As a Goldcard member of Hertz in Spain, I had hoped to be able to rent a car easily from Hertz in Ireland who I saw as a leader in the car rental market.
My last trip to Ireland would forever change my mind not only for my own experience but for the horror stories I have since read online. https://www.irishcentral.com/news/irish-car-rental-scam-airports?fbclid=IwAR2-kumphe0JARJaTGaKwyVxEw3Gy7GPKkDGTnWZMY6OzutMWSpb_J6h_R4
My Irish mechanic in Spain tells me, that you get what you pay for and to avoid cheap fixes when it comes to cars. I always saw Hertz as excellent value as they charge more but don’t hit you with all the hidden fees some other companies do. They did this time but it could have been much worse.
In order to rent a car you will need a Credit Card and not just a Credit Card but a Credit Card that has sufficient funds if you opt for third party insurers. In my case I needed to put a deposit of €1,600 on my card. It’s a lot but I had third party insurance which is meant to pay the €1,600 in the event of an accident. While I haven’t read the small print of the third party insurer, insurance I thought was only necessary in the event of an accident or damage caused to the car.
Insurance in Ireland is high, astronomically high, why?
Reading a horror story on irishcentral.com I have to ask, are these companies exploiting Irish insurance companies?
Insurance in Ireland is high, astronomically high but why?
As a small island, Ireland charges ridiculous premiums for motorists but why is insurance as high as it is? Has it anything to do with fraudulent charges and are car rental companies engaging in deliberate acts of claiming on insurance as part of their business model?
My own experience aside I have since read of Americans being preyed upon where charges are billed to their credit cards because of minor damage done to wheels and scratches on the car.
Scratches and dents that they were apparently able to prove were a pre-existing condition.
Imagine the problem if you were billed hundreds of euros for a scratch on your rental car and then the next person was charged hundred of euros or dollars for the same scratch that was never repaired. Could such pricing by companies put a scratch on Irish insurance premiums?
Whistle blowers at the company could answer that question and so could investigations by insurance companies as each car should be easily identified by their number plate.
Has the same Dublin registered car claimed a few times for the same thing? I am presuming of course that Insurance fraud is in the interest of Insurance companies, the government and the public at large. Ireland has a huge problem with insuring cars especially for first time buyers where prices force people to go for basic coverage and in the event of a minor accident, people are reluctant to claim and if they do, increases in their premiums can actually force them off the road.
Arriving at Dublin Airport and heading straight to the Hertz desk, neither my Spanish nor my Bank of Ireland Credit Card worked at their terminal and I was refused my car.
Hired for a few days, I actually only needed the to get from Dublin Airport but there I was stranded. I had enough cash to pay for their insurance but they would not accept cash and my bank advised me to call them between 8AM and 8PM and even then it would take 24 hours to rectify any issues.
Stranded at the Airport, I tried finding a bus to Athlone but was told by the bus drivers that they drive direct to Galway and could not stop on the motorway even though I live a mere 700 metres from one of the slip roads they pass by. The advice I was given was to take a bus to Galway and then a bus to Athlone as it would be early in the morning by the time I arrived in Galway.
Nice sales pitch by the bus driver but after hiring a car and taking out third party insurance, I was hoping to get in the driver’s seat and not to be stranded in the airport and charged for the car.
When I eventually did make it to Athlone, there was a bank letter saying that I owed them the minimum amount of €5.
I rarely ever use my Bank of Ireland card and use my Spanish Debit Card but despite keeping the card for emergencies and paying €40 government tax a year on the card. When I needed it, it was completely useless and despite contacting my bank at that hour, they would not help me. What a waste of €240 in Government tax that I have being paying on the card over the last six years especially as I was not able to drive on the roads despite paying Hertz for car rental and third party insurance.
Be warned Renting Cars in Ireland, Hertz your pocket
Right to Reply:
I have contacted Cartrawler.com to offer them the right to reply, they stated over a month ago that it may take up to 20 days for them to reply to my case.
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