Interested in car rental in Siena, Italy...has anyone booked directly with Hertz or Avis? Downside to not going thru company like AutoEurope?
 

I've noticed both companies have online booking for Siena. Has anyone booked directly or does everyone go through a company like AutoEurope?..and why? Is there a downside to booking directly? When we rented in Germany I went through a company and then discovered I
could have booked directly.

Does anyone know how difficult it is to get out of Siena from the car rental location? Thanks.

I've actually rented from AutoEurope at the Avis location in Siena. It is very easy to get out of Siena from the location where they are (especially going North). However, it's a very small storefront and I must have gone by it ten times. I had actually rented a car in Rome that was problematic and returned it while in Siena and picked up another car.

Cheryl, you want Autoeurope for several reasons, and they will be cheaper than direct. And, their customer service is the best. Be very aware of insurance coverages in Italy. Most of the rental offices are near the train station well outside the walls.

I've had no problem booking with Avis in Europe. In fact, the rental rates were much cheaper than AutoEurope. Having said that, my husband and I both drive stick, so we don't have to request automatics (which increase your cost significantly). In addition, I get a corporate discount through AVIS.

We had good luck booking Avis using discount AWD number D005291. Works well in foreign countries for some reason.

cherylforeurope,
I use autoeurope because it is cheaper than going direct. The direct method looks cheaper until you find that the deductible is half the price of the car.
Avis, Hertz, and eurocar are all outside the walls.

It probably could vary depending on destination and date of travel, but we've always ended up with Nova Rentacar or Autoeurope as they were less expensive than going direct to the rental companies themselves.

AutoEurope is a great company. Their prices are all inclusive and you don't have to worry about anything extra. And their customer service is excellent.

I used Auto Europe once, but I have used Hertz a couple of times when the rates were better than Auto Europe. I have a gold card that entitles me to a small business rate which didn't cost anything to get and which you can get easily, even if you have a one-person home-based business. I just rented a Hertz for my May trip to Italy. The price beat Auto Europe's by a couple hundred dollars for the same time and same type of car.

We've always used Hertz and booked it through our AAA to get a really good rate. Have never had any problems, even when we had a slight accident, did not get charged for the scrape.
LisaS

We have rented directly from Hertz three times in Italy and never had any problems. We are renting from them again in June and the Autoeurope rate was $300.00 more.

Hi all,

I ran the numbers for my planned trip to Europe: May 15-30, pickup at MUC, drop off at STR

Avis $717
Avis with AWD $647
Novarentacar $525

Same dates for pickup/dropoff in Florence (Nova doesn't have a Siena office)

Avis 716
Avis with AWD 646
Novarentacar 497

((I))

It's interesting that some found lower rates directly and others didn't. I guess I'll just see where I get the best rate!

No one place always has the best rates everywhere. Do shop around.

I just rented from AutoEurope...I found that by going through the InItaly.com website, and clicking the rental car link, that I got a price $100 cheaper through them, than through the AutoEurope website. A Deal! It is still autoeurope, just go through initaly.com. Do it both ways and compare, in case it changes, daily.
Also, which rental office for drop off and pick up can effect rates, so you can play with that variable as well.

For my weekend rental in Rome, Hertz had the cheapest rates by far, if you book on their website and use WWDWEB as a coupon.

They also have many more locations in and around Rome.

I rented a car thru AutoEurope for a trip to Ireland. Once at the counter, the rental car company overcharged me by 400 euros (on a 170 rental). They would not hear that I had contracted for a different price.

Once I got the final documentation on the car, I called AutoEurope to help me understand why I paid so much more than the contract. AU asked for all my documentation and said that since I contracted with them, they were responsible for fixing the problem. Within days I had a $440 credit on my credit card. After feeling powerless with the rental company and experiencing how simple AE made it, I forever will be a loyal customer.

My recent car rental search, found that online, Auto Europe had the best price. However, I prefer to book via phone and found their price at least $100 more than online. They of course, matched the online price, but just something to consider if you are booking via the phone.

Renting from Hertz in Italy is renting from an independent broker anyway. They treat customers like crap. The logos of big car companies mean little. Next time, I'm going to ignore the big name, after all, when you go into a "Hertz" office in Italy, they might also have several other rental logos on their wall.

--Jerry

>>>Renting from Hertz in Italy is renting from an independent broker anyway. They treat customers like crap. The logos of big car companies mean little. Next time, I'm going to ignore the big name, after all, when you go into a "Hertz" office in Italy, they might also have several other rental logos on their wall. <<<<

Not only is finzidad topping very old threads to add his blog and ignoring this is from 8 years ago, his info is not correct. Just like in the US, some car rental offices are corporate and some are franchises. Has nothing to do with the name of the company.