Cycle hire/Car Hire/bus fares

[Linford]

I'm off to Mallorca for a few day next week with the family, and I got an email this morning from a car hire company I used in the past. I was going to just bus it all the way, and be done with it until this point.
Now I'm looking at about €3 each way from the airport per person (so about €24 just to get us to where we are staying, and back, then probably similar every time we hop on a bus when looking around.

The bus fares are threatening to be maybe €60 or €70 whilst there, but the car hire without fuel for a nice new Focus is €7 a day

Then I look at cycle hire, and they are looking at €25 per day for a decent roadie

Cycling is by far the biggest luxury to hire out

How does that work ?????

 

[vickster]

Supply and demand, what they can charge, less competition. Does the €7 car hire include all the insurances, excess waivers etc, sounds silly low

 

[Kies]

@Linford - take a folding bike with you ;-)

 

[Deleted member 26715]

If you fly with Virgin bikes go free & they don't weigh them so any goodies can be stashed in the bag.

Alan...

 

[Linford]

Supply and demand, what they can charge, less competition. Does the €7 car hire include all the insurances, excess waivers etc, sounds silly low

CDW is included in that..it is likely because the car hire co's are out of season, and better to get something than nothing. I'd bet most hire cars will be stood for months on end through the winter over there TBH

http://www.doyouspain.com/quote.asp

 

[vickster]

Ah indeed, it is November I would certainly look at excess waivers too, these are high in Europe

 

[Linford]

they claim that it is included on the front end, but then the quote says the excess is €900 when you book...will have to check on that one....still silly cheap either way...unless they make their money in the winter by defrauding their customers

 

[vickster]

Yes, indeed, that was my experience. I think you can buy separate excess waivers for not too much

How would they defraud their customers?

 

[Leaway2]

When I was in Majorca, I hired a car just to get me to and from the airport. I was staying in Can Picafort up in the north. It was the cheapest option. I used it one other time in 2 weeks.

 

[screenman]

We had a lot of people over there complaining that they had to pay up front for a full tank of fuel, something which you are unlikely to use all of in a week.

 

[Linford]

Yes, indeed, that was my experience. I think you can buy separate excess waivers for not too much

How would they defraud their customers?

You hand the car back, post the keys, get on the plane, and then they claim you have kerbed one of the alloys and hit you with the full excess when you are 1000 miles away .....this is a popular trick for the hire co's in Orlando...absolute sharks out there...you agree one car when you book, theh they spin you a line when you get out to the parking lot and tell you can take any other...what they don't say is that you will pay full screw as an upgrade....they tried that with me, I didn't buy it.

 

[vickster]

Yes, hence waive every excess you can. Book everything up front

 

[Linford]

We had a lot of people over there complaining that they had to pay up front for a full tank of fuel, something which you are unlikely to use all of in a week.

Theoption was there to go from full to full, so I chose it. I've done that itn he states, but then the distances are huge, and the fuel is cheaper

 

[mustang1]

How about daily mileage limits, parking charges, navigating the area (does't cost money, but may get aggravating?). You have to count fuel too of course. I see above it includes CDW. That's a crazy low price and if all the other factors are ok with you, that's what I'd go with.

When you say 25 euros for a decent road bike, how about a little less than decent but still very usable? Also does the bike require insurance too?

 

[Deleted member 26715]

You hand the car back, post the keys, get on the plane, and then they claim you have kerbed one of the alloys and hit you with the full excess when you are 1000 miles away .....this is a popular trick for the hire co's in Orlando...absolute sharks out there...you agree one car when you book, theh they spin you a line when you get out to the parking lot and tell you can take any other...what they don't say is that you will pay full screw as an upgrade....they tried that with me, I didn't buy it.

I have never had that in the US ever, always had an upgrade free, often they do not specifically assign you a car, they say just go to lot A, B whatever & collect one, you walk over there choose what colour & type of car as they are all parked up in their price bands. You get in a car drive to the gate, they scan your paperwork & the car, job done, you clearly go to the wrong car hire firms over there.

Alan..