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Geneva car hire c@ck up!

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Just wanted to pass on my tale of car hire woe in case any others out there have hired through Budget........
Back in may, having booked flights for a ski trip 2010, I booked 2 4 x4's with Budget, Geneva. I'd previously booked with them and had good cars - good service and very good price. These were 'on request' but after a bit of chasing the vehicles were confirmed at a great price.
In september this year we were at the car hire in Geneva airport and noticed the Budget desk closed with a sign telling people to use the Avis desk. On my return home I rang Budget, they confirmed that the desk had closed but it didn't affect any bookings. Last week I spoke to Budget about ski rack hire only to be told that mysteriously my booking hadn't been transferred between the systems (presumably Avis and Budget) and Geneva have NO record of our booking at all Evil or Very Mad
Now several days and phone calls later I'm still waiting to see if they can confirm the car hire, if I want to hire through someone else it's now a lot more expensive as it's closer to the dates and 4 x 4's are not only pricey but also seem quite scarce:x
So if anyone has hired through Budget it might be worth checking up on.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Nightmare... Sad

I wonder if this is an extension of the hire-car squeeze that has been engineered in the Med sun resorts over the summer - the big players sharpley tightening up the supply side to inflate prices?
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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?
skimum, thanks for the heads up, 2 of my 5 bookings for the coming season are through Budget. I'll be on the phone tomorrow checking Shocked
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Just checked, and it's 3 with Budget and the other 2 are Hertz. Have to admit the Budget desk was nearly always the quietest at Geneva (one of the reasons I liked booking with them Sad ).
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
red 27, not sure it was quite as calculating as that. My understanding was that the credit crunch meant the rental firms couldn't secure funding to replace the fleets as regularly so were forced to run cars for longer and have smaller fleets (still I imagine demand was down anyway).
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skimum wrote:
if I want to hire through someone else it's now a lot more expensive as it's closer to the dates and 4 x 4's are not only pricey but also seem quite scarce:x
So if anyone has hired through Budget it might be worth checking up on.


Bad luck, but I really woulnd't stress about the 4x4, if you've hired from the swiss side should have winter tyres so get them to throw in some free chains and you'll be all good..
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
midgetbiker, hopefully your bookings will all be ok but, especially if they were made pre september 09, it's certainly worth checking. One of the things I found strange was that the girl I spoke to in the call centre had no idea that the Budget desk in Geneva was closed and that Avis were handling bookings locally, also I got the distinct impression (from a couple of remarks) that this was a call centre that handled calls for more companies than just Budget Puzzled

red 27, I was told that care hire companies had downsized their fleet due to the recession and downturn in demand. Certainly, in my experience, 4 x 4 prices seem to have gone up this year and they're quite difficult to find. Sad
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
bertie bassett, the joke of it is that although it's generally more convenient, the main reason we really need a 4 x 4's is that the drive to our chalet is very steep (and long). You can just about do it in the summer with a normal car if it's got a reasonable engine, is not too laden and you get up a bit of speed, in the winter it's a nightmare! Sometimes, if there's quite a bit of snow you can't even get up (or down) it in a 4 x 4 Shocked


Last edited by After all it is free Go on u know u want to! on Mon 14-12-09 22:04; edited 1 time in total
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
midgetbiker, umm, do you not have a confirmed contract that would at least allow you to hire elsewhere on insurance at the going rate (or force Budget to comply, etc.)

Tedious though.
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
skimum, that's a real pain for you, but bertie bassett is right. Absolutely no need for a 4 x 4. I have spent the last 7 winters in the mountains with very ordinary family cars and have never even got close to being stuck. And you might have heard my favourite story of towing a Frenchman in a big top-heavy Porsche 4 x 4 out of a snowdrift with my Fiat Multipla. wink Save the extra dosh for a nice meal out.
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pam w wrote:
skimum, that's a real pain for you, but bertie bassett is right. Absolutely no need for a 4 x 4. I have spent the last 7 winters in the mountains with very ordinary family cars and have never even got close to being stuck. And you might have heard my favourite story of towing a Frenchman in a big top-heavy Porsche 4 x 4 out of a snowdrift with my Fiat Multipla. wink Save the extra dosh for a nice meal out.


I'ld agree that for general driving in the alps in winter there is no need for a 4X4, but if skimum knows she needs one for a specific approach then we can't judge without seeing/trying it. Hell if it's rained in the last 7 days you can't get to my mates house without a 4X4 and he only lives in the lakes Smile .
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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.
Rang Geneva this morning (Budget desk number no longer works so ring Avis desk on +41 22 929 0330) & they have confirmed that they have all 3 of my bookings (2xJan+Mar) which were all made in last few days of Nov first few of Dec. Presumably I'm ok as I booked after the system migration and skimum was unlucky as she booked early and then got lost during the migration.

I liked Budget as it was always quiet and gave me upgrades (maybe as a repeat customer, maybe because I asked) anyone know what the Avis desk is like?
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Car hire always goes wrong one way or another. Like ordering a "Focus or similar" in manual and actually getting an auto Citroen C1 or some other margarine-tub-with-rollerskate-wheels P.O.S. because "sorry, that's all we've got".
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
midgetbiker, really glad you're bookings are ok, I phoned yet again this morning and I'm now waiting for a manager to get back to me. We've never had a problem with Budget before this and I'm still hopeful it can be sorted out. I know we've used Avis before and I don't recall any problem but with one desk handling both companies I'm wondering how long the queue will be Puzzled
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
skimum, did you book direct with Budget or through an agency?
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
skimum wrote:
but with one desk handling both companies I'm wondering how long the queue will be Puzzled


this is down to how many staff on the desk really isn't it, one desk adequately staffed is better than two understaffed. Worst of all I quess is one desk inadequately staffed (a la Alamo/National). Most of my pick ups are on a monday mid morning so at least it's not peak time.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
you might be able to get money back from your credit card company too (whisper "section 75 of Consumer Credit Act" in their ear...).
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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?
midgetbiker, booked direct with Budget UK. The pick up for this particular trip is 18.00 hrs on a friday Shocked so I'm expecting carnage.

boardiac, the thing about Budget is that you don't pay up front, they have your credit card details by way of deposit. The quote is given in swiss francs so it depends on what's going on with the exchange rate, however the price was so good in comparison to other companies that it doesn't matter too much if the exchange is less favorable on the day.

In comparison to those who've booked flights with BA over the christmas period this is a small problem, I know I can book 4 x 4's through other car hire companies, it's just going to cost at least another £140 per vehicle (we've booked 2). I just didn't know if there'd be other snowheads affected so thought it worth flagging.

pam w, I love the idea of a multipla towing a porsche Laughing , but honestly our drive is steep and can be tricky in a 4 x 4. It took me quite a while to pluck up the courage to drive up and down it rolling eyes
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