At a time when car hire company practises are in the spotlight, it’s no surprise that over half of travellers (58%) said that collecting a hire car is unnecessarily complicated and stressful.
The survey by Opinium (which was commissioned by iCarhireinsurance.com), found that only 16% felt in control at the rental desk. Instead car hirers reported experiencing emotions from impatience (23%), to frustration (22%) and stress (25%).
It is not surprising when many have to face a long wait to get to the front of the queue, with over a quarter (28%) waiting over thirty minutes. Two in five (43%) feel they experience a hard sell from sales agents and over half (52%) are shocked at the price of the extras sold at the rental desk. 17% had unexpected charges added when they picked up the hire car, even though they thought they had paid for everything in advance.
Even more worryingly, one in ten (10%) arrived to collect a pre-booked and paid-for car, only to be told that none were available.
Nearly half (49%) say they felt concerned after signing an agreement as they did not understand all the terms and conditions and almost three quarters (72%) think you need to be an expert in contracts to understand each clause. A third (36%) admit to not reading all the terms and conditions.