 Poster: A snowHead
|
I'm writing this from the last train that connects from Geneva Airport to Le Chable (Verbier).
Back at the airport is the hire car I had reserved and paid for.
I accidentally booked it from Europcar...on the French side of the airport.
They "close" at 8pm, I got there 5 minutes late, the guy was still there tidying up.
I speak decent French...he spoke excellent "Non".
It was just about the only word he used!
Result...no car, no flexibility...Non!
The Hertz desk was staying open and Hertz man was looking forward to several desperate walk-up rate customers like me.
I wonder if they take it in turns?
The train is much slower, but much cheaper than a walk-up car. I'll manage.
I've rented so often at Geneva Airport.
On the Swiss side they will stay they until whatever o'clock if you have given your flight details in the booking...middle of the night if there are flight delays.
Not the French!
It's the first, and it will be the last, time I've made the mistake of going French.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
Oh...and googleation tells me I've got fat chance of a refund 
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
That must have been intensely annoying! There have been quite a few warnings about the closing hours of the French car rental desks on SHs over the years.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
@rungsp, hmmm. Got an email from my bank to say a new CC was ready. My old expired. Went into the local branch - it looked like a bomb site. Finally someone emerged from the offices.
"we're closed"
Me: it says open on the door
"yes only open for appointments now"
Me: that's good, you sent me an email asking me to stop by and pick up my new credit card
"you'll have to make an appointment"
Me: I figured your invitation counts as an appointment
"you figured wrong, you'll have to make an appointment to pick up your card"
Me: can't you just look in that draw and give it to me?
"No!"
so great having an account with Credit Mutuel - the bank that is owned by its clients. No wonder people are flocking to the new online banks.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
@rungsp, c'est la vie, as they like to say in France. Unlucky with that!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
I'm struggling to comprehend how anyone "accidentally" books their hire car from the wrong side of Geneva considering it's a completely different airport code...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
To err is human @Je suis un Skieur,
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@rungsp, glad you could hop on the train this evening and weren’t hung our to dry by Monsieur Hertz!
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
A couple of years ago, our flight to the PiPAU was very delayed the the extent we were bound to miss the LardyBus. We'd been sat on the plane at MAN for 2hrs and actually booked a hire car as the plane started to taxi. We then realised it was (a) French side and (b) they were listed as closing at 19:00... We landed at 18:30!
I legged it from the plane, through passport, baggage hall (leave that for k to get) and through to French side by 19:15. Guy was sat there "Ah, you 'ave made good time!" and once I had keys I said I was worried they be closed. "No, we're open until 8 (shrug) and we know people are on flights that are delayed so we are staying until, maybe 9 tonight".
That was Europcar and I've used them again since. Been possibly the least stressful hirecar experiences I've had.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@Je suis un Skieur, its not obvious on some hirecar agregator sites.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
I did once book from the Swiss side and our flight was delayed and yes they were still open but charged us a premium because we were late. What time does the route through to the French side close these days?
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
| adithorp wrote: |
| @Je suis un Skieur, its not obvious on some hirecar agregator sites. |
The OP says he booked it directly from Europcar.
If you start typing Geneva into Europcar's "Pick up and return location" box you get a choice of "Geneva Airport Ferney Voltaire French Side" or "Geneva Cointrin Airport GVA Swiss side".
How much clearer does it need to be?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Swiss side hire cars generally come with winter tyres and a motorway vignette. Which is often worth the extra cost over the french ones. Plus it is much easier to find the swiss car hire return entrance
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
@Je suis un Skieur, the OP (me!) booked a car via Skyscanner which in turn too me to Expedia.
That routed me to Europcar.
I had selected Geneva Airport using GVA, the Swiss side code.
Somehow that got turned into Geneva Airport ad a whole and I wrnt French.
I'm not fekkin dim...I made a mistake.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
@Je suis un Skieur, do you never make mistakes, silly perhaps, or otherwise?
By the way, I would suggest that the more idiomatic version of your handle would be, 'je suis skieur', though I'm happy to be corrected by someone with greater knowledge of French grammar and usage.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
| Haggis_Trap wrote: |
| Swiss side hire cars generally come with winter tyres and a motorway vignette. Which is often worth the extra cost over the french ones. Plus it is much easier to find the swiss car hire return entrance |
You now have to factor in the extra cost of “taking it out of Switzerland “ that they now seem to be charging as well.
