You can still drop off a rental car in Orvieto or pick one up
#1
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You can still drop off a rental car in Orvieto or pick one up
There is a something of a rumor going around message boards that it is no longer possible to drop off a rental car in Orvieto -- which is a popular location for doing so if you are headed to Rome, but don't want the hassles of driving into Rome, and would rather drop off the car in the countryside and take a train into Rome.
But there is a Hertz office in Orvieto, so if you rent a car elsewhere in Italy from Hertz, you can drop off the car in Orvieto and take the train to Rome. The confusion arose because previously some rental car consolidators like AutoEurope and Kemwell offered bookings that included an Orvieto drop off. They no longer do. Your only option is to book through Hertz.
You can also pick up a rental car at the Hertz office in Orvieto by booking directly with Hertz. Again, consolidators don't offer you that option. There have been some complaints about slow service at the Orvieto office, and about lack of reassurances that bookings are guaranteed to be honored. So you might want to look at reviews -- and of course, some people never book with Hertz due to current charge policies or past bad experiences (but the same is probably true of all the rental agencies and consolidators).
In the overall scheme of things, some people will consider the convenience of an Orvieto drop-off or pick-up sufficient reason to go with Hertz for the car rental in Italy. Others will prefer to avoid Hertz, for their own reasons, and try to find other towns with drop-off options + trains (Chiusi is close by) or simply deal with Roman traffic, going in or out.
But the Orvieto option is still there for those willing to book with Hertz.
But there is a Hertz office in Orvieto, so if you rent a car elsewhere in Italy from Hertz, you can drop off the car in Orvieto and take the train to Rome. The confusion arose because previously some rental car consolidators like AutoEurope and Kemwell offered bookings that included an Orvieto drop off. They no longer do. Your only option is to book through Hertz.
You can also pick up a rental car at the Hertz office in Orvieto by booking directly with Hertz. Again, consolidators don't offer you that option. There have been some complaints about slow service at the Orvieto office, and about lack of reassurances that bookings are guaranteed to be honored. So you might want to look at reviews -- and of course, some people never book with Hertz due to current charge policies or past bad experiences (but the same is probably true of all the rental agencies and consolidators).
In the overall scheme of things, some people will consider the convenience of an Orvieto drop-off or pick-up sufficient reason to go with Hertz for the car rental in Italy. Others will prefer to avoid Hertz, for their own reasons, and try to find other towns with drop-off options + trains (Chiusi is close by) or simply deal with Roman traffic, going in or out.
But the Orvieto option is still there for those willing to book with Hertz.
#3
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And my post didn't say that anyone on Fodor's said that. The main reason for my post was to reassure people that dropping off a car in Orvieto was still an option, that it hadn't disappeared. There are some people lamenting on message boards that the option of dropping a car off in Orvieto isn't available to them anymore, and some are advising others to not use Orvieto for rental cars until AutoEurope or Kemwell re-enters the market there.
A great many travelers will want to continue to have the convenience of dropping off or picking up a rental car in Orvieto. They might not realize that the only reason some people are avoiding Orvieto is for reasons that wouldn't much faze them when it comes to planning a trip. They won't want to drive miles out of their way to avoid Orvieto for those kinds of reasons.
I put up a separate thread about this because I wanted it to come up in the search queue for people who come here and search the boards or use Google to get information about car rentals in Italy. Not everybody realizes that AutoEurope and Kemwell merely consolidators, and if you want to bypass them as middlemen in renting a car, you can and have more options.
A great many travelers will want to continue to have the convenience of dropping off or picking up a rental car in Orvieto. They might not realize that the only reason some people are avoiding Orvieto is for reasons that wouldn't much faze them when it comes to planning a trip. They won't want to drive miles out of their way to avoid Orvieto for those kinds of reasons.
I put up a separate thread about this because I wanted it to come up in the search queue for people who come here and search the boards or use Google to get information about car rentals in Italy. Not everybody realizes that AutoEurope and Kemwell merely consolidators, and if you want to bypass them as middlemen in renting a car, you can and have more options.
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The reason I decided against booking a car in Orvieto through Hertz is that Hertz told me there was nothing they could do if I had a problem there. If the Hertz office in Orvieto did not have the car I had booked, too bad.
If you book a car through AE and it is not available when you arrive, AE will arrange for you to get another car.
If you book a car through AE and it is not available when you arrive, AE will arrange for you to get another car.
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Many many people would still not consider that a reason to avoid Orvieto as a drop off location. That is one of the main reasons I posted. On message boards, people are lamenting the loss of Orvieto as a drop off location if you are traveling on to Rome or the Amalfi.
Just as an aside, since AE only dealt with Hertz in Orvieto, what did they do for people who booked a car in Orvieto who discovered upon arrival no car was there? How did they arrange for people to get another car? Just curious.
Just as an aside, since AE only dealt with Hertz in Orvieto, what did they do for people who booked a car in Orvieto who discovered upon arrival no car was there? How did they arrange for people to get another car? Just curious.
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Thanks for the added information.
For my own part, even when I book I car through AutoEurope, unless I have booked an airport pick up, I make it a point to call the local office 24 hours ahead of time to confirm with the local desk that I will be picking up the car at the time stated and having them verbally guarantee to me over the phone that the car will be there.
For my own part, even when I book I car through AutoEurope, unless I have booked an airport pick up, I make it a point to call the local office 24 hours ahead of time to confirm with the local desk that I will be picking up the car at the time stated and having them verbally guarantee to me over the phone that the car will be there.