iCarhireinsurance.com has compiled an essential checklist to ensure consumers avoid car hire pitfalls this year:
Excess Waiver Insurance
On arriving to pick up a hire car, a rental company will try to sell a range of extra products and services on top of the rental cost.
The most expensive of these is excess waiver insurance which protects a hirer against the first part of any claim if the hire car is damaged or stolen. These excess fees have been steadily rising across Europe and are often as high as £2,000.
If a consumer does not buy the rental company’s excess waiver policies they will generally be required to leave this excess amount either in cash, or more usually on a credit card. This is also the case if a customer has an independent car hire excess insurance policy from a specialist provider.
Rental companies frequently offer separate excess insurance policies. For instance, hiring from Avis this February (10 – 17) customers will be offered a Super Theft Waiver for £79, a Super Damage Waiver for £87 and a Tyre and Windscreen Excess Waiver for £19, a combined total of £185.
Check the Vehicle and Take Photos of Damage
To avoid unfair damage charges, car hirers should check vehicles thoroughly at pick-up and take photos of any existing damage on the vehicle.
An Opinium survey found that one in seven (14 per cent) hire car drivers have found damage on a hire car that was not highlighted on the checkout sheet.
Fourteen Day Rule
To contest a damage claim made by a rental company, the hirer should query it within fourteen days with the company. If a satisfactory outcome is not reached, complaints can be directed to the European Car Rental Conciliation Service (ECRCS) – ecrcs.eu – or the BVRLA in the UK (bvrla.co.uk). Unfortunately, there is no equivalent body in the US.
Use a Credit Card
Finally, use a credit card to pay for car hire and make it the main driver’s if possible. This protects the consumer under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974, making the credit card company jointly and severally liable for any breach of contract or misrepresentation by the retailer or trader.
