It’s the New Year and time to watch those pennies closer than ever.
To help you, the iCarhireinsurance.com team has come up with the following top tips to avoid sales pressure at the car rental desk and also making sure you aren’t ripped off when you drop a car off:
1. Take Photographic Evidence
We’ve said it before but we’ll say it again, make sure you take photos of the hire car, at pick-up, and particularly any parts of the car where there is damage. Make sure you turn on the time and date setting on your camera.
Warning: An iCarhireinsurance.com survey, conducted by YouGov in 2011, found that almost a quarter of those surveyed (23%) had found damage on the car that had not been disclosed initially during the pick-up process.
2. Audit Trail
Download a GPS Tracking app to your smart phone to create an audit trail of where you’ve been. (NB. Check with your mobile phone operator that they don’t charge for using this type of app). A number of customers have told us that their final bill from the rental company has included toll charges when they haven’t even been on the road in question.
3. Check Final Bill for Overcharging
Check your final bill from the hire car company to ensure that extras have not been added like petrol etc. Mistakes can be made but you would be amazed at the number of people who never notice them.
4. Don’t buy insurance from the Car Hire Rental Desk
I know we would say this, but you can save up to 80% buying car hire excess insurance in advance from us! Avoid the hard sell pressure from the rental desk. We know they’re just trying to earn a living but a policy from iCarhireinsurance.com is more comprehensive and gives you more change to spend on yourself.
5. Take Photographic Evidence at the End of the Trip
Our survey also found that at the end of a holiday or business trip, almost a fifth (18%) of people have arrived to drop off a hire car and found that the staff were too busy to check the vehicle, meaning they had to trust that the check would be done fairly in their absence.
To protect yourself, once again, take photos to prove that the car is in the same state as it was when you picked it up (assuming it is…).
Any more top tips out there?
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