Since Covid, hire cars have become very expensive and I don’t think I’ve had one since then
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
|
|
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?
|
| Jonny996 wrote: |
You now have to factor in the extra cost of “taking it out of Switzerland “ that they now seem to be charging as well. |
Only if you go with Avis/Budget, Hertz, or SixT.
Europcar don't charge a cross border fee from GVA, and neither do National/Enterprise/Alamo. Give these companies your business instead.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
I don’t get people having difficulty finding the French hire car drop off. Just follow the signs for ferney, fill up at the filling station just over the border followed by a 180 at the roundabout turn right and follow the service road. There are much more difficult airport returns out there.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
| KSH wrote: |
| @Je suis un Skieur, the more idiomatic version of your handle would be, 'je suis skieur', |
It is, but I've explained it before if you do a search.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Last time I rented a car (it was May 2023, so snow stuff irrelevant) I looked hard at the documentation and eventually had to send an email to identify which side of the airport it was on. I don't remember the details and was probably being dim. But I have used both sides lots of times, and been in and out of that airport a lot. It's not always self-evident. And there have been huge amounts of work going on, both around and about in Ferney and in the airport approach, which can be very confusing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| rungsp wrote: |
| I'm not fekkin dim...I made a mistake. |
Fair enough. FWIW I also used to regularly rent from GVA and pretty much only ever use Auto Europe as the search engine, after trying many others. Prices were always good and their front page is very clear, even to the point of putting the national flag against the selection options.
My own experience of the French side was that they don't check the cars very closely at all. I think it was Europcar but the one I picked up had a massive gouge on the sill that wasn't marked on the paperwork so i had to go back up the lift to the desk to get them to note it. I wonder if they would have tried to pin that damage on me if I hadn't spotted it first.
On the Swiss side, I've always had good service from Hertz and Europcar in the terminal. Avis will never get my business again.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
@rungsp, I hope you’re having a lovely ski and not wasting time on this anymore.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| HilbertSpace wrote: |
| Jonny996 wrote: |
You now have to factor in the extra cost of “taking it out of Switzerland “ that they now seem to be charging as well. |
Only if you go with Avis/Budget, Hertz, or SixT.
Europcar don't charge a cross border fee from GVA, and neither do National/Enterprise/Alamo. Give these companies your business instead. |
Hertz allowed us to rent a car last week without the cross border fee. They made it clear that the breakdown insurance would not be valid, but everything else would be Ok. Suppose it depends how 'nervous' you are about breakdowns and your own ability to deal with them. I don't have RAC/AA cover in the UK for my own cars, and don't take it for travel abroad either.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
| Quote: |
They made it clear that the breakdown insurance would not be valid, but everything else would be Ok
|
Hmm. If that means you wouldn't be covered if, say, the clutch catastrophically failed and needed replacing, I'd prefer to pay the cross-border charge! Surely the main advantage of a rental car is that if it goes wrong it's somebody else's problem!!
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
| Origen wrote: |
| Quote: |
They made it clear that the breakdown insurance would not be valid, but everything else would be Ok
|
Hmm. If that means you wouldn't be covered if, say, the clutch catastrophically failed and needed replacing, I'd prefer to pay the cross-border charge! Surely the main advantage of a rental car is that if it goes wrong it's somebody else's problem!! |
No, the main advantage of a hire car is that I don't have to buy my own car at every airport I go to - dozens of different ones per year.
No clutch on an automatic car  It's all down to your personal risk profile. If you take all the insurances offered by a car hire co you'll probably double the cost of the rental (and their profit margins).
There aren't many failures on a car that will leave you absolutely unable to continue. The most likely failure is probably a ripped to shreds puncture, since most new cars don't have proper (or sometimes any) spare tyres. However, loads of places to get a new tyre if required - it'll just be a day of a PITA. Worst comes to worse, you do what you need to do to get the swiss car back into CH, dump it just over the border, and call Hertz (we were going to Tignes via Annecy).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Quote: |
If you take all the insurances offered by a car hire co you'll probably double the cost of the rental (and their profit margins).
|
Sure, and I always have a policy with "Insurance4carhire". But I would not pass up breakdown insurance to save only the cross-border charge.
