Check thoroughly and even then, be inclined to disbelieve everything you're promised and have a Plan B for when you find out that "nothing in life is free."
We've just returned from a trip to Las Vegas that we booked through Directline-holidays. They offered by far the cheapest option to get out there, booking with Airtours and flying direct from Glasgow with Thomas Cook Airlines. One of the big attractions for us was the promise from Airtours of "free car rental" with the offer. Admittedly this was for an economy sized car, but hey, there was only 2 of us.
Only the insurance to pay for, we were told. Great ! ! For a week in an economy car then, that should be say £100? To be on the safe side, I called their Customer Services (and be further warned - I had to make a number of calls before actually getting to speak to an operator, and my phone bill made for sober reading when we returned home) but they couldn't confirm the cost of insurance. I was tentatively quoted £105 but told I couldn't pay in advance anyway and would have to wait until we picked up the car at the airport. As a comparison, I checked potential car hire via expedia (which is how I usually hire a car for a holiday) and found that I could get a car through them with any number of reputable companies, for anything from £103 INCLUDING insurance. The best quote was with Dollar, who were actually providing our "free" car anyway. Good news then - if they're that cheap, the insurance can't amount to much can it ......
Arriving at the Dollar desk in Las Vegas, they first tried to charge me for the car and didn't recognise the "free" car hire voucher supplied by Airtours. Having resolved that initial confusion with the manager, they then concocted a standard level insurance charge (i.e. no bells-and-whistles, just the basics) totally $350. That's around £215 in real money ! ! To insure an economy car for one week ! ! I insure my Audi for a whole year for less that that !
Suffice to say, we didn't accept the offer of our "free" car hire. But it served as a warning for me in future and I hope it helps you too. I should have gone with my instinct and just booked through expedia in the first place. At the time, I allowed myself to believe that I was spending money I didn't need to, on something I was getting from Airtours for nothing anyway. Don't make the same mistake.
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NH Hotels, the hotel chain leader in Europe, with more than 300 hotels in 20 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. Enter into our web site and find the best available tariff at all times
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Record Rent a Car is present in the main spanish airports and has a very wide fleet. We offer: exceptional discounts, free additional drivers,
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Advantages: Staff try their best in a bad situation, its just a shame about the company they work for, and the flights are cheap (you get what you pay for) Disadvantages: Too many to list!
Jul 14th, 2009
very helpful by (100%):
