Car rental in Italy
 

I have followed the kind suggestions to use AutoEurope to rent a car in Rome and the vendor is Europcar. I have already placed my reservation. I have read negative postings re: using Europcar and yet that is the ONLY vendor Auto Europe is using! Any recommendations??

I'm not sure what you mean that Europcar is the only agency AutoEurope is using in Rome. Have you picked up a phone and called them (AutoEurope) and asked? Sounds very odd to me and would be a very recent development if true. Is it possible you chose a pick up or drop off location online and that happened to be Europcar, so that settled which agency you are getting?

But regardless, I'm not sure what the issues are with Europecar and AutoEurope will stand behind whatever your contract with them says -- that's one of the great advantages of dealing with AutoEurope.

Hi chocobon, did you read the post from bobthenavigator on your other thread? BTW, if you don't know who to find your other thread just click on your screen name and you will see it on the left hand side of the screen. Do call AutoEurope, bobthenavigator posted the toll free number along with a lot of other useful information you will want to read. Best regards.

The location you specify when given the choice by AutoEurope for picking up and dropping off the car often determines the rental agency.

NeoPatrick, your reply is graciously appreciated, however, being a seasoned traveler, I have made the reservation w/AutoEurope then subsequentially read the postings about Fodorites who have been sited w/traffic violations in Firenze and those being directly tied to their credit card with which they rented from EuropCar. BTW, my resv was made via phone.

Hi C,

Europcar is like Hertz or Avis.

Are you sure that it wasn't EuropAcar about which you have heard negative things?

Hi C,

>..read the postings about Fodorites who have been sited w/traffic violations in Firenze and those being directly tied to their credit card...

That has nothing to do with the car rental agency or AE.

They were tagged by traffic camera. Italian law requires the rental agency to give them the name of the person who hired the car.

Oh, yes. That deal with people getting camera related traffic violations has NOTHING to do with whom you rent your car from.

I was checking on car rental rates for France, and the cheapest AE rates whether on the French (which has only inclusive) or the US web site did not match what Kemwel had to offer ($34 vs $27 per day) for identical cars and conditions, and the two are sister companies. Since the AE contract can be canceled within a reasonable period of time, the OP might want to look around.

Thanks fellow Fodorites, for the clarifying posts re: the auto rental situation in Italy. This chat forum is truly one of the best things I've ever experienced!! Fodorites rule!:)