 Poster: A snowHead
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The car hire market has shifted in Europe
Three days car hire. Decent sized car £60
Either pay 1400 euros deposit and be told it's 700 euros off that for a small scratch or pay 114 extra to reduce your excess.
There were lots of rows at the pick up booths.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Annual policies are available for that excess waiver .
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@Hells Bells,
insurance4carhire is £40 for the year, I know people that have had to claim with no issues at all.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Questor for our family and friends. Only had one claim but no issue with it. Very good cover.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| alasdair.graham@hotmail.c wrote: |
@Hells Bells,
insurance4carhire is £40 for the year, I know people that have had to claim with no issues at all. |
2 claims perfectly handled. Buy every year through Quidco for cash back...don't renew
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Do make sure you check what insurance is actually included with the car hire costs. Sixt Germany now quote the hire costs with only the legal minimum insurance ie third party only. Unless you pay extra you are responsible for theft, fire or if the car is written off, this will be more than excess insurance will pay. You need to include at least the basic additional insurance option (€950 excess). That said prices do seem to have dropped, I got a 4 x 4 from Sixt which was perfect for driving through the snowmaggeddon to St Anton and Davos, less than €120 for 4 days and €80ish for a 3 day weekend more recently (figures include the basic insurance option)
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I use icarhireinsurance.com for an annual European policy and car club insurance for £53/year. Not had to use them, but they get good reviews and are underwritten by Zurich.
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icarhireinsurance.com via Quidco for me for £30 a year after cash back.
My credit card and travel insurance have started to include excess cover so no need to renew this year.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@Spoon, Which credit card / travel insurance is that ? Sounds handy.
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@skitow
I should have mentioned these were my Norwegian credit card (DNB MasterCard) and travel insurance (Gjensidige).
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@skitow, some of the UK ones do, albeit generally the premium fee paying cards. Amex platinum and centurion, NatWest black, Barclays infinite to name just a few. Better still, some of these are full CDW so you only need the third party insurance from the hire company.
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@alasdair.graham@hotmail.c, I have claimed many times from insurance4carhire and never had an issue nor have they refused to cover or increased insurance pricing at renewal. The key is to ensure the form is completed properly and all supporting documentation is included which can be a pain to compile but worth it in the end.
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You know it makes sense.
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@Ozboy,
I hired a car for 12 days in September in Malaga for the ridiculous sum of €3.23.
I have also had similar crazy prices in Barcelona in winter to drive to Andorra/Spanish Pyrenees.
The hard sell for the extra insurance at 20€ a day or so is unbelievable and clearly where all the profit is but with the above mentioned zero excess policies you can just say 'thanks but no thanks'.
A quick photo of every part of the car and email to the hire car company on pick up titled 'car condition on pick up' has always ensured my card has never been charged for damage.
doyouspain.com is who I've used in the past for any snowheads needing to rent in Spain.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@snowdave, OK thanks. I had looked at a couple of those cards before because of the travel insurance they offer, and their age limits as I am getting older  but did not pick up on the car hire side of it. Do not really hire very often but that might change so will revisit them.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@skitow, a caveat - some have a limit on the value of the car that is covered, in the case of Barclays infinite - £35k which is fine for a golf, but not e.g. a Volvo XC60. The other benefits (fee free foreign usage, interbank rate, 2x priority pass, travel insurance etc) are worth substantially more than the £160 annual fee for me.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@alasdair.graham@hotmail.c, the beauty of insurance4carhire.com is that you are covered if the discount merchants try to pull a swift one. There is a £50 excess per claim which is worth it if there is damage which is inevitable in some places such as Naples. The premium quoted above excludes North America but covers most vehicles.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@snowdave, OK thanks again, that's all useful info. I only usually book the cheapest cars but I have been given some all singing and dancing thing as a "free upgrade" (ie that's all they had left  ) so the 35k is worth remembering.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Ozboy wrote: |
| I have claimed many times from insurance4carhire |
Wow, remind me never to lend you anything!
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| James the Last wrote: |
| Ozboy wrote: |
| I have claimed many times from insurance4carhire |
Wow, remind me never to lend you anything! |
Especially not your car
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| cameronphillips2000 wrote: |
The car hire market has shifted in Europe
Three days car hire. Decent sized car £60
Either pay 1400 euros deposit and be told it's 700 euros off that for a small scratch or pay 114 extra to reduce your excess.
There were lots of rows at the pick up booths. |
Funnily enough the last time I hired from Innsbruk a few weeks ago, and Ive booked another one for two weeks time, its been more expensive that ever, 150 euros for four days in an astra/focus car. Where you getting the cheap rates from? I usually check autoeurope, or carrentals as the search engine.
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| jafa wrote: |
| cameronphillips2000 wrote: |
The car hire market has shifted in Europe
Three days car hire. Decent sized car £60
Either pay 1400 euros deposit and be told it's 700 euros off that for a small scratch or pay 114 extra to reduce your excess.
