Buyer Beware On Hire Cars
Planning a self drive holiday is a pleasure. You can relax when everything is booked up knowing that you’ll be able to enjoy driving through France, Italy, Germany or any other European country for that matter from the second you get off the ferry. However, if you have ever had a self drive holiday go horribly wrong then it can potentially ruin your year. All that hard work for nothing because you spend your entire week or fortnight away sorting out a mess that is none of your fault.
To be perfectly honest, that may sound like gobbledygook to you if every self drive holiday you have been on has been smooth but according to a survey by The AA, more and more problems are arising for Brits abroad on the roads. It isn’t the driver’s fault the majority of the time though. Instead, it is largely down to the hire car companies. However, unwitting drivers have to shoulder the responsibility.
The AA revealed that motorists on the Continent can wind up stranded or get into trouble with the police, particularly in Mediterranean countries, as a result of poor hire car company management and an innate failure to provide the right equipment. Being stranded in a foreign country is nobody’s idea of fun, but more than a third of companies offering hire car services do not tell customers what number to call if they break down. Without an emergency number it is possible to envision being stranded in the middle of nowhere in the dead of night. Hardly safe is it? The answer is to make sure that the company gives you a breakdown company number, and a working one at that, before leaving their office.
You should also check the equipment they provide you with before you leave their office because there is more to hiring a car abroad than meets the eye. For example, you need to carry reflective hazard triangles with you as well as first aid kits in a high number of European countries. This is not optional but a requirement by law, and yet the survey revealed that 75% of the 57 companies surveyed across Italy, Greece, Turkey, Portugal and Spain did not provide the equipment they should.
This could cost you a lot of money because the police have the power to fine you on the spot and can hold you responsible for any issues that are caused by a lack of equipment. For example, if you do not use a reflective triangle in Portugal after breaking down then you are liable for a fine of £408. The car hire company is liable for nothing on the other hand. They are responsible for providing the equipment but then car is your responsibility from the moment you drive it away.
You should check that you are provided with everything before you leave the hire car firm. They have to provide you with the right equipment so you are within your rights to demand it. Simply refuse to take the car until the right first aid gear and emergency equipment is provided. You could pay a hefty price if you don’t.
Guest Article by Louise Crowley
Wednesday, August 20th, 2008
