Gerona Car hire no supplement to France ?

admiral · Post by **admiral** » Thu 02 Jul 2009 17:46

Travelling to Barcares from Gerona sept...Toying with hiring a car from Gerona airport. Are there any hire co.s there which dont charge a supplement to bring the car to France

Thanks

Kathy · Post by **Kathy** » Thu 02 Jul 2009 18:17

Hertz and Avis do not charge supplements.

edann42 · Post by **edann42** » Thu 02 Jul 2009 20:22

Dont they charge the additional insurance premium for bringing the car into France???? Anyway, with the rates they charge, wouldn't it be cheaper to rent cheap then pay the 7 euro a day premium!!!???

John & Elaine · Post by **John & Elaine** » Thu 02 Jul 2009 20:32

Regards Car Hire, I would get prices from three companies. Carjet*, Hertz and HolidayAutos. Surprisingly we have found Hertz to be consistently the cheapest BUT when booked using Ryanair's special link through from their website (assumes you are using Ryanair!) or if using the Hertz No1 Club Card. HolidayAutos are consistently competitive and, if all goes smoothly, very good. Their back office though is a nightmare!! Carjet is originally a Spanish operation which we first found in Gerona. Now they have used the web to extend their reach and can be very cheap. I have asterisked them because they are the only one which currently surcharges you if you take the car out of the original country so you would, I understand, need to add that for the number of days you intend to be in France.

If you are wondering about our experience with car hire, I made over 40 bookings for Elaine last year when she was commuting to the

John

PS If you are renting a car check their return requirements. A recent development in car rental contracts is an increased number of them whose contract is for the car to be returned EMPTY. There’s nothing quite as irritating as filling up a car that should go back empty!

Kathy · Post by **Kathy** » Thu 02 Jul 2009 20:54

John is right. Check the small print.
We have tried the cheaper rental companies twice and found we paid more due to the fact that the tank had to be brought back empty. Nigh impossible for short visits.
We also buy the annual policy from insurance4car hire at a cost of 49 Euros which covers all damage including windscreens, undercarriage and tyres, this saves having to buy excess insurance.

john · Post by **john** » Thu 02 Jul 2009 21:04

Kathy wrote: We also buy the annual policy from insurance4car hire at a cost of 49 Euros which covers all damage including windscreens, undercarriage and tyres, this saves having to buy excess insurance.

We do the same. it's a bargain. What is not a bargain is cheap car hire,esp when things go wrong. Hertz offer an all round good package from GRO,and there is no penalty if you go to France. Tell them you are going to bring it back full,and they listen.

cufc · Post by **cufc** » Thu 02 Jul 2009 22:14

Has anyone any experience of hiring with Avis from Girona?

frenchiegas · Post by **frenchiegas** » Thu 02 Jul 2009 22:31

My brother hired a car from Hertz in Gerona last week,to be used in France.In the UK it is possible to either take the car back empty,or with a full tank.This option was not available in Gerona so he had to take it back empty.Not great if you dont plan on doing much mileage.

Webdoc · Post by **Webdoc** » Thu 02 Jul 2009 22:49

I'm pretty sure the Hertz "take the car back empty" only happens if you click through RyanAir. But then you do get ? 20% discount on the usual rate (so we're told). And NO supplement for driving into France.

Santiago · Post by **Santiago** » Thu 02 Jul 2009 23:12

I'm a fan of Hertz. I hate Avis.

I am intrigued as to why Elaine was commuting to the john so much last year

Tell me more about the all-risks annual insurance. That sounds a great idea.

Helen · Post by **Helen** » Thu 02 Jul 2009 23:57

I rented from Avis earlier this year - and have used them before. At certain times their prices match those of Hertz and other times they are more expensive.

I've always found the experience with them to be a good one. The staff are friendly, usually have fluent English (or are English!) - and the one time I had a slight quibble over a car which wouldn't fill to the fullest on return, HQ refunded the additional amount I'd be charged locally within about 48 hours.

Back in May they were working a 'return the petrol tank full' policy - unlike anyone else.

The other advantage I've found with Avis is that their paperwork is completed very quickly, unlike Hertz who seem to take an age.

Kathy · Post by **Kathy** » Fri 03 Jul 2009 07:01

We have used both Avis and Hertz. Avis was dearer but we had no choice as now Hertz have an affiliation with Ryanair, cars are quickly booked up during peak periods.
Webdoc is right, it is through Ryanair that cars have to be taken back empty, not when you book directly with the car company.
Santiago take a look
http://www.insurance4carhire.com/index. ... 4wod-zPEDw

Unfortunately I did have a claim once for two tyres and they were excellent, paying out immediately upon receipt of the invoice.

john · Post by **john** » Fri 03 Jul 2009 09:04

Like Kathy,I've used both Hertz and Avis over the years. Frankly I can see no difference in the level of service,quality of car etc. Avis used to be a good deal cheaper (esp when they had the "Red Hot Deals"),but these days,most often Hertz nick it on price. Friends of ours who hired from GRO recently certainly had no "bring it back empty" stipulation.

Ian · Post by **Ian** » Fri 03 Jul 2009 09:18

Yes, you need to know which set of Hertz rules you are playing. I made a mistake last month and it cost dear!

They charge 1.6487 euros a litre of diesel and 11.60 service charge if you have to pay for them to fill it up.

Ian

admiral · Post by **admiral** » Fri 03 Jul 2009 10:36

Thanks folks for all the replies and information

cufc · Post by **cufc** » Fri 03 Jul 2009 21:33

Yes, thanks from me too. We actually booked with Ebookers who had best price on comparison site and the booking came out as with Avis. It is deffo a full tank return. Your comments have put my mind at rest.

admiral · Post by **admiral** » Wed 15 Jul 2009 13:31

Booked car ;

Holiday autos generally cheapest, however if u bring car to France, there is a 7euro daily surcharge. Eeven taking the surcharge into ac, they sometimes work out cheapest.

As Roger as said : Avis and Hertz do not surcharge if u bring the car to France

Avis always seemed v expensive

Booking a hertz car thru Ryanair website is approx 10% cheaper than direct thru hertz, though you must bring the tank back empty, fine if you are doing a lotta driving

Booking a car thru Hertz direct means you do not need to bring car back empty. If you are a member of the AA you get a 10% discount with Hertz. I am a member but have never been asked for proof when picking up the car, cdp code 522585 .

Post by **Kate** » Wed 15 Jul 2009 15:31

I know this is going to sound like a really silly question (similar to someone who asked me recently why the region was called the Pyrenées-Orientales!) but how do they know if you bring your car to France? Does it beep or cut out if you try and cross the border

or are you just talking from an insurance point of view? Apologies for being fick!!

Owens88 · Post by **Owens88** » Wed 15 Jul 2009 15:37

I think it is for insurance really.

I went right around the loop on this issue recently, and still came back to Auto Europe and paying the surcharge.

John

Roger O · Post by **Roger O** » Wed 15 Jul 2009 16:11

admiral wrote:As Roger as said : Avis and Hertz do not surcharge if u bring the car to France.

er.. so far I haven't taken part in this thread - is there another Roger on here??
Personally I have no idea about Hertz or Avis around the LR as I've never used them.

From the second post in this thread:

Kathy wrote:Hertz and Avis do not charge supplements.

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