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nickEnackEnoo

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My first trip to Tenerife in January wasn't exactly ruined by this, but left a bitter taste in my mouth; the Full To Empty policy of hire car companies. Stupidly, I did not look at the small print after I booked it and just printed the actual voucher for my car hire. Although, I have just realised that they say in their own response to my complaint that I should have been made aware of it at the time of booking, which I wasn't. I am pursuing this as I paid 50 euros for fuel on pick up, misunderstanding the rental agents instruction that I needed to refill it, or it would be considered empty. Why the hell would someone knowingly pay for a full tank without knowing if they'd use it all? I now know the Guardian covered this scam a few years ago and I am badgering the companies concerned for recompense (probably a futile task).

What other scams should inexperienced oversea drivers and travellers look out for?
 
There are a few mainstream rentals in the UK who now go for half full. It was so much easier to fill to the top and the pump cut out when the tank was full. It is harder to gauge what is half full so you will always go over.
 
By the time you fill the car up at a petrol station THEN return to airport car hire or wherever the tank is not exactly full as petrol is used from petrol station to airport, are they going to charge a full tank for so little used. Problem with car hires that take credit cards they rob you blind.
I like Corfu car hires, a lot will take cash payment leaving your credit card free from being plundered.
 
Same as having to return any hire vehicle 'with the same amount of fuel it came with' a virtually impossible task and one the hire companies always benefit from
 
nickEnackEnoo said:
Stupidly, I did not look at the small print after I booked it and just printed the actual voucher for my car hire.
...

What other scams should inexperienced oversea drivers and travellers look out for?
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As you said yourself, read the small print. The cheap prices get covered by something. I much prefer returning full, but you just got to do your sums when comparing costs online like with everything else.

I wouldn't go as far as calling it a scam...
 
We always return ours with the same (approximately) as it had in it when we picked it up. We often get the hire firm's owner's wife's winter hack so while it's battered and bent, we don't have to worry too much about it (although we've never put any extra dents in it!) Cheap as chips and we always pay cash so no nasty surprises on credit cards.

In Iceland, there was a pump about 100 yards from the drop off point so we simply filled up there (as suggested by the clerk when we picked it up IIRC.)

As the OP says, STUPIDLY, he didn't read the T&Cs properly...
 
dejongj said:
I wouldn't go as far as calling it a scam...
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After several emails to the hire care company and the travel company I booked through, it's taken 6 weeks for someone to finally point out the small print; it was in the second page of a 'voucher' you need to present on pick up. The thing is, I was not given this information prior to booking/paying and the middle man for the two have said in a letter that customers should be informed before booking. If it's not a scam, I think it's a clever 'oversight.'
 
nickEnackEnoo said:
After several emails to the hire care company and the travel company I booked through, it's taken 6 weeks for someone to finally point out the small print; it was in the second page of a 'voucher' you need to present on pick up. The thing is, I was not given this information prior to booking/paying and the middle man for the two have said in a letter that customers should be informed before booking. If it's not a scam, I think it's a clever 'oversight.'
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On the Islands my favourite car hire company is autoreisen. They make it pretty clear. Which company did you use then and which middle man service?
 
nickEnackEnoo said:
What other scams should inexperienced oversea drivers and travellers look out for?
Click to expand...


Not scams to look out for, just general advice - read the small print. Properly!
 
dejongj said:
Which company did you use then and which middle man service?
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I booked everything through Coop Travel as a last minute thing. They set me up with Orlando Cars who provide rental throughout the Canary Islands and whose own website specifies Full To Full on their website homepage; when I pointed this out, they said it didn't apply as I did not book directly with them. The middle man is Affordable Car Hire, who I only found out about 2 days ago.
 
nickEnackEnoo said:
I booked everything through Coop Travel as a last minute thing. They set me up with Orlando Cars who provide rental throughout the Canary Islands and whose own website specifies Full To Full on their website homepage; when I pointed this out, they said it didn't apply as I did not book directly with them. The middle man is Affordable Car Hire, who I only found out about 2 days ago.
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Blimey so you booked with coop travel who booked with affordable car hire who booked with Orlando cars. I would say there is the problem right there.

I would advise for a next time to just book direct and remove all these other companies who all be making money from you. I prefer to be in control myself.

Ah well, lesson learned.
 
I generally use Youdospain.com for car hire, easy, very clear terms when you search.
 
always used iberocar when in mainland Spain or the Balearics... aware of T&C.... was a real bitch returning it to the airport on fumes wondering if going to make it.......
 
dejongj said:
As you said yourself, read the small print. The cheap prices get covered by something. I much prefer returning full, but you just got to do your sums when comparing costs online like with everything else.

I wouldn't go as far as calling it a scam...
Click to expand...

This - these days people are obsessed by the cheapest price and comparisons... the only way to be cheaper in the main is to offer lesser service or quality. I remember 10 years ago making a claim for home insurance with a cheaper company, took me a couple of months and chasing get paid out, yet with Direct Line, was paid out easily within a week. Pay a little more and get great service. Things like insurance will always see hidden small print or confusing as they need to make their money back somewhere. Same with Ryanair v BA.
 
Could be worse. I rented a car in Tuscany last year for about £40 for the week. It was "full to full".

However, the only petrol station within 20 miles of the airport doesn't take UK credit cards (somebody there was having a full on argument with a lorry driver about it). It will only take 10, 20 or 50 euro notes as pre payment and then give you the fuel. I used up all my 10s and was still about half a litre short. Not wanting to use my last 50 I took it back "almost" full. On my credit card statement not only had I been charged for the missing half litre at about 5X the cost of the fuel (kind of fair) but they whacked on another €50 fine for not returning it full. So yeah, more than the cost of a whole tank for a Fiat 500 and also more than the cost of the whole week's rental.

They have to make their money somehow ;)
 
Having been stung before, I now read all the small print when hiring. If booking through some comparison/reseller websites, they sometimes don't tell you the end company until you have booked, so always use one you can cancel within 7 days without penalty. Some of the ones near Heathrow are located up to 30 minutes on a bus away from the airport itself and don't have a courtesy bus, so it costs you an extra £5 each way per person.

Many of the smaller cars from hire companies these days have a digital fuel indicator with 8 segments from full to empty. When driving off, I take a note of how many miles I've driven before the gauge drops down to the next segment. When filling up, as long as I fill up within that distance (minus about 10 miles for safety), then it will show full when returning the car. It means you don't need to use the most expensive petrol station close to the airport, and can fill up sometimes 50 miles or more from the rental facility ;-)

Agreed that the worst ones are either return empty, or the same level as you picked it up, as you can never accurately judge how much you need to put into the tank.
 
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