car hire cancellation + volcanic ash?

[hopeful]

Hi

As anyone had recent experience of car hie cancellation, if you flight is cancelled, due to Volcanic Ash.

I am due to fly to Paris, in mid-June and have not booked my hire car yet! so if my flight was cancelled, therefore preventing me from picking-up my hire car, would I get a immediate refund?

I will only be in France for 1-week, therefore if there is any delay, it will probably not be worth going.

Thanks!

[Russethouse]

 hopeful, I think your name is well chosen. :-) ....couldn't you get to Paris another way ?

[cooperlola]

I think I'd be phoning Eurostar in your shoes!

[woolybanana]

So, what is the disadvantage of phoning barefoot, coops?[6]

[cooperlola]

Oh, alright.

If I were in your shoes, I think I'd be phoning Eurostar.

Pedant.

[bubbles]

Pedants are good.

They stem the tide!!

Keep it up.

[cooperlola]

[quote user="bubbles"]Pedants are good. They stem the tide!! Keep it up.[/quote]In principle, Bubbles, I agree with you.  (Or is that "in principal"?  I can't spell either.[:)])

Sorry, Hopeful, this is not getting a sensible answer to your question.  If I were in your shoes, I would check this with your car hire company before actually booking.  Alternatively, check with your travel insurer to find out if you would be covered by them.  Car hire companies and insurers must be well versed in this subject by now.

[amos]

I booked a car with Hertz recently and this is their cancellation policy;

CANCELLATIONS

Hertz will allow customers to cancel a prepaid reservation:

online by the 'Modify/Cancel' reservation page

by calling the Internet Helpdesk

A full refund of the prepaid reservation will be made:

If the cancellation is made within 7 days of the original booking time.

Less an administrative fee of €45 if the cancellation is made after 7 days of the original booking time.

Refunds will be made to the credit card that the original booking was made on.

The problem these days is of course that most of the hire companies are doing 'prepaid' car hire, ie a lot of them take the money off you at booking which means they have you in a bind, but reading the above it would appear you best bet would be to book it within 7 days of travel.

Do have look around as T&Cs can vary quite a bit although I haven't seen any specific ash references, I think they are mostly relying on their normal cancellation policies.

[andyh4]

As a general rule car hire and airlines are completely separate - so just because an airline does not fly will not mean that the car hire is automatically refundable - Amos's advice is therefroe the best bet.

 

Coops et al.  I think we are being a bit presumptuous in assuming that Eurostar can help - suppose helpful is flying from the US.

[cooperlola]

Quite right, Andy.  I just assume that the vast majority of people who post on here are either in Britain or France which I guess is a bit daft. 

At any rate, as you see, I also advised Hopeful to contact the car hire firm and his/her insurers which would apply wherever s/he is flying from.

[hopeful]

Hi

Thanks to all for your contribution, I think I'm going to wait a little longer before booking, I have noticed however that some car hire companies, have 2-choices, pay up front or pay at the end, although clearly the latter is more expensive.

 

[WendyG]

Hi

We hired a car from Thrifty in Australia and extended it for another week due to volcanic problem and then were contacted by airline and told could fly back 2 days later.

Took car back to airport and explained and were immediately given a refund of the unused days.

Cannot recommend Thrifty enough - most helpful, pleasant and problem free.

Good luck

WendyG