Back from the cruise - had the most wonderful time - REALLY struggling to get back to the real world...
Back from the cruise - had the most wonderful time - REALLY struggling to get back to the real world Rache :)
Member since:07.07.2005
Reviews:24
Members who trust:11
Never did I think I would have to or be able to drive in a foreign country but recently due to being duped by my best friend I had to.
PreAmble =======
Whilst this review is about Europa Rent a car I booked my rental through a broker Carjet.com so the website description and booking procedure actually refers to Carjet.com NOT Europa's website itself. The rest of the review and opinions refer to Europa Rent a Car.
A Bit More Info ===========
Ok now I think its only fair to point out that Carjet.com is simply a broker. They use different car hire companies dependant on the place you are hiring from.
The car hire company in question at Palma was Europa Goldcar Rent a car - this review is actually about them not the website for the broker.
Background =========
In January this year my bezzie (who is German and lives in Germany) contacted me to see if we would like to spend a week on Mallorca with her and her partner in a Finca (Mallorcan farmhouse).
My partner and I though this
was a great idea and promptly agreed to go, booked the finca and booked the flight.
Only when this was done and it was too late to back out did my friend (!) inform me that I would have to hire a car. I had naively assumed that they would drive.
Anyway not wanting to sound pathetic I decided that I would drive over there and promptly set about finding a suitable hire company on the net.
My Search ========
Always one to be looking for a bargain I set about searching. I checked out all the major companies like Avis and the cost was quite high, dependant on the company in question upwards of 300 Euros for the week. I though this was out of the question and started to try other avenues like Easyjets car rental - again this was very expensive.
I was then speaking with a friend of mine over here and they suggested that I try www.carjet.com. So I did.
123 Euros for the week for a Renault Clio with aircon in mid July - this I though was very acceptable and proceeded to book the car.
The Booking Procedure ==================
Ok so the first step is to choose where you would like to pick up your car from (long list of options down the right hand side of the screen). I chose Palma Airport.
You are then presented with a page of information and at the top a seriese of options:
Prices What's Included? What's Not? Optional Extras Collection Vehicle Quality How to Book How to Pay About us Get a Quote Cancellations The things that people say...
In fact all the information you could want to know was included in this page. I read all the information and then opted for the "Get a quote" section.
On the "Get a Quote" screen you need to input the following information:
Country Where you want to collect from Rental start date and time Rental end date and time Where you want to return the vehicle to Age of driver Email address
On pressing continue you are taken to a screen to select the type of car you would like to hire. Don't take much notice of this because you never actually get the car you select. For example I choose Renault Clio (because it was the cheapest) and I got a Ford Fiesta.
Once you have chosen the car you are then taken to another screen where you can personalise your quotation and select to include baby seats etc if required. It is useful to note that 4 extra drivers can be added FOC.
You then get your final quotation and can book on line. If you do not want to book at that point you can opt to have the quote sent to you by email and book later.
The email that comes contains a reference to your quote so its just a single click to get back to it - I think the quote is valid for about 4 days.
The next step is to book. Once you have you can either pay there and then or pay on collection. I opted to pay there and then.
I received a further email with all my details and a link to their website where I could print off my voucher. You need this to show at the rental desk on arrival at your pick up point.
As for booking that's all you have to do.
On Arrival ========
On arrival you go to the car hire desk as stated on your voucher.
You will be asked for your passport and driving licence (for all drivers) plus the voucher you have printed off the internet. Incidentally I could not find details of this on the website or on any of the documentation I had received so I literally had to guess what we would need.
The paperwork will be completed and you will be asked to pay for the fuel. We are also given an option to cover any damage to tyres or wheels at a cost of 10 euros which we took. All together at this point I paid 62 euros and got a tank of fuel.
We then had to proceed to the car park of the airport to pick up our vehicle. I may have mentioned that we booked a Clio (because it was the cheapest) but actually got a Fiesta, I didn't really care so long as we had aircon which we did.
Anyway over to the car park we went, we found the office, collected out keys and away we went.
As simple as that.
On Return ========
Not a lot to say here. Go back to the car park , back into the office, hand over the keys and walk away. No checks or anything - brilliant - 2 mins max.
My Advice ========
On arrival at your chosen destination you will be asked to prepay a full tank of fuel. At the end of the hire, simply return the car hire vehicle back to the car hire station at Palma Airport as empty as possible. You do not receive money back for unused fuel so try and use it all. This is how it was operated at Palma elsewhere may be different.
My second piece of advice relates to the long queue to actually do the paperwork for the car. I must have waited about ½ to ¾ hour. Here is a tip, if there is more than one adult travelling let one go to the carousel to collect the luggage whilst one goes and waits in the queue for hiring the car - this way you will save a lot of time and be able to commence your journey much quicker.
My Opinion ========
Absolutely brilliant would recommend without exception - you can actually use Carjet.com as I did or use the companys own website at http://www.europa-rentacar.es/en
The entire process was so easy and professional. The staff were polite and helpful. The car was new (only 2k on the clock) and clean. It was exceptionally cheap.
The staff all spoke very good English and it appears German also as my friend hired from the same company.
There were no hiccups and the car was certainly 1st class - would recommend A++++.
PS you can email the company on info@europa-rentacar.es.
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Advantages: Fantaastic website fantastic service - All together a pleasure Disadvantages: you may not get the car you book BUT will be as good if not better
rachel1431 27.07.2005 (27.07.2005)
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