Having recently been on my first fly-drive holiday to the U.S.A. I was interested to see what quality of vacation I would have driving around America instead of flying. I had been told by people that it was a better way to see the country.
We found the cheapest way to hire a car was through our tour operator, Virgin Atlantic. We were steered towards Dollar Car Rental, (pardon the pun).
We arrived at L.A. Airport and only waited a few minutes for the bus to arrive which would transport us the the pick up point. There were quite a few of us waiting but the driver was helpful to everyone with their luggage.
We arrived a the Car lot and didn't have to wait long for our turn. The receptionist was very organised and helpful. It didn't take long for all the paperwork to be signed and issued. We were asked if we required any maps to help us to our destinations and were given what turned out to be easy to follow directions. We had upgraded the vehicle as there were four of us and we didn't fancy being cramped up in a saloon with luggage all over us.
We had to find the car ourselves which I thought was a bit off, as there were so many. We checked over the vehicle for knocks and bumps as we did not relish the thought of being charged for damage we had not caused. We did think there should have been someone from the company with us at this stage to clarify the condition of the vehicle. Fortunately, it was a nice car, clean and in good condition.
We left the car lot within about half an hour which I considered to be a reasonable length of time.
We had the car for two weeks and drove quite a few hundred miles in it. It was comfortable, easy to drive and all the extras were in working order, i.e. air conditioning etc., which was a bonus when your driving through the desert.
We had no trouble with the car whilst we had it and were quite satisfied with the service.
On returning the car, you immediately parked it in a valeting area, which suggested the cars are cleaned and checked following each hire.
The fact the car had been reliable and comfortable made for a good holiday, (although I think internal flights better).
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
I put "very helpful" for the simple reason that it was a goos review when we flew to LAX and went to dollar they charged us for what we had already paid for 3 times and so we had to stay round the pool in out holidays and didnt have enough money to go out.
ste231191
Dalesman 18.07.2001 12:04
Nice Op, we always use Dollar and have organised our car with Dollar through their website, we were (like you) intorduced to them thro' Virgin Holidays and as members of their holiday Club they always give you a free upgrade ( worth considering joining !!)..cheers Andrew
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
Record Rent a Car is present in the main spanish airports and has a very wide fleet. We offer: exceptional discounts, free additional drivers,
unlimited mileage... subscribe to our Club Record and take advantage of special offers.
Jul 4th, 2001
very helpful by (92%):
helpful by (8%):
