Well, I am feeling alot better now. I have been to Tenerife with Shane and now need some inspiration...
Well, I am feeling alot better now. I have been to Tenerife with Shane and now need some inspiration to write again. Any suggestions?
Member since:11.07.2000
Reviews:372
Members who trust:372
Normally if Shane and I are going to Tenerife we usually hire a group B car, but Shane always moans. ‘It under-powered’, ‘too small' and frankly ‘disappointing’. On our last visit I vowed never to hire such a small car again. (In the UK I drive a Volvo 440 turbo and Shane drives a Volvo 440SE (2 litre if you are not into cars, like me)).
As we were taking Kayleigh, my best mate’s daughter with us and also taking her Grandparents out from time to time, on the island, I could justify the expense a bigger car. A 1.6 was decided upon, and now it was down to choosing the Hire Car Company.
I asked Shane to book the car but as usually he forgot! One week to go, no car, so I visited various websites and phone up a number of companies only to find that RCI (our time-share agents) offered the best car hire deal and that was through Avis. I have found in the past that Avis was expensive for group A and B sized cars but for the C group of cars they were the cheapest Car Hire Company (April /May 2001).
Avis cars are great value for money, but are not the cheapest Car Hire Company, on the market today. They have offices all over the world, yet their cars are known for their high standards.
Booking the car was simple and consisted of one telephone call that was made in the UK to RCI, plus using a credit card, the reservation was completed. The car was to be picked up at Avis’ Reina Sofia Airport Office on Friday 27th April. Two days later the voucher arrived. It was put it with the flight ticket and passport. As Shane was driving, so I left everything up to him. Big mistake!
The procedure for collecting the car should be simple. Simply present the voucher along with the driver’s passport and full driver’s licence, at the Avis Counter, along with a deposit in the form of a credit card. Yes, you have guessed it. Shane had forgotten to pack his drivers licence. Now what were we to do?
There was no queuing at the Avis reservations desk and the Tenerifian staff were courteous, quick and efficient. After asking (in Spanish) if they spoke English, Shane and I we able to establish that his driving licence could be faxed to the Avis Airport Office, from the UK, but we could then pick up the hire car a Los Gigantes Office the following morning, with no extra charges being incurred. (We were staying in Los Gigantes).
I knew were the driving licences are kept in my home, so with one telephone call to my brother, he was able to faxed it to the Spanish office for us to pick up our car the next day.
The Los Gigantes Avis Office was just as efficient as the Airport Office. The staff were once again friendly and courteous. One telephone call confirmed that the licence as in order, and we were able to pick up our 1.6 Renault Megan Estate car. It was dark blue, clean and had low mileage on the clock. The car had power assisted steering (PAS), alloy wheels, roof bars (for those with an interest in surfing etc!) and air conditioning (AC). Both PAS and AC are must in the hot tropical climate of Tenerife, with its winding mountain roads. In the glove compartment there was a map of the island, plus there was a radio to help while away time whilst travelling from the south to the north of the island. A must if you do not like heights! (Just close your eyes!).
In conclusion, Avis is not the cheapest hire Car Company in Tenerife, but for helpfulness they cannot be beaten.
**Top Tip when hiring a car in the UK for use Abroad**
1) Remember your Driving Licence, which must be held for a full year, passport and voucher. 2) Check any local age limits and endorsement criteria. 3) If the tank must be returned full, fill it up the night before and then top it up at the local Airport/Office fuel station. If it is not full, the petrol charges of a hire car company can be quite hefty! 4) Have fun but drive on the correct side of the road! (not necessarily the right, the left may also be right!)
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Quite loyal to Avis as they offer me frequent flyer miles and upgrades when available. Never had a problem with the rental. Another quick tip, be sure you know how to open the petrol cap before you go - not as simple as it sounds. I had a car once and could not get it open - apparently you needed to do something strange with the key fob to get it open - anyway ended up paying their charges for refueling. Sue :)
sue.51 24.05.2001 00:34
Thats customer service for you - and somewhat friendlier and more helpful than most of the hire companies in this country - never tried Avis maybe we will give them a try this year.
Sue
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May 18th, 2001
very helpful by (98%):
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