And I know from personal experience that it is not always easy to get a new tyre. Quite impossible in the French Alps (or Geneva) on a Sunday, for example. And couldn't even have gone in search of one without having had a spare to change and get back on the road.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
This thread got me panicked.... I'm off to GVA on the 6th April. I've booked a car through booking.com. I've just been on and checked my trip as I don't remember seeing anything regarding which side...... I haven't been to GVA in about 10 years so forgot about the sides. Thankfully I've paid in CHF and the return address is Switzerland.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
| Nadenoodlee wrote: |
| @rungsp, I hope you’re having a lovely ski and not wasting time on this anymore. |
I did have a lovely ski...and now enjoying some lovely balcony-time, reclining on a lounger in the sun with a cup of tea.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
| Jonny996 wrote: |
| Haggis_Trap wrote: |
| Swiss side hire cars generally come with winter tyres and a motorway vignette. Which is often worth the extra cost over the french ones. Plus it is much easier to find the swiss car hire return entrance |
You now have to factor in the extra cost of “taking it out of Switzerland “ that they now seem to be charging as well.
Since Covid, hire cars have become very expensive and I don’t think I’ve had one since then |
Cheap as chips out of Verona this winter. Obviously only of benefit to skiers in NE italy.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
| KSH wrote: |
@Je suis un Skieur, do you never make mistakes, silly perhaps, or otherwise?
By the way, I would suggest that the more idiomatic version of your handle would be, 'je suis skieur', though I'm happy to be corrected by someone with greater knowledge of French grammar and usage. |
No, no, he's "one" skier, not "a" skier!
Anyway, I've had more car rental good experiences than bad, but when they're bad, they're REALLY bad. Last time I was in Montreal the whole system basically fell apart on a Friday afternoon. Picture 150 people trying to pick up cars that they'd reserved but didn't actually exist. Hertz asked if anyone wanted a Tesla, I bolted to the front of the queue and claimed it (had booked an SUV). It actually turned out fine but I will be extremely cautious about renting in Montreal again as the agent told me that it's often like that.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
@Pasigal, it's a pi55 take based on Bill Wyman's "Je suis un Rock Star". Hence the capital "S" for "Skieur".
Sorry it went miles over your and @KSH's pedantic heads. 
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
| Je suis un Skieur wrote: |
@Pasigal, it's a pi55 take based on Bill Wyman's "Je suis un Rock Star". Hence the capital "S" for "Skieur".
Sorry it went miles over your head. |
Oh, well, thanks for enlightening me. I'm not a Stones fan in the slightest and know even less about their solo efforts. You can be "un Skieur" again!
/pedantry
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
I had a hire car booked in Canada earlier this season. The office was open until 22:00. My flight got in at 18:00 so I was good. I waited for my snowboard bag to arrive, watching everyone else take their gear and leave, like you do. Well like I do with about 5% of my flights with a hold bag. I started to go and find the local baggage agents... and I noticed that the hire car office (not my 1st rodeo; I knew where it was) was closing up, just like the OP here. Except this was about 19:00 - they were open for another three hours, according to their website. Which I had checked.
I caught the guy, and politely negotiated that he give me my car. It transpired that he had no customers for later flights, and as everyone [except me!] had gone, he had assumed I was a "no show", and was going home for the evening. This was Canada, and not the French speaking bit.
Car key in hand, I went to find the agent and they located my bag. It was all good, but the knock-on costs if I'd quit waiting 5 minutes later... would have been quite significant. More than the cost of the hire car at least.
I was back eight weeks later on the same flight, with a similar car booking. My new algorithm was to get to the hire desk before the other guys have worked out where it is, then worry about my bag. Obviously that's not going to work if you're flying international.
---
The GVA French/Swiss car hire thing is a complexity I could do without. But the train from there to Le Chable sounds like a good idea. Does anyone know any good places to stay in Le Chable they'd care to share...?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
