This was published 7 years ago
Readers' travel tips: How to get a cheap rental car in Europe
Renting cars outside of the big cities of France and hitting the road has always been a delight for one reader.Credit: SFL Choice / Alamy Stock Photo
TIP OF THE WEEK: HIT THE ROAD
We have rented many cars from hertz.com, mainly in France. Check Global Destinations on the website. There are often special discounts. It's no problem to start in one town and finish in another. They have branches in numerous smaller towns and cities. We avoid rental locations in large cities. Service is always courteous and efficient, even when we've been at the wrong location! They found us a car...no problem! French roads are very good and it's a joy to travel through the countryside and visit village markets, restaurants etc.
Louise Lake, Wollongong
FORMULA WON
As a follow up to last week's tip of the week on good value German breakfasts, I'd like to highlight the "formulae" lunch option that many French patisseries offer which includes a baguette with a choice of filling, a cake or tart and a cold drink for around €6. These can then be enjoyed while sitting in a place admiring the scenery and having a rest before the next round of sight seeing.
Jennifer McKay, Ashbury NSW
CAR JACKED
As a frequent hirer, I am usually alert to the traps of car rentals but on a recent trip, Avis managed to spring a new one. Needing a one-day hire in Turin at short notice, I agreed to an extortionate quote from the city depot. Fair cop as it was a walk-in booking. The surprise arrived a few days later when the card charge didn't tally. Turns out they had doubled the hire charge and insurance fees on the basis that the return time was 20 minutes into the second day. There was no explanation as to why the staff didn't advise of the charge upon return, which if known, would have allowed me to use the car for the second day. They declined to refund the charge and the dispute was notified to the credit card issuer whose efforts also failed. A token gesture from Avis was the offer of a voucher but that assumes one would wish to hire from them again. Judging by the tales of Traveller correspondents, the industry appears ripe for a disrupter to drop the untrusting and adversarial approach to its customers.
Stephen Kovacs, Singapore
FUEL LEVY
I recently returned a Hertz hire car at Brisbane airport after filling up with fuel at Rochedale, about 30 kilometres from the airport. The gauge was showing just on the full line when I arrived at the airport, but the attendant said it should be just over the line and they would have to top it up.
I had overlooked the fine print about refuelling within a certain distance of the airport and decided to cop the $3.35/litre refuelling cost. I was however surprised to see an additional charge of $45.50 on my credit card. When I asked Hertz to tell me how many litres of fuel had been added and the cost per litre, miraculously the charge was refunded.
Kanwal Josan, Balwyn VIC
HEY, TAXI
Thanks for the tip, Suzanne Lyon, Mount Waverley (Traveller, December 2016). As a result of your positive reference for the Greek taxi driver, Charis Kosmas, I sent him an email. I will be visiting Athens for two days in June prior to visiting the island of Lesvos for two months. Charis will collect me from the airport, deliver me to my hotel and is busily preparing me an itinerary of interesting things to see in Athens for the short duration of my visit. He will also transport me back to the airport.
If you want to book his services email him at charis@taxitour.gr
Judy Simpson, Alberton SA
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