Car rental fees. Are we being ripped off?

[William]

Hi to all.

I'm taking my 11yo daughter for a holiday in August to the Gold and Sunshine Coasts in Qld. Got our airline tickets, accomm etc. I've just been checking out car prices for a weeks rental. They are as follows.
7 day rental Toyota Yaris =$203, not bad but
Gst =10%
Airport concession recovery fee =12.25%
Vehicle registration recovery = $34.93
Admin recovery = 3%
= $299.98. Then there 3 different levels of accident excess insurance ranging from $20-$30 per day on top of that.

Now, I know I can get the excess reduction through the RACV and it costs about $70 for a couple of weeks cover. So, why do we get slugged so much by the rental companies on this excess scam when the bloody cars are already insured.:mad:

I'll get off my soapbox now. Have a good weekend all!!

[isuzurover]

If you want the cheapest option try somewhere like Dam Cheap and Rent a Bomb. Cars are usually fairly old, but well maintained.

#
Dam Cheap Car Rentals
# 108a Breakfast Creek Rd Newstead 4006
# 1300 733 319

#
Rent-A- Bomb Car Rental
#

*
To find your nearest branch

#

*
Customer Reservations
* 13 1553

#

* Brisbane (Airport) 550 Kingsford Smith Drv Hamilton 4007
* (07) 3868 3444
*

#

* Surfers Paradise (Mobil S/S) 100 Ferny Ave 4217
* (07) 5538 8222
*

#

* Cairns 81 McLeod St 4870
* (07) 4031 4477

[neil 90]

able have cars from $29 and are 2 mins from the airport i even think they will pic you up from the airport. can find out more info if you like, there all new cars as well:)

[disco_thrasher]

Hi to all.

I'm taking my 11yo daughter for a holiday in August to the Gold and Sunshine Coasts in Qld. Got our airline tickets, accomm etc. I've just been checking out car prices for a weeks rental. They are as follows.
7 day rental Toyota Yaris =$203, not bad but
Gst =10%
Airport concession recovery fee =12.25%
Vehicle registration recovery = $34.93
Admin recovery = 3%
= $299.98. Then there 3 different levels of accident excess insurance ranging from $20-$30 per day on top of that.

Now, I know I can get the excess reduction through the RACV and it costs about $70 for a couple of weeks cover. So, why do we get slugged so much by the rental companies on this excess scam when the bloody cars are already insured.:mad:

I'll get off my soapbox now. Have a good weekend all!!

are you landing in gold coast

[Quiggers]

I've been using Avis forever and have their equivalent of a 'frequent flyer' setup, which is great and saves me quite a lot - and they occasionally upgrade for nix.

Get one of these, if not from them, try any of the name brand renters, see what happens.

Some of the 'other' (not name brand or new to the market) renters are known for horror stories, beware. A minor scratch may be a $2000 excess loss....

GQ

[abaddonxi]

Most of the big companies also charge a premium for pick up/drop off at airport rather than at other hire location.

Cheers
Simon

[Quiggers]

Not if you have the card Simon:D ;)

GQ

[William]

Thanks for the replies so far. It's not so much the affordability of actually renting the car, after all, I can get the frequent flyer, amex etc discounts. what is peeving are all these added fees. I've rented cars here and overseas and it's the same rort, in my humble opinion. I was thinking that maybe the ACCC should have a look into it as I'm sure we are being taken for a ride on this.

Still looking forward to the holiday though. Just me and my daughter, fly into the Gold Coast for a few days at the theme parks. Then up to Sunshine Coast, stay at my brothers who lives about a 5 minute drive from Maroochy airport for a week. Take in Australia Zoo, Underwater World, the Big Pineapple, Montville, Eumundi etc etc. Over the past 15 or so years, I've lost count of the number of times I've been up there. This is first dad and daughter trip though. My brother and I will escape to one of our favourite places.......The Big Kart Track. Just love that place!!!

[Pedro_The_Swift]

ahhh The Big Cart Track,,
where it doesnt matter what your last name is,,
the skinny kid that weighs 45kgs will still be ahead by the timing marker.:wheelchair::lol2:

[solmanic]

Try renting in the States. My business partner was there a couple of months ago and his actual rental cost came to nearly DOUBLE what he was quoted because they force you to take out full CDW there PLUS 18% state VAT which does not appear on any quotation. That's why so many people choose to BUY a secondhand car if they are travelling for more than a month.

[CraigE]

Most advertise cheap rentals, but try and get one. Then with all the additional cost can end up nearly $100 a day for a toy car. Through corporate rates a little better but still a rip off. Half the time you are better off buying an older Falcon or Magna and dropping it off at a wreckers on the way out.

[RobHay]

My niece flew up from down south ( Gee her arms were tired) Naw...came up with Virgin ( The Airline) they had a fly drive package, I think the car cost her $30 a day all up. Worth having a look at.

[Rovernaut]

Renting is daunting.
We booked a trip to NZ and wanted to hire a motorhome.
So off to the travel agent we went and got their package price.
This included the airfares and hire of the motorhome.
After getting up after fall down to the floor fainting, we decided to research it our selves.
The airfares we saved a packet. But with the motor home we saved about a grand. After logging on to hire places in NZ and checking prices, again the well known hire companies were quite dear, but the we got on to one that hired motor homes that were about 4 years old. This was a subsidary of one of the better known abd dearer ones. It must be where the slightly older models go.
Anyway we ended up paying a cheap price for the hire and as a bonus got a weeks hire free as we were hiring over 21 days.
And best of all, the price included a complete excess waiver, were most other companies still want a BIG security deposit to cover the excess.

[Utemad]

we got on to one that hired motor homes that were about 4 years old. This was a subsidary of one of the better known abd dearer ones. It must be where the slightly older models go.

I've hired cars in NZ 3 times for snowboarding trips. We use one of the companies that have older cars. All the companies are owned by Budget for example but Budget have the 0-1 year old cars. Another company owned by Budget has the 2-3 year old cars and another company also owned by Budget has the 4-5 year old cars.
I thought it funny that they denied the ownership of the companies considering out the front they had a Budget trailer being towed by a whatever bus :D
We always go with the 4-5 year old cars for price and the fact you tend to damage the cars a bit by cramming in gear and using chains etc and they overlook that on those cars.

We never get the extra insurance cover either as the travel insurance policy we use covers the excess up to quite a few thousand.

[CraigE]

Yeah,
A couple of Kiwi friends have told me to ring NZ direct and they are considerablly cheaper than getting through an Aussie travel agent.


Renting is daunting.
We booked a trip to NZ and wanted to hire a motorhome.
So off to the travel agent we went and got their package price.
This included the airfares and hire of the motorhome.
After getting up after fall down to the floor fainting, we decided to research it our selves.
The airfares we saved a packet. But with the motor home we saved about a grand. After logging on to hire places in NZ and checking prices, again the well known hire companies were quite dear, but the we got on to one that hired motor homes that were about 4 years old. This was a subsidary of one of the better known abd dearer ones. It must be where the slightly older models go.
Anyway we ended up paying a cheap price for the hire and as a bonus got a weeks hire free as we were hiring over 21 days.
And best of all, the price included a complete excess waiver, were most other companies still want a BIG security deposit to cover the excess.

[George130]

Only hire cars I have had were through work and once through my insurance.
The last work one the hire company messed up and instead of a falcon ute I got a Mitsi challenger. That was fun on the driver training course:D. No one else would go near it so instead of sharing with others I got to drive all day.