GrumpyGregry
Here for rides.
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Rent-a-Bike Ripoff
- Thread starter StuartG
- Start date
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Jimidh
Veteran
- Location
- Midlothian
Just read the original post - don't think that's a rip off price to hire a bike. The hire company needs to make a profit and hiring bikes for peanuts isn't going to do that.
A reminder again. It costs 14e a day to rent a car value ~ 8,000e. It costs 12e a day to rent a bike value ~ 250e. The overheads and other costs will be very much higher for the car rental company than the bike shop. Both are seeking a profit. The bike shops are either grossly profiteering or are extremely inefficient or a combination of both. That's the issue that with respect I haven't seen an answer for here.
Happy at flying? I never said that, I don't think that.
Happy at flying? I never said that, I don't think that.
T4tomo
Legendary Member
The alternative to hiring a bike is flying your own out there which is pretty expensive hence they charge what the market will bear. There is more competition for hire cars hence the market has driven prices lower, especially in off season when all the operators have cars stood around idle. Car hire has lots of hidden costs - refuel in charge, admin charge extra driver charge insurance waiver charge so your €14 a day is artificially low anyway.
mustang1
Legendary Member
- Location
- London, UK
I'm gonna walk into one of these hire shops and ask them the price, while unfolding my brompton in front of their very eyes.
mustang1
Legendary Member
- Location
- London, UK
No extras, second driver included, free baby seats if you want them. I've given the links and reviews so 14e is real if you check. But you didn't did you? Why, oh why am I having a problem getting people to accept there is an issue. Namely in some places shops can hire out bikes economically yet profitably. Other places it is a rip-off. And it will remain a rip-off if people are willing to pay it.
Are you part of the problem?
vernon
Harder than Ronnie Pickering
- Location
- Meanwood, Leeds
You problem is self-defined and self-referenced.
You will have to accept that you are beating a lonely drum.
Take plenty of pics before getting in the car, don't "curb" your wheels, don't let it get "keyed" or worse, stolen, take pics of the underneath when you hand it back..........all rental companies are out to make money from you, if not from the lead-in rental cost, then somewhere else. I'll never hire a car again.
srw
It's a bit more complicated than that...
I think the bit in bold is the flaw in your argument. As others have pointed out, the car rental company has very limited maintenance costs, and gets its raw material effectively for free. The bike rental company has high maintenance costs and pays pretty nearly full wholesale price for its raw material, which it has to write off completely after one season at most.
In addition, in a holiday island a car rental company can probably guarantee near enough 90% utilisation during the season. Demand for a bike rental company will be much, much spikier - especially for a utility bike rental company. I suspec there's much more demand for blingy road bikes than there is for utility bikes.
In your circumstances I'd be tempted to suggest making the nearest big supermarket your first point of call. They will probably sell you bikes for less than €100 each.
PhilDawson8270
Veteran
Car rental companies also sell their cars on regularly too, so the cost of the car is even lower.
Beating a lone drum doesn't mean he is wrong. The 14€ (8000€) vs 12€ (250€) is interesting. The rolling maintenance cost and overheads are much much higher for the car rental business. Not sure why someone suggested otherwise.
Couple of possible reasons
Couple of possible reasons
- Bike rentals business is not really viable in the long term.
- Supply is short of demand and most business would rationally set the price based on demand
- More prone to bike thefts and non-returns.
Could you detail these. Typically the car rental companies will perform no maintenance other than a valet. The cars are moved on long before they need servicing. I could see overheads being larger, but then they will typically be dealing with many more rentals on a daily basis. Plus as noted before, there are many ways to add extras, from insane fuel prices, insurance rip offs, charging the for child seats, ridiculous charges for minor damage, additional charges on top of speeding/parking tickets etc.
Cars are leased by the hire companies for as low if not lower than £80 a month, if they are purchased they are sold on for more than the original cost.
Bikes on the other hand lose money from the day the purchase them and have very low resell value at the end of a rental term.
mustang1
Legendary Member
- Location
- London, UK
The cars need to be stored somewhere when not in use.
Insane fuel prices: if you let the rental company fill the fuel for you, then yes. Remedy: fill it yourself!
Insurance ripoffs: agreed. But when ibhired a car recently in slain, I used British insurance which was far cheaper. Anyway, bike rental now (or will have soon?) insurance option too.
Child seats: I hire one car for 3 adults and one kid seat. Or inhire 3 bikes and one has a kid seat. So now I have to hire 3 bikes. Maybe I'll get a discount, but its not like you can't get a discount on car hire either.
Charges for minor damage: yeah I don't like that either but that's insurance for you. Probably the same if yountooknout bike insurance (I'm not sure though, just speculating).
Additional charges: yes I know they all after the money. They will charge you for tire damage these days but I suspect youll have to pay for damaged bike tires too, no?
You're right about bikes needing a lot more frequent maintenance than cars
