to. The chap with Enterprise wasn't interested in talking to the chap from the bank even though it was he that dialled the number. It's not like he was too busy, there was four people behind the one desk and I was the only customer.

Went to Hertz and there was no problem using the debit card Enterprise had refused. Drove away in a new van after about 10 minutes and the chap even moved another van to allow me park my car temporarily. The difference in customer service was stratospheric.

Hertz have gained a new customer.

Sully · 28-09-2019 5:19pm

Rows Grower wrote: »

I went to book a van with Enterprise last week, I couldn't remember the PIN for my credit card as I rarely use it and asked to use a debit card as I have used one to rent from them in a different branch before. No dice, first he told me I couldn't have rented from them using a debit card and then didn't apologise when he checked my booking history.

Rang the bank from their office phone (which was manky) and the best they could do was send out a new credit card PIN in three days although the guy on the line did offer to speak to the chap from Enterprise when I asked him to. The chap with Enterprise wasn't interested in talking to the chap from the bank even though it was he that dialled the number. It's not like he was too busy, there was four people behind the one desk and I was the only customer.

Went to Hertz and there was no problem using the debit card Enterprise had refused. Drove away in a new van after about 10 minutes and the chap even moved another van to allow me park my car temporarily. The difference in customer service was stratospheric.

Hertz have gained a new customer.

In fairness the majority of places wont take a card without a pin. While the call center staff in the bank were happy to vouch, it wouldn't stand up I suspect if you appealed the transaction. Plus it costs the merchant more to process it manually. My local supervalu even have signs up insisting on a pin! It's supposed to be more or less mandatory for point of sale transactions.

Every hire company has different rules on debit. Some take bigger deposits, some insist you take their insurance and others just ask for proof of income - not insisting you pay extra or put down a big deposit. Some simply will not take them at all.

In terms of service- absolutely, the employee could have been a bit more helpful and friendly. And a cleaner phone!!!

Rows Grower · 28-09-2019 7:12pm

Sully wrote: »

In fairness the majority of places wont take a card without a pin. While the call center staff in the bank were happy to vouch, it wouldn't stand up I suspect if you appealed the transaction. Plus it costs the merchant more to process it manually. My local supervalu even have signs up insisting on a pin! It's supposed to be more or less mandatory for point of sale transactions.

Every hire company has different rules on debit. Some take bigger deposits, some insist you take their insurance and others just ask for proof of income - not insisting you pay extra or put down a big deposit. Some simply will not take them at all.

In terms of service- absolutely, the employee could have been a bit more helpful and friendly. And a cleaner phone!!!

I honestly don't know what you mean when you say if I appealed the transaction. I knew my PIN for the debit card and had used it in a different branch of the same company less than a year ago and he could see that on his screen. He asked had I an invoice with my company name on it but I didn't.

The chap from the bank was looking at my different account details as I had given him the online pass codes and he was going to confirm I am self employed and there was funds to cover the rental and whatever deposit was required. It was a disappointing experience from a company I often get emails from showing me how many loyalty points I have accumulated.

The chap from Hertz just took one look at the debit card which said "business account" on it and said no problem, what would you like to hire and for how long?

I got the distinct impression the lad in Enterprise was trying to impress the three younger ladies behind the counter with his dismissive, authoritative manner and to be honest I don't think it worked.

I fired off an email to customer service that evening as it's a company that I've only always had positive experience's with before this. Still waiting on a reply but not losing any sleep over it.

I thought it was an experience worth sharing on this thread.

Mark1916 · 10-10-2019 9:25am

I wonder can anyone help....

I have had to exchange my UK licence for an Irish licence recently. It's a condition of a lot of car rental companies that you have to have at least 1 year on your driving licence (which I had 15 on my UK licence). My Irish licence gives an issue date of August 2019 however on the back the Valid from date is 2004 (in line with my prior licence). Any idea which date they use?

coylemj · 10-10-2019 10:46am

Mark1916 wrote: »

My Irish licence gives an issue date of August 2019 however on the back the Valid from date is 2004 (in line with my prior licence). Any idea which date they use?

Why would there be a problem? If they only used the August 2019 date, it would mean that anyone who renewd his licence couldn't rent a car for the next 12 months which would clearly be ludicrous. Your licence says that it was first issued in 2004, meaning that you have been fully licensed for 15 years.

4real · 18-11-2019 1:37pm

anyone rented using rentalcars.com before?
company i am using is Rentplus and have never used them before, the price is very good for a VW Polo for 9 days in Prague.

killbillvol2 · 18-11-2019 6:15pm

4real wrote: »

anyone rented using rentalcars.com before?
company i am using is Rentplus and have never used them before, the price is very good for a VW Polo for 9 days in Prague.

