Car Hire Customer Assistance Guide
Collecting Your Car
- Please refer to the voucher for the address of the location. (At airports, follow the ‘Car Rental’ signs in the Arrivals area to the rental desks.)
- Present your Rental voucher, a full valid driver’s licence (provisional licences are not accepted) this must be the same name as on the voucher you are presenting, a credit card** for the security bond and in some cases, your passport.
- If renting a speciality or luxury vehicle, two international credit cards may be required in your name.
- International Driving Licences are compulsory in many countries. If stopped by the police you may be fined, if you cannot produce a valid one.
- The car rental company will prepare a Rental Agreement (RA) and your voucher will be credited to the Rental Agreement (RA). Please check your voucher carefully as to what is included or excluded. There may be some additional charges not covered by the voucher which will apply (i.e. one way fees which are paid locally).
- It is important you read and fully understand any of the charges applied to the Rental Agreement (RA). In many cases the Rental Agreement (RA) will be prepared for you before you arrive. Once you have signed and initialled your acceptance on the Rental Agreement (RA), the charges will be debited from your credit card, and are non-refundable. This is a legally binding contract between yourselves and the rental company.
Credit Card Security Bond / Deposit
- Car rental company will require a security deposit ‘held’ against your credit card. The credit card must be in the name of the renter shown on our booking and must have sufficient funds to cover the required deposit / excess.
- Usually CASH and DEBIT CARDS (including Travelex Cards) are not accepted and may result in refusal by the supplier to release the vehicle.
- Deposit amounts vary and will generally equate to the value of the Excess liability. This may affect the credit available to you on your credit card for several days after the vehicle is returned.
On Airport Service
The supplier has a rental counter in the airport terminal with cars on location. For larger airports, there may be a section dedicated to all rental car companies that will be within a short walking distance. Some airports may provide a shuttle to the rental car area, this is still considered an ‘on airport service’.
Off Airport Service
The supplier is located within a short distance of the airport. There will either be a shuttle bus provided for the short trip from the airport to the supplier’s location, or clients will have to call once they arrive at the airport and they will be collected. Refer to your documentation for further instructions.
Late Arrival
Our pre-booked rentals will only be held by a supplier for up to one hour past the agreed collection time. Late arrivals after this time will be treated as a no-show and the car may be released. It is important to add your flight arrival details to the voucher when booking, as this may help the rental company monitor your flight arrival time in the case of any flight delays.
Late Return
Any rental returned past the agreed return time will be charged an extra day at the local rental rate plus taxes and fees.
Non-Waivable Excess
Rentals include Collision Damage Waiver Insurance (CDW), Third Party Liability and Theft Protection (TP).
An Insurance Excess is applicable in the event of any accident or theft to the rental vehicle, regardless of fault.
The Excess amount varies between countries and car groups. The additional insurance offered by the car rental company is optional.
Many travellers have Travel Insurance to cover the Excess applied in the event of an accident or theft. Some insurance companies may not cover the Excess unless you also take out the Excess Reduction Insurance offered by the car rental company. Please check the conditions on your Travel Insurance policy.
Note: Lost Keys, damage to glass (incl. side mirrors), tyres, underside and roof of the vehicle are NOT covered by the insurance included in your rental. The collection depot may offer additional insurance to cover these items.
Car Capacity & Car Class
All cars are insured for a maximum number of passengers. We cannot accept liability for the car being unsuitable for all passengers and luggage. As a guide, please refer to our website for approximate capacities of the various car classes. We cannot accept responsibility if the car hire company refuses to supply a car because the party size is too big and you have booked a vehicle from a category that is too small for your requirements. You may have to upgrade to a larger vehicle which would be at an additional cost to yourself.
We are unable to guarantee a particular make or model of car. The car shown on your voucher is for guidance only and the car hire company may instead provide a different car which is deemed to be similar or superior.
Minimum / Maximum Age Limitations
In most locations, the minimum hiring age is 21 years. Additional fees can apply with certain car hire companies and in certain countries for drivers aged under 25 years or over 65 years: where the correct driver age has been submitted with the booking request, we will advise of any likely fees. Minimum age requirements on larger cars may also be higher at some locations.
Child Seats & Special Requests
Child seats, roof racks (not available on some cars) and other ‘extra’ items are available on request in most locations and will need to be pre-booked, although they may be available in all locations. There is usually a fee payable to the car hire company. In most locations, child seats are required by law. Requests for these items should be made at the time of booking.
Mechanical Difficulties / Accidents
In the case of breakdown or mechanical difficulties, you must call the car hire company immediately. The car hire company must give authority for repairs or replacement cars. If you are involved in an accident, the local police and the car hire company must be contacted. Keep copies of all relevant documentation you are asked to complete. This may be needed if you wish to make a claim.
Your hire of any car is subject to the terms & conditions of car hire imposed by the car hire company and to the corresponding laws of the country and/or state in which the rental takes place. You will therefore be subject both to our terms and to those of the car hire company. We accept no responsibility for and shall not be liable in respect of any loss, damage, alterations, delays or changes arising from civil strife, industrial disputes including air traffic control disputes, terrorist activity, natural or nuclear disaster, fire or adverse weather conditions, unavoidable technical problems with transport, closure or congestion of airports or ferry ports, cancellation of scheduled flights or financial failure of airlines.
Amendments (changes to your booking)
You can make changes to your booking any time before you’re due to pick the car up.
If you need to change something with your pick-up time or make an amendment, please call us we will gladly help.
There is no administration fee for changing your booking, but any changes you make may affect the rental price as the booking will be re-priced at the current rate of that day.
One-Way Rentals
One-way rentals must be confirmed in advance and may be subject to one-way fees, payable to the car hire company. We will advise you of the approximate costs after we receive your booking request and receive confirmation from the car hire company regarding the one-way rental.
