Autoeurope vs Hertz-What Am I Missing?
Feb 18th, 2006, 10:28 AM
#1
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Autoeurope vs Hertz-What Am I Missing?
I have seen many posts say that booking a car rental Autoeurope is cheaper than booking cars directly. I tried to book Autoeurope for Italy (one week starting in late Aug 06) but when I saw that they were arranging my car through Hertz I went to Hertz directly. The quote I got was for one week, unlimited free KM, licensing fee and road tax, tax, CDW and theft protection. What else is there? I see some posters say direct looks cheaper until you see the deductibles? Where do the deductibles come into play. The only options I have are Super CDW and personal accident/effects coverage which both looked to be optional on Autoeurope. Please help solve this mystery for me. Thanks!
Feb 18th, 2006, 10:32 AM
#2
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autoeurope is NOT always cheaper, but it certainly has proved to be so for MANY people.
i also tried to rent through them, and for my dates, other companies have always been cheaper for short stays.
i also tried to rent through them, and for my dates, other companies have always been cheaper for short stays.
Feb 18th, 2006, 10:41 AM
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Hi SD,
Was the AE quote more or less than the Hertz price?
Did you call AE and ask if they would beat the Hertz price.
Does Hertz provide zero deductible insurance? Super CDW can have a deductible.
Was the AE quote more or less than the Hertz price?
Did you call AE and ask if they would beat the Hertz price.
Does Hertz provide zero deductible insurance? Super CDW can have a deductible.
Feb 18th, 2006, 11:02 AM
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AND, www.gemut.com can be cheaper than AutoEurope because they offer discounted AE rates.
Feb 18th, 2006, 11:09 AM
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I found that when booking cars in the US, here from Germany on www.holidayautos.de, they always were less expensive than what I would have paid at Alamo directly. On the other hand the prices quoted by many of you here are far more than what I would pay, making the reservation locally. Don't know, maybe it's the special requirements some have (like big car and automatic tranmission). For 8 days in May, incl. 800km, Opel (GM) corsa I just paid 119€ incl. cdw at Avis.
Feb 18th, 2006, 11:10 AM
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You might not be missing anything.
If Super CDW is offered, it usually means that there is an excess liability if you have an accident.
CDW might cover all but a stated amount of coverage, usually 750-1000E on most of the cars we have rented for instance.
Super CDW would then cover the excess.
Be very specific and ask both companies if the car is TOTALLY covered or if there is an EXCESS.
Auto Europe is not always cheaper and they do not always match the cost.
If Super CDW is offered, it usually means that there is an excess liability if you have an accident.
CDW might cover all but a stated amount of coverage, usually 750-1000E on most of the cars we have rented for instance.
Super CDW would then cover the excess.
Be very specific and ask both companies if the car is TOTALLY covered or if there is an EXCESS.
Auto Europe is not always cheaper and they do not always match the cost.
Feb 18th, 2006, 11:41 AM
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Don't mind, but the avis site is in german only. (Foreign tourists are doomed to pay more than Germans ;-) The other rental companies all have the same offers under different names, same policy everywhere! You just need to do some search on google.de: www.avisbasic.de
Feb 18th, 2006, 12:05 PM
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sdtravels,
I would NEVER rent from Hertz ever again. We had a nightmare with them in France, and I realize you're renting in Italy, but from our past experience, I'd advise you to use another company. We had good experiences with both Autoeurope and Avis all over Europe.
I would NEVER rent from Hertz ever again. We had a nightmare with them in France, and I realize you're renting in Italy, but from our past experience, I'd advise you to use another company. We had good experiences with both Autoeurope and Avis all over Europe.
Feb 18th, 2006, 12:19 PM
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I just tried both again to see if I could find more information based on what you all said. The AutoEurope quoted $569 for a Peugot 407 through Hertz. I already have a confirmation for a Jaguar x type 2.0 (or similar) for $555 through Hertz directly. When I checked Hertz again for the same car, the rate is now $1,063. What are my chances of getting the rate I have quoted? We are picking up in Venice and returning in Rome (8/28 to 9/4) Thanks.
Feb 18th, 2006, 01:10 PM
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When booking through hertz, be sure to take advantage of any discount code to which you are entitled - this can affect the rate quoted. For example, if you are a member of a frequent flyer program, be sure to find out the relevant discount code and supply it when getting a quote.Even better, be sure that you don't belong to a professional organization or work for a firm that has negotiated a special group rate with hertz (or perhaps another firm). This arrangement will come with a special discount code. You can only use one code as a rule per booking, but the point is not all discount codes are created equal.
Feb 18th, 2006, 01:10 PM
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A few weeks ago I tried my own little test with Hertz and Autoeurope. I plugged in my dates for Rome pickup and Venice drop off.
Autoeurope quoted something like 232 Euros for a week -- from a Rome location that I specified because I knew it to be a Hertz location.
I was advised that there might be a drop-off charge, to be confirmed before the booking was finalized.