Rentalcars is a broker. They're good to deal with. They outline the T&Cs for the different companies very clearly so make sure you read them.

G-Man · 24-11-2019 11:28pm

I see in the small print of my proposed car rental insurance in germany viia autoeurope

"Rental excludes Collision Damage Waiver . Auto Europe strongly advises you to contact your credit card for coverage. If credit card does not provide coverage the coverage is then mandatory. Proof of coverage must be presented at the counter.
"

Now the main agent website (enterprise) does not have this condition.

IF they look for this, will they take carhirexcess letter, or must it be the credit card.. I dont think any irish CC offer this..

Perhaps its just an autoeurope thing and the main agent (enterprise) wont even ask about this..

Quazzie · 25-11-2019 12:15pm

4real wrote: »

anyone rented using rentalcars.com before?
company i am using is Rentplus and have never used them before, the price is very good for a VW Polo for 9 days in Prague.

I used them once. Paid extra money to get a 7 seater, and turned up late at night to collect and was given a 5+2. There was about €100 in the difference at time of booking and we paid extra for the comfort. I said this at the desk when picking it up and was basically told it's that or nothing and my issue was with rentalcars, who obviously couldn't be contacted at that time.

Never used them again after that.

coylemj · 25-11-2019 12:32pm

G-Man wrote: »

I see in the small print of my proposed car rental insurance in germany viia autoeurope

"Rental excludes Collision Damage Waiver . Auto Europe strongly advises you to contact your credit card for coverage. If credit card does not provide coverage the coverage is then mandatory. Proof of coverage must be presented at the counter."

Even when you have your own excess policy, it's still you who has to pay for the damage, then claim it later from the insurance company. So it makes absolutely no difference to the rental company whether you have excess cover or not.

It sounds like they're softening you up to force you to buy their insurance. Because (and this happens with all of the cowboys) even if you show them your cover confirmation letter, they will tell you it has exceptions which don't cover this rental.

Edit: I compared an identical rental quote from Auto Europe (using Enterprise) and Enterprise (direct) for a four day rental next week from Munich airport. The prices quoted for the lowest three categories of car were the same in both quotes. When I clicked on the Auto Europe terms and conditions, I found this...

Auto Europe does not provide insurance. Coverage is provided by the rental company as indicated. Additional coverage may be available for purchase from the rental company.

The Enterprise Ts & Cs say there is an excess of just €850 so it sounds like you'll be ok. For an excess of that level, you can either risk it or buy a one-off or annual excess policy before you travel.

G-Man · 25-11-2019 8:44pm

Ok mostly sorted, but now I see they all have sort of wiggle room wrt compulsory winter tyres.. Are they going to take them off, if they try and charge me ?

Well at least there is a max charge of 96 per rental.

4real · 02-12-2019 4:40pm

Quazzie wrote: »

I used them once. Paid extra money to get a 7 seater, and turned up late at night to collect and was given a 5+2. There was about €100 in the difference at time of booking and we paid extra for the comfort. I said this at the desk when picking it up and was basically told it's that or nothing and my issue was with rentalcars, who obviously couldn't be contacted at that time.

Never used them again after that.

problem is that direct providers are way too pricey for me, plus not many providers are there in Prague Airport as opposed to other European cities.

redcup342 · 02-12-2019 5:31pm

coylemj wrote: »

Even when you have your own excess policy, it's still you who has to pay for the damage, then claim it later from the insurance company. So it makes absolutely no difference to the rental company whether you have excess cover or not.

It sounds like they're softening you up to force you to buy their insurance. Because (and this happens with all of the cowboys) even if you show them your cover confirmation letter, they will tell you it has exceptions which don't cover this rental.

Edit: I compared an identical rental quote from Auto Europe (using Enterprise) and Enterprise (direct) for a four day rental next week from Munich airport. The prices quoted for the lowest three categories of car were the same in both quotes. When I clicked on the Auto Europe terms and conditions, I found this...

Auto Europe does not provide insurance. Coverage is provided by the rental company as indicated. Additional coverage may be available for purchase from the rental company.

The Enterprise Ts & Cs say there is an excess of just €850 so it sounds like you'll be ok. For an excess of that level, you can either risk it or buy a one-off or annual excess policy before you travel.

Car hire in Germany without CDW means full liability.

You're exposure on the excess for loss or damage of the vehicle will be the full value of the car.

This is because it's possible to rent a car here with a CDW covered by your Credit Card. (North American/German)

This is a common misunderstanding as in other European Countries the default is always an excess of 500-1500 euros.

