car rental question-different rate for different country of residence
 

after checking around (web-sites) for car rental in UK, I noticed that most of the companies, e.g. Hertz, Alamo, charged different rate for UK and other country residence..If you choose UK as residence place it is actually around GBP20 cheaper compare to if you choose other countries...anyone knows the justification for such "unjust" extra charges?well it does not make sense to me...

Hi F,

Oddly enough, different countries do have different rules, regulations, marketing methods, and levels of competition in different markets.

You also have to consider the daily exchange rates.

Nothing "unjust" about it at all.

((I))

Consider booking with www.autoeurope.com, a consolidator that finds you the best rate from among the companies with which it has contracts. If you find a better rate on your own, AE promises to either match or beat it. Before you book, call AE to see if there are any special deals that aren't available online.

Sounds a little strange to me. Are you saying that the exact same car from the exact same agency for the exact same dates and locations will rent for 20 pounds less to a Brit than to an American or an Italian even when both contracts are priced in pounds?

I'm trying to picture Avis or Hertz in Miami saying to someone, "Oh, you're from Italy, so I'll charge you $40 more than if you were American", unless it had something to do with insurance.

Yes, car rental companies can and do charge different prices for the same car and the same itinerary, depending on the country of residence of the driver. Not all companies and not all cars, but for instance go to any of the majors' websites and get prices on a car using US residency, then try the same car marking "Russia" as country of residence. :o

Actuarial yoga.

Uh, Patrick, try renting a car in Miami or NYC as a Brit vs. an American and you'll see a difference MUCH worse than 20 pounds <i>against</i> the Brit. Yes, if you live in the UK, are used to driving on the left side of the road and have insurance that is UK based, your rental price will be cheaper in the UK than if you live elsewhere. Makes perfect sense to me.

That said, agree that autoeurope is a good option.

ira

Indeed, rules and markets CAN vary across countries, but that doesn't mean they have to, and indeed, in certain notable instances, the rule is that no such variance shall be enforced. For example, the contractual obligation most vendors have with most CC companies is that their buyers be offered a choice of currency in which to conduct the CC transaction, quite independent of the buyer's country of residence.

The 'state country of residence' tactic is to you a just, but to me a sleazy ploy to circumvent this contractual obligation; sleazy because it is ambiguous. Are we talking about the country of residence of the rental vehicle or the country of residence of the buyer?

I submit that it is the intention of these 'state country of residence' requirements that the buyer be manipulated by the vendor into accepting a form of dynamic currency conversion which in some cases amounts to usurious rates. Case in point: car rental, 7 dates pickup dropoff Seville, &pound; 100 or $CAN 357, for identical vehicle category and insurance coverage. At the time of booking (January 2006) the official conversion rate was around $CAN 2.00 to the pound, which makes this a markup in exchange rate of around, oh, 79 per cent.