There were lots of rows at the pick up booths. |
Funnily enough the last time I hired from Innsbruk a few weeks ago, and Ive booked another one for two weeks time, its been more expensive that ever, 150 euros for four days in an astra/focus car. Where you getting the cheap rates from? I usually check autoeurope, or carrentals as the search engine. |
It's hilarious that you think 150 euros is expensive for the hire of a car for 4 days.
I worked in car rental 22 years ago and back then an escort or Orion would have cost 199 to 229 per week to rent.
It's cheaper than ever. No wonder companies try to make money on cdw.
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| skitow wrote: |
| James the Last wrote: |
| Ozboy wrote: |
| I have claimed many times from insurance4carhire |
Wow, remind me never to lend you anything! |
Especially not your car |
Little things such as returning car and finding chunk of rubber missing from tyre wall, reversing into a hidden kerb forgetting that car did not have parking sensors (easy mistake!) and also squeezing a car into a narrow lane way in Italy and scratching both mirrors.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| Roguevfr wrote: |
| jafa wrote: |
| cameronphillips2000 wrote: |
The car hire market has shifted in Europe
Three days car hire. Decent sized car £60
Either pay 1400 euros deposit and be told it's 700 euros off that for a small scratch or pay 114 extra to reduce your excess.
There were lots of rows at the pick up booths. |
Funnily enough the last time I hired from Innsbruk a few weeks ago, and Ive booked another one for two weeks time, its been more expensive that ever, 150 euros for four days in an astra/focus car. Where you getting the cheap rates from? I usually check autoeurope, or carrentals as the search engine. |
It's hilarious that you think 150 euros is expensive for the hire of a car for 4 days.
I worked in car rental 22 years ago and back then an escort or Orion would have cost 199 to 229 per week to rent.
It's cheaper than ever. No wonder companies try to make money on cdw. |
22 years ago isn't today. Ive been hiring cars for the last 15 years, and take it from me, Ive NEVER paid 150 euros for 4 days until recently. Ive still got all my reservations going back the last six seven years for the revenue, and its more expensive now than ever, Id not expect to be paying more than 120 for 4 days hire.
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Just looked at the booking my other half did and it was possible to pay 12.50 online
per day to waive the excess rather than the 114 euros at the desk.
It was very clear the guy on the desk was on a bonus scheme for selling the extra insurance
Although rates are low, let's not forget that car rental business s about buying cheap cars through a huge franchise, renting them out a bit and then selling them at a profit on what you bought them for...
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| jafa wrote: |
| Roguevfr wrote: |
| jafa wrote: |
| cameronphillips2000 wrote: |
The car hire market has shifted in Europe
Three days car hire. Decent sized car £60
Either pay 1400 euros deposit and be told it's 700 euros off that for a small scratch or pay 114 extra to reduce your excess.
There were lots of rows at the pick up booths. |
Funnily enough the last time I hired from Innsbruk a few weeks ago, and Ive booked another one for two weeks time, its been more expensive that ever, 150 euros for four days in an astra/focus car. Where you getting the cheap rates from? I usually check autoeurope, or carrentals as the search engine. |
It's hilarious that you think 150 euros is expensive for the hire of a car for 4 days.
I worked in car rental 22 years ago and back then an escort or Orion would have cost 199 to 229 per week to rent.
It's cheaper than ever. No wonder companies try to make money on cdw. |
22 years ago isn't today. Ive been hiring cars for the last 15 years, and take it from me, Ive NEVER paid 150 euros for 4 days until recently. Ive still got all my reservations going back the last six seven years for the revenue, and its more expensive now than ever, Id not expect to be paying more than 120 for 4 days hire. |
Doesn't make it any less daft that you think it's expensive now. 22 years ago was my exit from the job, I did it for 10 years before that , and even then the current prices would be considered inexpensive.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Im sure your right, but in the meantime over the last 15 years that Ive been renting, todays prices in comparison with certainly the last 5 years are expensive. Your using an example of what it was like 22 years ago, so what? Totally irrelevant. Just like what the exchange rate was 22 years ago, so what? Im using my current experience not some historical figure from 22 years ago. You may have noticed, lifes slightly different now and has been for a long while.(clue, Internet) I used to pay £49 in 1985 to catch a last minute flight to Amsterdam every second week from Heathrow. The relevance to today is? Nothing . But I can certainly state that the cost of car hire that Im seeing is more today than over the last few years.
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You know it makes sense.