Excess cover only covers you if you have an excess (usually a limit of 5000 euros)

E.G.
https://www.sixt.de/mietservice/vollkasko/

If you don't select anything when booking your excess is not limited.

If I'm booking in Germany I have to take the basic CDW for my Car hire Excess Insurance to cover the rest.

Tigerandahalf · 04-12-2019 9:42pm

I have never purchased the above before. I always just pay the full amount to get the excess reduced to zero and cover everything for peace of mind. However it can be expensive.

If you do purchase the above will the car hire company still claim the excess on your credit card in the event of an accident and you then claim it back off the insurance? So you would want to have that amount set aside in case it took a while for the reclaim?

Thanks

ToxicPaddy · 04-12-2019 9:45pm

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

I have never purchased the above before. I always just pay the full amount to get the excess reduced to zero and cover everything for peace of mind. However it can be expensive.

If you do purchase the above will the car hire company still claim the excess on your credit card in the event of an accident and you then claim it back off the insurance? So you would want to have that amount set aside in case it took a while for the reclaim?

Thanks

I rent about 6-8 times a year and got annual car excess insurance from AIG. Costs about €49.99 iirc and as soon as someone starts the hard sell in a rental company about their insurance, I take out a print out and they stop almost immediately.

There is an excess of €75 and that's it. Definitely worth it imo.

ToxicPaddy · 04-12-2019 9:47pm

Sorry forgot to add, yes the rental company will take the excess from you and you claim it back from the insurance company when you get back. I believe you need to have police reports if there is an accident and a report of damage from insurance company to submit if its just damage to the car.

Allinall · 04-12-2019 9:51pm

To answer the OPs question.

Yes. You will need to pay the excess- usually about €1.000 - €1.500 , and then you gather all the paperwork and claim back off the excess insurance.

I’ve gone through it once. And while it’s a fair bit of hassle and work, if you rent any way regularly then it’s definitely worth it.

I find when pricing rentals that to cover the excess with the rental company it usually doubles the cost.

I also have an annual policy which costs €50.

You can take out excess insurance for about €3 per day if you only rent occasionally.

Waldo99 · 04-12-2019 9:53pm

I used this before, and claimed in the past for a damage in europe. This is what I recall what happened in my case.

The car hire company blocks the entire damage deposit amount on your credit card when you rent. You will need to have this available on your card, and debit card is not accepted.

I had a minor damage, they photographed it when I returned the car, and charged my card, I was emailed a receipt, and bill with the picture of the damage. When I did the claim, the insurance co. sent a claim form, it included a police report section, which I didn't need, and they didn't require in the end (car park damage - no report). The insurance company refunded me the full damage amount that was on the bill in a couple of weeks. Have to say it was less hassle than I expected.

The only issue is making sure that you have that deposit available on your CC, and the hire staff tend to like to remind you how much is being blocked, it's usually around €1K.

Hope this helps.

Tigerandahalf · 04-12-2019 10:07pm

Thanks for replies. I would just be renting once in the year so I am not sure if it is worth the hassle. If I was renting 3 or 4 times a year I could see the value.

Caranica · 04-12-2019 10:56pm

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

Thanks for replies. I would just be renting once in the year so I am not sure if it is worth the hassle. If I was renting 3 or 4 times a year I could see the value.

Get a per trip policy, I recently paid €8 for a car hire excess policy for a UK trip. Saved me a fortune at the hire desk

Dodge · 04-12-2019 11:00pm

Waldo99 wrote: »

The car hire company blocks the entire damage deposit amount on your credit card when you rent. You will need to have this available on your card, and debit card is not accepted.

Just to point out this isn’t industry standard. I’ve used a debit card with several companies and the hold has been as low as a dollar (in the US).

It’s definitely worth checking all this when pricing up companies.

coylemj · 05-12-2019 12:36am

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

Thanks for replies. I would just be renting once in the year so I am not sure if it is worth the hassle. If I was renting 3 or 4 times a year I could see the value.

A one week excess policy for a rental in Europe will cost you €25 with the likes of AIG.

12-12-2019 12:00pm

So over the years I've seen frequent chat/posts about the merit of reducing the hire car excess to €0 at the desk or going for a 3rd party insurance excess policy that you claim on independently after the car hire company hit your credit card for the €€€€€s .......... so this is an account of my recent dealings.

So I've hired quite a few cars over the last 3 years or so, prior to that it would have been a rental or two a year but for the last 3 years I've spent quite some time in hired cars.

I've never reduced the excess to €0 as I reckon it's cost prohibitive and there was an element of "it won't happen to me". In the last few years though I've opted for the annual euro cover policy that was €49 or so.

