Ryanair/Hertz car hire

[Shoop]

We regulary travel to Carcassone with Ryanair, and as those who travel with Ryanair know they encourage the booking of car hire with Hertz through there own web site link, so why when i compare prices booking directly with Hertz they are so much cheaper!! Can,t fault Ryanair for giving us the oppurtunity to visit our second home so cheaply and regularly but why is it every time i book with them i feel another trap is being set !!!!

                                     Steve  

[Anton Redman]

Do you check the deck before you play poker or bridge.

Did your mother carry a kit to check the alcohol content of gin before she took a sip

Somebody has to pay for Ryanair setting up the link and it is either Hertz or the punters.

I like it like this at least now you can check. 25 years ago you would not believe how hard it was to get a straight deal. Every now and then you would find a key to a door. You need to work in Vienna for three months and want to go home once month. Full price return to Vienna then book a tourist break back to London. Saturday night away so it was £ 1 more than a single flight.    

[P]

When we were flying in to Carcassone I found it slightly cheaper booking via Ryanair than direct with Hertz - or using booking sites and the Ryanair prices were lower than using other hire companies.

The disadvantage of booking Hertz is that there are many other people on the flight that have a booking with Hertz and quite a queue builds up outside the cabin.

Our trick was that I would rush ahead, leaving the OH in the 'baggage' hall and be one of the first at the cabin. Having got the car keys, located the car, would normally have time to go back to the baggage hall and get the case (security seems to be very lacking there). Having got the cases we would walk to the car and see the mile long queue outside the Hertz cabin - not the way to start.

Paul

[Chrissie]

Why don't you just book with one of the others?  The price differences are minimal, and it's great to be able to sail past the Hertz queue and straight to the Europcar or whatever desk.  Having once queued for over an hour with Hertz (someone had ordered a child seat which hadn't been provided and of course, being France, no one else could be dealt with while this was being sorted out....) I never booked with them again.

Chrissie (81)

[Renaud]

I too tend to book cars from other companies only to cut down on the waiting time.

I once had a Hertz car that developed a fault in deepest rural France. The number that their in-car information pack suggests that you call, could not be accessed from a mobile. So I had to nurse the sick auto to a landline phone after which they were really helpful.

So when picking-up your car, make sure that the agent gives you an emergency number that can be called from your mobile.

[Aitch]

We did a Flybe Southampton/ Limoges for a 4-day mad dash early November last year. Checking the rates with Hertz/ National/ Avis/ Budget etc. found the cheapest and best deal was booking with Alamo direct, for the same size car. BTW check the car over and photograph it before driving off, as well as doing the same on its return.

Aitch 

[Smiley]

[quote user="P"]

When we were flying in to Carcassone I found it slightly cheaper booking via Ryanair than direct with Hertz - or using booking sites and the Ryanair prices were lower than using other hire companies.

The disadvantage of booking Hertz is that there are many other people on the flight that have a booking with Hertz and quite a queue builds up outside the cabin.

Our trick was that I would rush ahead, leaving the OH in the 'baggage' hall and be one of the first at the cabin. Having got the car keys, located the car, would normally have time to go back to the baggage hall and get the case (security seems to be very lacking there). Having got the cases we would walk to the car and see the mile long queue outside the Hertz cabin - not the way to start.

Paul

[/quote]

Hi Paul I do exactly the same at Carcassonne. Also the last 2 times I have booked with Hertz the cars have been dirty and both had damage that they had not pointed out. Thankfully I always check but then you have to go back to the portacabin to inform them-and rejoin the end of that blasted queue.

Unfortunately I was unable to book the car till the last minute and Alamo etc did not have cars available. Also much more expensive than before even with my Club#1 discount.

[P]

Hi Paul I do exactly the same at Carcassonne. Also the last 2 times I have booked with Hertz the cars have been dirty and both had damage that they had not pointed out. Thankfully I always check but then you have to go back to the portacabin to inform them-and rejoin the end of that blasted queue.

Smiley, we never had a clean car. We now fly in to Toulouse and the cars we hire there are dirty - they might have been cleaned but only parts.

The one advantage with Hertz at Toulouse, if you are a club member, is that you go directly to the cabin in the car park instead of having to queue in the airport terminal.