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| jafa wrote: |
| Im sure your right, but in the meantime over the last 15 years that Ive been renting, todays prices in comparison with certainly the last 5 years are expensive. Your using an example of what it was like 22 years ago, so what? Totally irrelevant. Just like what the exchange rate was 22 years ago, so what? Im using my current experience not some historical figure from 22 years ago. You may have noticed, lifes slightly different now and has been for a long while.(clue, Internet) I used to pay £49 in 1985 to catch a last minute flight to Amsterdam every second week from Heathrow. The relevance to today is? Nothing . But I can certainly state that the cost of car hire that Im seeing is more today than over the last few years. |
You're right. The internet and today has made everything half the price of what it was 20+ years ago.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Can't say I agree, OP. I rented a focus from Munich through autoeurope earlier this month. £20 per day, and the excess insurance (through autoeurope) was £4 per day. Couldn't be bothered to go to insurance4carhire. Chains were €60, mind and I did have to leave a €2,000 credit card deposit.
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Poster: A snowHead
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The huge deposit thing feels like a sales scare tactic: they're still trying to sell high-profit-margin extras, and that's a lever they're using on you.
They don't need to do that as they have your card on file already.
If they tried to charge me €700 for a small scratch I'd see if I couldn't get my bank to charge it back, otherwise I'd take them to court for fraud.
They are large commercial organisations with very efficient (so cheap) repair shops. And very large legal departments (so it costs them a lot to fight back).
The closest I had was a Canadian company who had a $500 excess a couple of seasons back. I trashed the windscreen and they tried to steal all the $500.
I laughed and pointed out that there's no way a replacement screen for that vehicle cost them anything like $500.
They back pedalled quickly and ended up charging me about $200. I got the feeling that only happened because I laughed and clearly wasn't going to stand for it.
All hire cars are basically junk, it's a shame they don't have an option for vehicles which are already scratched, to avoid all the hassle for
them and those of us who drive their cars.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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What a ridiculous post..
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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The issue is we are charged repair costs for the most minor damage, which is fair, but It’s evident that they are never repaired based on the number of scratches etc are present and noted at collection. Think we are all agreeing they little money on the rental charges and make it up in other ways such as insurance, options, inflated repair costs and fuel. Fuel must be very profitable as they will often offer to prepay for a tank (to avoid hassle of refilling) and I suspect many cars are returned not empty - eg those going to PDS or Chamonix from GVA.
It’s one industry that is rife for disruption if someone clever could figure out how to leverage the thousands of private cars sitting idle every day and night, while negating the issues around damage risk, insurance, liability and fair compensation.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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For the past five years, none of hertz, Avis or sixt have generated any free cash flow.
In the last twenty, Alamo, national, budget, advantage (that I can think of) have gone through bankruptcy of some form.
This is not in my view a high margin industry...
@philwig, what do you think a fully fitted replacement windscreen costs?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| Quote: |
@skitow, some of the UK ones do, albeit generally the premium fee paying cards. Amex platinum and centurion, NatWest black, Barclays infinite to name just a few. Better still, some of these are full CDW so you only need the third party insurance from the hire company.
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Just FYI - NatWest Black account travel insurance does NOT cover hire car excess - I've just called them to confirm as I had taken out the £42.99 annual policy with iCarhireinsurance just a couple of days ago in advance of several trips with hire cars this year. These policies are a no-brainer in my view.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I notice that, in the UK at least, you now have to pay extra for roadside assistance. In addition the amount for adding an extra driver has gone up to being almost as same as the cost of the daily vehicle rate for small cars
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Its a battle leaving back a hire car, lots of scams from the car hire cos .
Generally I avoid
Goldcar
"Sicily by car"
etc
I have an annual car hire excess, which should protect me from scams above
I also make a point of using my phone to video and photgraph the car exterior, on pickup and drop off, preferably in full view of the car hire staff
Also bring and use a small torch , if pickup / dropoff at night
As well as checking for scratches , damage etc,important to check the central locking , locks / opens all doors, people have been stung, for "broken" locks
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| snowdave wrote: |
| ... @philwig, what do you think a fully fitted replacement windscreen costs? |
The cost in pounds at the time was £152.84 on 09/01/2018.
What did you think they cost, and why?
It should perhaps be obvious that I knew the cost fairly accurately in the first place.
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| ...you now have to pay extra for roadside assistance |
That sounds like it may be mis-selling, in that if the car they are renting breaks down, it's
fairly likely to be their fault.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@philwig, £152 = c$270 plus car off the road whilst being fixed plus their aggro, c$500 doesn’t seem at all unreasonable.
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| snowdave wrote: |
| @philwig, £152 = c$270 plus car off the road whilst being fixed plus their aggro, c$500 doesn’t seem at all unreasonable. |
<shrug> They can't invent an opportunity cost and expect to offload that on a customer, as already demonstrated.
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FAQ
but I suspect it is a step too far for me 
You are right about the focus sized cars but if you go down to a fabia / polo you are down to 100€. Is a fabia / polo 30% less to buy ? (I have no idea on new car prices.) Maybe theres a shortage of focus's (foci ? 