On my most recent rental just after I filled the thing with petrol within a mile or so of the airport I hit something on the road that burst a rear tyre and also caused some paint damage to two doors. Avis totted that up as £1100 approx..... they'd a price per door and a price for the tyre.
There was some damage to the wheel too (a deep scratch) but it was below an inch so Avis classed it as wear and tear to be fair to them.

So that amount was charged to my credit card.

Came home and contacted the 3rd party insurer, they told me what was required.....

1. Copy of certificate of insurance.

2. Copy of rental contract.

3. A copy of the your Charge Receipt (if separate from the rental contract).

4. If the incident by law requires the attendance of the Police, we require a copy of the police report.

5. Renter's copy of the Vehicle Rental Company accident damage report.

6. Invoices / Receipts / other documents confirming the amount you have paid in respect of the Accident / Damage / Loss etc.

7. Copy of your credit / bank statement showing the payment of the damage claimed.

8. Copy of the driving licence of the person involved in the accident (the driver).

9. Name and address of your bank together with your IBAN and BIC numbers. This will facilitate reimbursement as AIG prefers to make payments by bank transfer.

10. Details of how damage occurred & date if known along with any photos you may have.

I had all of that (no 3rd party involved, no injuries, no police report etc etc) so it was fairly painless. One or two calls/emails as you'd expect.

Informed today that the claim has been reviewed and the payment processed. €€€s to be in my account within 3/5 days. That'll be before the CC payment is taken. 3 weeks ahead of it actually.

So my experience is .......... positive, 100%.

As per the spiel above the policy was with AIG.

13-12-2019 3:34pm

Augeo wrote: »

............

Informed today that the claim has been reviewed and the payment processed. €€€s to be in my account within 3/5 days. That'll be before the CC payment is taken. 3 weeks ahead of it actually.............

Cash landed .......... I didn't actually know if there was a little excess to be deducted from the overall payment but the full amount Avis charged to my credit card has been refunded to me by AIG.

grumpy old man · 13-12-2019 3:47pm

Similar experience here
same company.
550 euros refunded within a week of first contact
had to send scanned copies of the following documents:

1) Rental contract;

2) Damage report;

3) Damage invoice;

4) Copy (screenshot) of your credit / bank statement showing the payment of the damage claimed;

5) Copy of the driving licence of the person involved in the accident (the driver);

6) Name and address of your bank together with your IBAN and BIC numbers. This will facilitate reimbursement via bank transfer;

7) Details of how loss occurred and date if known.

ncmc · 13-12-2019 4:06pm

Interesting thread, thanks for posting. Do the rental company give you all of the above as standard or do you need to ask for it? Do they have the damage invoice there and then when you return the vehicle or do they send it to you at a later date?

13-12-2019 4:27pm

ncmc wrote: »

.....Do the rental company give you all of the above as standard or do you need to ask for it? Do they have the damage invoice there and then when you return the vehicle or do they send it to you at a later date?

Avis gave me the vehicle repair estimate/receipt on the spot, hardcopy handed to me and they emailed me one with photos etc incorporated within minutes.

I just has to wait for the charge to appear on my credit card online before I could submit to AIG.

coylemj · 13-12-2019 5:30pm

Augeo wrote: »

Cash landed .......... I didn't actually know if there was a little excess to be deducted from the overall payment but the full amount Avis charged to my credit card has been refunded to me by AIG.

Thanks for this OP, I have the same policy.

Like you, I was under the impression that there was a small excess per claim (to eliminate frivolous claims) but I checked the policy document and summary now and can't find any mention of it.

For those considering this (AIG) policy, the only thing to add is that there is a limit of €4,000 per claim and €5,000 per policy. That means that as long as the rental excess is €4,000 or less, you're fully covered with this policy.

Main features (from the policy summary) ....

We insure the policyholder as Lead Driver and up to 5 drivers named on the car rental agreement
Plus any other persons eligible to buy this insurance if names on the car rental agreement for any physical loss to the car hired up to the excess shown in the car rental agreement
Includes loss or damage to tyres, windscreen, underbody of the car, towing charges, undercarriage and the roof, fire, vandalism or theft or loss of use of the rental car. It also covers Car Rental Key Cover and Baggage Cover
Car Hire Excess Reimbursements – up to €4,000 per claim (€5,000 in any one period)
Car Rental Key Cover – up to €750 per claim (€2,500 in any one period)

_Brian · 28-12-2019 10:42pm

Havent rented a car in a long time..

Was pricing picking up a rental at Millan, dropping off at Dubrovnic 2 weeks later.. Surprised to see a €500 charge just to drop it at a different location, was the same with route in reverse..

Is this usual, or anyone any experience of this?

Thanks..

antix80 · 28-12-2019 10:50pm

Completely normal

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Vehicle Hire queries