The ont time I had a problem at Carcassonne I just wenrt striaght back to the counter with the papers in my hand and was dealt with. Did not really feel I was pushing in just an extension of being served.

Paul

[jc]

Having landed at Montpellier(and left the wife to collect the bags)I was glad I used Holiday Autos and was not collecting my car from Hertz.By the time we went out to the car park there was a queue of 30+ at their desk-allowing two minutes for each customer,that's over an hour!

[ChezTinns]

We travel regularly into Toulouse airport, and in the past I have got quotes from all the major car hire companies, plus trying Avis who partner Flybe, and every time - without fail - Holiday Autos comes up cheapest, and has the better selection of vehicles as they tend to use more than one company.  We've only had one dirty car -  the ashtray was full, there was no water in the windscreen wash and we got some (albeit not much) compensation after complaining direct to Holiday Autos when we got home.  As they tend to use Europcar and National Citer the queues aren't too bad either.  I would definitely suggest getting a quote next time!

JT

[Smiley]

[quote user="ChezTinns"]

We travel regularly into Toulouse airport, and in the past I have got quotes from all the major car hire companies, plus trying Avis who partner Flybe, and every time - without fail - Holiday Autos comes up cheapest, and has the better selection of vehicles as they tend to use more than one company.  We've only had one dirty car -  the ashtray was full, there was no water in the windscreen wash and we got some (albeit not much) compensation after complaining direct to Holiday Autos when we got home.  As they tend to use Europcar and National Citer the queues aren't too bad either.  I would definitely suggest getting a quote next time!

JT

[/quote]

Unfortunately holiday autos also had no vehicles available same for europcar and National. It was a case of beggars can't be choosers I'm afraid. It was Hertz or walking !!

[Shoop]

Must admit last couple of cars i,ve had from Hertz at Carcassonne airport have been dirty and minus air-con, tend to stay with them for the 5% discount being a member of Club#1 and read somewhere after 10 rentals they offer you a free one!! Still struggle if i,m last off the plane and can,t manage the 100 metre dash over to the cabin like i used to.Still once youv,e got the keys thers always the game of "Hunt the Car" on that ever increasing car park.....Oh for a fast tracking system.... 

[mooky]

I always use Budget car  at Stansted. The only problem I had was my inability to open petrol tank; and put lights on!

 That is because I have an old Peugot 106 here. They now have a sentence on the computor stating this, saying please check client understands how everything works. They are very kind to me, and I find efficient.

[toni]

I always used to book with Hertz through the Ryanair website when travelling to Carcassonne, having first checked a few other hire sites and until recently I have pretty well always found the Hertz/Ryanair deal the best. On the last few occasions though I have found the hertz site charging silly prices especially for short (3-4days) rentals. I have started using Holiday Autos UK who operate through National Citer at Carca and found them fine. I also have rarely got a car from Hertz which hasn't got some sort of damage on it and have had to make the long trek back to the cabin to fight my way back up to the top of the queue etc,etc. It makes you wonder do they check the cars at all when they come back in or can we all enjoy a 'demolition derby' while in france at Hertz expense??

[Adrian]

[quote user="Renaud"]

I too tend to book cars from other companies only to cut down on the waiting time.

[/quote]

 

In case anyone doesn't know, easyCar are back in business ( http://www.easycar.com/ ) and serve all French airports that Ryanair and easyJet fly to; generally by subbing the business to the other companies at a reduced rate. Being a cheapskate I generally go for the cheapest car possible, normally a Clio / 206, which is fine for a few days especially as I have not had one without aircon for years. Last month easyCar undercut everyone for a five day break and gave me a C3 for the price of a Clio / 206 but the down side is there are no refunds whatsoever so if Ryanair change your flight...

 

[MrCanary]

The cars I received from Hertz at Tours airport got worse after I joined their 'number one' club to receive better service for regular customers!

'Dirty and damaged' became the norm. Long queues, impolite service and increasing 'add-ons' to the hire costs, really started to jar me off!

My first solution was to start using Europcar. Slightly cheaper, no queues, clean cars and regular free upgrades made it worthwhile.

However, I have now found a much better option which is cheaper (no car hire costs), flexible, no limits on luggage and it eliminates my dislike of being herded at airports. 

I have returned to the ferries...