Hertz quoted 180 euros, no drop off charge, for the very same conditions and dates, incl. CDW, yadda, yadda.
I did not book then as our plans were fluid.
The other day I went onto the Hertz site and found the price (by this point we were seeking a Venice to Rome rental) was up to 230 euros.
I went back to autoreurope and got the booking for $232 CANADIAN!
When I got the voucher, it specified zero drop off and told me that the supplier was:....Hertz!
So Autoeurope was cheaper in the end than the Hertz website -- even though Hertz was the cheaper when I first inquired.
Go figure.
Autoeurope quoted something like 232 Euros for a week -- from a Rome location that I specified because I knew it to be a Hertz location.
I was advised that there might be a drop-off charge, to be confirmed before the booking was finalized.
Hertz quoted 180 euros, no drop off charge, for the very same conditions and dates, incl. CDW, yadda, yadda.
I did not book then as our plans were fluid.
The other day I went onto the Hertz site and found the price (by this point we were seeking a Venice to Rome rental) was up to 230 euros.
I went back to autoreurope and got the booking for $232 CANADIAN!
When I got the voucher, it specified zero drop off and told me that the supplier was:....Hertz!
So Autoeurope was cheaper in the end than the Hertz website -- even though Hertz was the cheaper when I first inquired.
Go figure.
Feb 18th, 2006, 01:21 PM
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I rented from Hertz at Frankfurt Airport one year ago. The price was in euros. That was the first problem, because during the two weeks I had the car, the dollar took a nosedive and it raised my price almost $100. Autoeurope had quoted me the same price as Hertz before I left, and AE's price had been in dollars. So I would have saved simply if I'd reserved in dollars. (I chose to use Hertz because I'd get airline miles.)
In addition, Hertz really jerked me around about gasoline. The car we were initially given had a few things that didn't work, so when I was near Frankfurt a few days later, I looked into trading it in for another of the same car. I had not paid upfront for a tank of gas as they push you to do because I knew I could easily fuel it on the way to the airport when I returned it.
They agreed to give me another car, but only if I paid $70 for gas for the first car AND bought the tank in advance for the new car. I declined and kept the car with the broken auto mechanism for the side view mirrors and cruise control that only worked part of the time, aside from other minor things. Yes, I know I should have filled the car up since I was expecting to trade it in, but after years of using Hertz, I also expected them to be reasonable when they had rented me a car with problems.
I wrote a letter to Hertz when I returned, but they didn't bother to answer it. I will never use them again.
In addition, Hertz really jerked me around about gasoline. The car we were initially given had a few things that didn't work, so when I was near Frankfurt a few days later, I looked into trading it in for another of the same car. I had not paid upfront for a tank of gas as they push you to do because I knew I could easily fuel it on the way to the airport when I returned it.
They agreed to give me another car, but only if I paid $70 for gas for the first car AND bought the tank in advance for the new car. I declined and kept the car with the broken auto mechanism for the side view mirrors and cruise control that only worked part of the time, aside from other minor things. Yes, I know I should have filled the car up since I was expecting to trade it in, but after years of using Hertz, I also expected them to be reasonable when they had rented me a car with problems.
I wrote a letter to Hertz when I returned, but they didn't bother to answer it. I will never use them again.
Feb 18th, 2006, 01:43 PM
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I empathize with you about the broken bits on the car.
I don't think you got "jerked around" about the gas, however.
They owed you a fully functioning car -- they didn't owe you a free tank of gas, IMO.
I don't think you got "jerked around" about the gas, however.
They owed you a fully functioning car -- they didn't owe you a free tank of gas, IMO.
Feb 18th, 2006, 01:58 PM
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I know I've written this before, but when renting a car in Germany, Austria or Switzerland, it pays to check www.getmut.com. They have a special arrangement with AutoEurope so the AE prices you pull up yourself on their website will be discounted by booking thru gemut.com.
At the AE website, we got a price of $542 for a VW Golf Wagon picking up in Kelsterbach and returning to Frankfurt Airport for 2 wks. Gemut.com quoted me a price of $462 for the very same rental.
At the AE website, we got a price of $542 for a VW Golf Wagon picking up in Kelsterbach and returning to Frankfurt Airport for 2 wks. Gemut.com quoted me a price of $462 for the very same rental.
Feb 18th, 2006, 03:04 PM
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Try this site. We used these guys and there were much cheaper than Autoeurope.
http://www.fastcarhire.com
http://www.fastcarhire.com
Feb 18th, 2006, 03:06 PM
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If you find a cheaper rate, call Auto Europe directly; they will almost always price match. I prefer to rent through AE because their customer service thus far has been outstanding. For example, last time I rented an Avis car through them I found an extra charge on my credit card when I returned home. One call to AE fixed the situation. This was not the case when I rented directly through Avis in England a few years ago, and I ended up getting stuck with the extra payment. I have been very happy with their service and always use them, if anything for the piece of mind of knowing I can call them if anything is wrong and they will try their best to fix the problem.
Tracy
Tracy
