 Poster: A snowHead
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Sorry, I know this subject has (almost) been done to death on this forum. However, renting our hired car from Alamo (Swiss side) at Geneva airport last week, we were told by lady at the desk that we should return the car without filling up first with fuel as their (alamo's) rates for fuel were cheaper than buying the fuel ourselves! We have never been advised to do this before! Anyone here anything about this?
Incidentally we did not when pre-booking, book chains or 'winterisation' but the car had indeed winter tyres and chains in the boot!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Sorry, I know this subject has (almost) been done to death on this forum. However, renting our hired car from Alamo (Swiss side) at Geneva airport last week, we were told by lady at the desk that we should return the car without filling up first with fuel as their (alamo's) rates for fuel were cheaper than buying the fuel ourselves! We have never been advised to do this before! Anyone here anything about this?
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Never heard of this in Europe. I have had this in the US when travelling on business, the corporate rate my employer had was cheaper than the gas station price so we were told not to fill up and not to take any "pre pay" offers.
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Incidentally we did not when pre-booking, book chains or 'winterisation' but the car had indeed winter tyres and chains in the boot!
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Normal for cars hired in Switzerland in my experience. May even be a legal obligation?
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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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May even be a legal obligation?
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but that hasn't stopped other  s being charged hefty supplements on arrival. There have been a number of reports and threads discussing this. Luck of the draw, it seems. And you definitely don't always get chains either. It's a bit haphazard.
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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'd definitely check the snow chains are there before leaving, not always provided as a matter of course it seems.
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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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Villz, When you picked up the car was it fuelled or nearly empty? If it was fuelled then return it fuelled. If nearly empty then return it empty - simplesk
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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when i get to Geneva on Tuesday im going to go to the car and check it out, see whats in the car and then go back and add the winterization fee ontop if needed. The car will already have the tryres on surely but chains it may not.
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| Quote: |
Quote:
May even be a legal obligation?
but that hasn't stopped other s being charged hefty supplements on arrival. There have been a number of reports and threads discussing this. Luck of the draw, it seems. And you definitely don't always get chains either. It's a bit haphazard.
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In France and the French side of GVA yes, supplements are the norm but in Switzerland I've always found chains included.
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halfhand,
Car was full when we picked it up. In the end we left it empty and I'm going to check what they charge to my credit card when it comes through
Ricklovesthepowder, I phoned Alamo a few days before we flew out and asked if there were chains in the boot and they confirmed that to be the case (and winter tyres of course, but I knew already that all hire cars from the Swiss side have those as standard anyway in winter)
Last year we hired a car from the French side at GVA airport and paid extra for chains. And I don't think the tyres were winter tyres either
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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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| Villz wrote: |
| Sorry, I know this subject has (almost) been done to death on this forum. However, renting our hired car from Alamo (Swiss side) at Geneva airport last week, we were told by lady at the desk that we should return the car without filling up first with fuel as their (alamo's) rates for fuel were cheaper than buying the fuel ourselves! We have never been advised to do this before! Anyone here anything about this? |
i have come across this a few times, most recently at Alamo GVA last week. it is legit but the question is whether you can judge how much petrol you will use accurately enough to return it empty without stopping all the time to put and extra 5€-worth in
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| Villz wrote: |
halfhand,
Car was full when we picked it up. In the end we left it empty and I'm going to check what they charge to my credit card when it comes through
Ricklovesthepowder, I phoned Alamo a few days before we flew out and asked if there were chains in the boot and they confirmed that to be the case (and winter tyres of course, but I knew already that all hire cars from the Swiss side have those as standard anyway in winter)
Last year we hired a car from the French side at GVA airport and paid extra for chains. And I don't think the tyres were winter tyres either |
We have actually booked it with SIXT this time so i will see when i get there in the morning. Hope the chains are in the boot, the tryes are manditory anyway i think
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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With SIXT in Geneva they are not in the boot and you have to pay extra.
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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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oh deep joy, thanks anyway casnbs, we have hired from the swiss side so maybe the tyres are 100% included, i will find out in 18 hours anyway!!!
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I got talked into the fuel deal. It is a good deal if you know you are going to be on fumes at the end of your stay. I only used half a tank so got stung a bit.
In saying that I did make an earlier flight home that I wouldn't have made if I was faffing about getting fuel.
If anybody saw a bloke running through Geneva airport with no shoes on a couple of weeks ago that was me. 
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You know it makes sense.
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in Switzerland I've always found chains included
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yes, they usually are but not always. We met people here with two hired cars, for two families, from the same place (Europcar, Swiss side). The day before they left it was forecast to snow very heavily. They'd not thought about chains. One car had chains, and we showed them how to put them on, but the other had none. They had to go and buy some in the resort, that evening and said they would have had no chance of getting out and catching their flight without them, and Europcar reimbursed the cost. Maybe it was just a mistake but, whatever the reason, there were no chains.
There have also been several reports on snowheads of people hiring on the swiss side, hiring cars with winter tyres already fitted, and nonetheless having to pay "supplements". They've argued, but had to pay up in the end or go without the car. Several of the car hire leaflets you can pick up at geneva airport do list those "supplements" but the practice seems very varied.
The charges for extra drivers are also hefty....
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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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| pam w wrote: |
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in Switzerland I've always found chains included
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yes, they usually are but not always. We met people here with two hired cars, for two families, from the same place (Europcar, Swiss side). The day before they left it was forecast to snow very heavily. They'd not thought about chains. One car had chains, and we showed them how to put them on, but the other had none. They had to go and buy some in the resort, that evening and said they would have had no chance of getting out and catching their flight without them, and Europcar reimbursed the cost. Maybe it was just a mistake but, whatever the reason, there were no chains.
There have also been several reports on snowheads of people hiring on the swiss side, hiring cars with winter tyres already fitted, and nonetheless having to pay "supplements". They've argued, but had to pay up in the end or go without the car. Several of the car hire leaflets you can pick up at geneva airport do list those "supplements" but the practice seems very varied.
The charges for extra drivers are also hefty.... |
Just got back from Geneva, have hired cars on swiss side 3 times this winter; always had chains and snow tires. Got a good bit of advice from the nice man at Hertz, as you pull off the motorway at the airport tunrning, there is a turn off to an AGIP petrol station, can out of there and straight onto the run-in to the car rental return at the car park. I too had had a challenge tor eturn the car full or pay their rather high fuel rate.
Oh, a bit of a tip; Jiggsaw Car hire have conistently been the best quote for Genva car hire - and they seem to then pass the booking on to Avis or Hertz at a saving of at least 30% of going direct.
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