Monday, September 9, 2013

Car rental companies online and ways of dealing with them

Car rental companies as many other types of services have long realized the immense potential of working online. That's exactly why it's very easy to rent a car in advance online these days no matter the destination, duration of stay or type of vehicle required. No matter where you go, even if it's a developing country you can do an online booking of a preferred car with at least one or two car rental companies servicing the area of your destination. It sure is very convenient and easy, and there's no one who will argue with this fact. However, doing your renting online can be a bit different from the real-world practice, which is especially true for developing regions. You may face certain differenced from what you've been expecting when booking online. And this is the reason why learning the simple rules of dealing with car rental companies via the web is so important. Sure, we all used to the adequate service we get at home and that all the details discussed online are present when going to the actual car rental office. But this may be a different case when travelling abroad unless specified separately. That's why the first rule of dealing with car rental companies online is verifying all the details in written form, preferably in the form of a letter or a receipt, which outlines all the conditions and that can be used for disputing various situations. Quite often the car rental service will try to convince you that you didn't specify the type of car, duration of rental and extras in your booking, and that's when the mails can come in very handy. Don't hesitate to spend a bit more time specifying the details as being a little annoying and wanting to talk about every detail in advance will usually pay off with the exact execution of your request upon arrival. Learning the competition between local car rental companies is much easier online, and you certainly have to use this opportunity in order to find the best rates out there. But at the same time, car rental companies may feature only base rate on their sites, excluding all the extras and taxes until it's time to pay the receipt. That's why you should always inquire whether the rates featured online are final rates or subject to extra fees and taxes. If it's a case of the latter, you should definitely switch to other companies in the same market. Situations like these are quite common for offers that look too good to be true, especially when compared to the competition. So it's better to spend some time and check out the offers from several companies in order to define the average rates for common car models, instead of searching for the lowest rates on the market. And of course, booking your car in advance is the best way to both save money on car rental and make sure that you'll get the exact car you've picked. The main advantage of renting a car online is the possibility to book any car months in advance. This will not only help you to plan your trip in advance but will also save you some money, since early booking is always cheaper than last-minute renting, a fact you should have already learned from air companies and hotels. You should always do this if you're traveling during the high season, since the car availability is always limited then. So you will both save some money and make sure that you have the right car for your trip.
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