 Poster: A snowHead
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Has anyone here used Maggiore to hire a car in winter? They seem to be fairly widespread in Italy, but they aren't one of the "big" international companies. Basically, are they one of the good / OK ones, or should they be avoided?
Their rates (on Autoeurope, from Verona) are very competitive. Snow chains are included, but not winter tyres, which is in line with almost all the other companies.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I was looking at a quote and Maggiore came out top followed by Siciliy by Car. Jusdging by what reviews I have garnered I still think they are worth a hard swerve (complaints of up to an hour to actually rent the car in the first place before you even get to the usually trumped up damage stuff.)
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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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Have used EcoVia, from BGY, they did try to push their own insurance, but we declined
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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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I have been tempted by Maggiore etc, but renting in Italy is such a fraught endeavor that I just stick to the big internationals. Not worth it IMO to save 50-100 euros.
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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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I’ve rented with them, from Turin In March this year, they were fine, no issues at all. I’d beware of the upsell, when I got to the kiosk I was told there weren’t winter tyres included with the mid size hatch I’d ordered. We upgraded to be on the safe side (which turned out to be pointless). But £100 or so to go from a gulietta to a Fiat Quebo seems ridiculous, turns out traveling with skis was actually much easier in the Quebo.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Thanks all. Hmm... it *is* tempting at half the price of the nearest big name (which is Budget, which isn't exactly the best in the first place). Aggressive upselling in itself isn't an issue as long as you can decline it.
@LDP816, presumably the original car would still have had chains? Maggiore aren't advertising winter tyres for us anyway.
Has anyone here used Maggiore and had a bad experience?
The trouble with reviews elsewhere is that they tend to be awful no matter which car hire company you search for.
Edit: upon closer inspection Maggiore appear to be a budget version of Avis (like Budget are). That makes me a bit more confident about renting from them...
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@denfinella, rented from them last year in Venice to head into the Dolomites with our bikes.
Car was fine but a little older than with some companies so had a few bumps and scrapes - nothing problematic at all, though. When I returned, we had a short dispute about one small scrape that hadn't been documented properly. I produced a photo showing it was there when I collected the car; they backed off immediately and apologised profusely. I do think this was a genuine mistake.
So I would use them again based on my own experience. However, as with all hire car companies, I would take a few minutes to photograph every panel of the vehicle before leaving the compound at the start of my trip.
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What makes car hire tricky is the unscrupulous cos (Goldcar) for example, trade under different names; Rhodium and Inter-rent
When I last checked car rental options in Bergamo, the established cos, Hertz, etc. can be at least double the price of the lesser known cos
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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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@dublin2, Maggiore belong to Avis. Presumably that's a good thing then?
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Yes and no
Firefly belong to Hertz, and my experience of Firefly is not good
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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We had an OK experience with Firefly. A hard sell on optional extras but we declined.
Maggiore and Avis are both completely new to us.
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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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@denfinella, I've used them a couple times from Venice in the summer and they have been fine, though with quite a queue at collection. Not suprising really it was Venice and it was Summer and there were a lot of Americans. Do you ever wonder just what is going on when someone takes 30 minutes at the desk just to pick up a hire car?
Check very carefully if it is a diesel you are hiring. Winter diesel is not supplied in the lowlands of Italy and it can cause serious problems when up in the Dolomites
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@denfinella,
They supply snow socks, not chains, whilst they work “ok-ish” in my opinion, i would always opt for winter tyres if they’ve had fresh snow recently. A couple of years ago we had a golf with winter tyres and it was unstoppable from turn to sestriere in a foot of fresh snow, I was genuinely amazed!!!
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You know it makes sense.
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@LDP816, snow socks? Are you sure about this? The website specifies winter tyres (from Verona). Socks definitely wouldn't be ideal.
Winter tyres would be ideal but it's really not easy to get them in Italy and there's a risk of paying hundreds of pounds for them in advance and not actually getting them.
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FAQ
