Pre motherhood, if I wanted to rent a car,
I’d book online and rock up at the car hire desk equipped with driving licence
and designer shades. Nowadays, I take a more CIS, evidence based approach to
car hire. Less Thelma and Louise and more CIS, without
the chiffon headscarf.
Arriving at a busy airport on my own with a
child, I wanted to minimise any hassle or stress. I never had a problem in the
past but I had read the horror stories about the tricks and hidden charges that
can ruin a holiday. But first I had to find the best deal.
The cheapest deals are usually through
brokers. When booking, I realised the fuel policy was “full to empty”, which is
not good. It means you get charged a higher rate for it being filled up on your
behalf when you return the car. In the box provided I stated that my rental was
conditional on a “full to full” policy (which is the car provider’s policy).
When I heard nothing I contacted the car hire provider directly. They said it
would be fine. I hung up but the horror stories were ringing in my ear. Is it a
ruse? When I get there, will someone else say they know nothing about it and
declare the booking void (which the broker says can happen on the terms and
conditions). I phoned back and got an email address and name and put it in
writing.
I arrived at the car hire desk armed with
all my documented evidence (which I didn’t need to produce) and a zoom lens
camera. Despite being told the car was brand new and never used before, I took
photos from every angle, inside and out (you can’t be too careful when it comes
to these cowboys). A piece of dirt was wiped away but left a finger mark, so I
took a picture of that too for good measure.
And I didn’t allow all those smiles to lure
me into a false sense of security either. Not on your Nelly. Sign here and
initial here and here, the agent said. The small print was very small (I should
have gone to Specsavers) so I asked her what it said. When she answered, I
said, “ I don’t understand that and I don’t sign anything I don’t understand”.
So I asked for her pen. To her horror, “what are you doing?” she panicked,
looking around for her boss, who appeared to be hiding behind a beige Ford
Focus with alloy wheels if I’m not very much mistaken. “I’m writing my
understanding of what you just said so that I can initial It. You want me to
initial it don’t you?” She nodded resignedly, surveying the mounting queue
behind me.
I proceeded to do that everywhere I was
asked to sign or initial, including writing “full to full fuel policy agreed”
in capitals and underlining it. In the end, she and the manager gave up the
will to live, took the clipboard from me and ushered me on my way. I even put
an x where the thumb mark was. In the end I think they would have paid good
money to get me off the forecourt.
We returned the car an hour early
(always leave enough time to review the paperwork and ensure no miscellaneous
costs have accrued before dashing off for the plane) ready to thoroughly
examine the car. The same young woman was there. “It’s full to the brim” I
beamed, “and not a thumb mark on it”!
Without even looking, she took the keys and said “I don’t doubt it. I can see
you’re very thorough”, and grabbed all our bags, dashing to get us on the shuttle bus
going to the airport terminal. “There’s no need” I protested. “They’re on
wheels and our plane isn’t for ages”, but she seemed keen to send us on our
way. I will definitely recommend this company I said. All those horror stories
psyched me up to do battle, but you guys are amazing. Excellent customer
service, no underhand tricks….but we were off.
We waved at the team from the bus, promising
we’d be back again. Their gait like smiles indicated the stress these people
are under. I bet they have to deal with a lot of weirdos in that job.
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