This is a big question. Everybody is fed up with hidden charges when it comes to car rental although many car rental companies are still doing this.
Many holidaymakers are on really thight budget when they travel, everything is expensive, they have to pay for the flight, for accommodation, travel insurance etc, it costs a lot of money. Car hire charges should be also very clear in advance.
There can be different extras when you rent a car: if you want you can pay for collision damage waiver, for child seat when you travel with your family, for additional drivers, and fuel charges of course. There’s nothing wrong with these charges the most important thing is to know about them upfront because lets be honest it’s not a good feeling to face with these ‘hidden charges’ at the car rental counter.
I read this interesting article about these charges and how upfront car hire firms about them. The writer of this post checked different car hire websites and shares his findings with the readers:
Avis – having gone through the selection process, I’m on the point of pressing the checkout button. Nothing has been explained about fuel charges and though it does say you can reduce the £767 excess by paying a fee at the counter, it gives you no indication of how much this may cost. A traveller books car hire on Avis, paying for rental only. However, he or she has no idea exactly how much they will need to pay for additional cover or fuel when they get there, just a hint that local charges apply.
Hertz does at least make the maximum amount you will pay for a car seat nice and clear. There is no upfront information about fuel options, but there is a list of items not included in the rates, and users can click on the question mark to find out more. While there is an unknown – the amount you will have to pay for additional cover at the counter – Hertz is more upfront about charges, and does at least link directly to information about fuel from the checkout.
Like Hertz, Europcar makes it clear what is and what isn’t included in the rental charge. However, you have to fish around in the T&Cs to find out about the fuel policy. This should be much easier to find.
I agree 100% with Graham Charlton -who is by the writer of this great post – he says:
As it stands, with each of these firms, customers are potentially liable to face extra charges at the counter, at a point when they are in no position to refuse, given that trips have already been planned, and car hire paid for.
And this is what car rental firms need to consider. Is the extra profit from counter charges worth the damage in terms of customer retention, negative word of mouth and coverage on blogs and forums?
I would argue that it isn’t, and these firms should consider the benefits of being more transparent and managing customer expectations upfront. The firm that does this will get my custom next time I need to hire a car abroad.
Car rental companies should be more transparent when it comes to extra charges because everybody needs to know how much they have to pay for their car hire. You know exactly how much you pay for your accommodation or for your flight why car hire is an exception?
Source: http://econsultancy.com/hu/blog/10541-are-car-rental-websites-being-upfront-about-costs
