Warning: Car Rental Rip-offs!! Some Require €2,000 - €15,000 Deposit to Decline CDW

PMK · Newbie

RE: Warning: Car Rental Rip-offs!! Some Require €2,000 - €15,000 Deposit to Decline CDW

Michele Erdvig · Host

Mik,

Welcome to my forum. Hope your trip plans are coming along well. American Express card does not cover CDW insurance in Ireland. Do you need CDW in that case? YES! However, most CDW has a deductible. You can reduce the deductible by purchasing Super CDW or by purchasing different insurance plans.

Michele

Mik · Newbie

My wife are travelling to Ireland on our honeymoon (we are over the age of 25, way over) the end of September. We are fly Shannon and currently have a car rented through Hertz. I am able to get a discount by using my comany's contract rate and I am a Hertz Gold member. I am planning on using an American Express to pay. I currently am signed up for the CDW but do I really need it. In reading the details on the Hertz site it says that if you are using a contract rate and/or a Hertx Gold member they will not charge you the 3,000 when you decline the CDW. Any advise you can provide will be appreciated.

Michele Erdvig · Host

Jaded,

Welcome to my forum. That is very interesting. I couldn't get the Sixt site to work for me but checked on Budget and Dooley. A Ford Mondeo at Dooley was $42 more for a week's rental inclusive of CDW. Super CDW was an additional 12-20 per day. At Budget the same was 26 euro more with Super CDW of 13-19 euro per day.

Everything is fuzzy about car rentals in Ireland!

Michele

Jaded traveller · Newbie

Has anyone noticed that the CDW waived quote for cars on a number of sites don't vary much from a non CDW waived quote? For instance, for an intermediate automatic car on Dan Dooley rentals, the website lists total CDW charges as 22 Euros. And that's for a six day rental!

Goto the Sixt website however and choose a similar car, and the figures they show for DAILY CDW and Theft charges are EU 16.38 and EU 7.83 respectively - I think those are pretty similar throughout the industry. So using those prices I'd expect to be saving upwards of 144 Euro's on a weekly rental, not 22 Euros as the website leads me to believe.

Given that I want to waive both theft and CDW using my World mastercard, I must say I'm a little suspicious of the numbers provided by the website. It actually looks like they're charging you for a good portion of the CDW/theft cost whether you decline it or not! I've noticed this at several other sites also, so it's not just fuzzy math at Dan Dooley's site.

Has anyone else run into that phenomenon?

-- Edited by Jaded traveller on Tuesday 23rd of August 2011 03:35:35 PM

Michele Erdvig · Host

Jodi,

Thanks for the update!

Michele

Jodi · Member

I e-mailed insurance4carhire and they do cover mirrors with their policy. Make sure you ask for the correct policy that covers mirrors when you purchase the coverage.

tony2phones · Guru

I have only ever lost one mirror and that was one of the multitude of Kamikaze cyclists in Dublin and not during the 100miles a week on narrow winding roads.

Jodi · Member

Thank you for the advise.

Michele Erdvig · Host

Julia,

Go to this page for a discussion of Auto Europe: http://ireland.activeboard.com/t29313409/warning-car-rental-rip-offs-some-require-2000-15000-deposit-/?page=3&sort=oldestFirst They are a broker and will book you with one of many different car companies. Which company you are booked with will determine the many factors involved.

Don't be scared. Be informed!

Michele

Michele Erdvig · Host

Jodi,

insurance4carhire used to cover mirrors but I'm not sure if they still do. Send them an email to find out. Here is a tip for you. When parking your car in Ireland fold the mirrors in to prevent sideswiping cars from knocking them off.

Michele

varina · Member

I have just read through the postings about car rentals in Ireland and am really scared! we want to rent a car for 3 weeks in April 2012. WHAT ABOUT AUTO-EUROPE? How do they stack up re the CDW debacle? Thanks for your help. Julia

Jodi · Member

I have been reading your site for months now to learn more about the in's and out's of renting a car in Ireland. I do have a World Mastercard so that I can decline the CDW and I am purchasing the Super CDW from http://www.insurance4carhire.com/. I would like to know if anyone knows of a SCDW that covers mirrors?

Thank you for your help,

Jodi

-- Edited by Jodi on Sunday 7th of August 2011 12:21:19 AM

Michele Erdvig · Host

Fyodor,

Welcome to my forum. I always decline CDW with Dooley so 2,000 is "held" on my credit card. It is not an actual charge but lessens the amount I can then charge on my card by 2,000. Since I have a couple of cards I use in Ireland this does not affect me.

Now, you are buying CDW (CDI) so you have a different story. The one thing that you will need to ask about is Super CDW. When purchasing CDW aka CDI you generally have a deductible. If you get in an accident you are responsible for paying that deductible unless you purchase Super CDW. These are your questions:

"If I purchase CDW but not Super CDW is a hold for the deductible amount placed on my credit card? How much is the deductible? How much is Super CDW and does it reduce the deductible (called excess) to zero?"

I would call Dooley with those exact questions. We would be interested in hearing back what they say.

Once you have that straightened out, I would say that your Dooley quote is exactly what you will pay with the exception of a tank of petrol (gasoline). Tell them you will return it full and they will refund your money for that.

Michele

Fyodor · Newbie

Hi, Michele,

I am new to traveling in Ireland, hiring cars and posting to your forum. :)

I've read a lot here about having to "block" Eur1500+. Does this happen ANYWAY, or, if I purchase the CDW and all other insurance bits and pieces the car hire companies charge I do not need any "hold" or "deposit"?
This is what I found on Dan Dooley (as recommended by you) site:
basic rental 170.36, LLI insurance 32, CDI insurance 16, Extras 64
TOTAL rental 282.36.
Does this really mean Eur. 282.36, or will they still require a deposit?

Fyodor.

Michele Erdvig · Host

Val,

Welcome to my forum. Right...let the fun begin! I've never heard of Corporate Perks. They sound like a reseller and you would actually be booking with Priceline. My only advice is read all the fine print. Also, when dealing with a third party find out all the "extras" you must purchase separately from the car company itself. Good luck!

Michele

Val · Newbie

Hello,

I am new to this forum and am a first time traveler to Ireland in September, so the search for a rental car, and the ensuing delirium begins! I am wondering if anyone has booked a car rental through Corporate Perks? The quotes I am getting seem way better than any I found by going through the agencies direct or even Journey through Ireland. Looks like I will still need my Super CDW/theft through insurance4carhire. Corporate Perks routes you to Priceline, anyone used it??

Thanks!!

Michele Erdvig · Host

I'll never forget picking up a car at 10:30 pm at Dublin Airport in the driving rain. Half the car could have been gone before we could see anything.

Michele

Roy · Guru

I rubbed quite a few spots with my finger this morning to make sure they weren't scratches (before I saw you're helpful post)

tony2phones · Guru

Another point I usually make is that if you collect the car "wet" (it does sometimes rain in Ireland) note this on the collection sheet. Rain can hide some nasty scratches which might not be seen on collection but yell at you in the sunshine.

Skip Wiley · Newbie

Thanks Michele and Tony... I appreciate the help (here and in other threads)! I'm going to look into Dooley and Kemwel this evening and see what I find. Either way, I plan on taking photos of the car at pick up and return and will tell the rental company that we'll be going to Northern Ireland.

Thanks again!

Michele Erdvig · Host

Skip,

I've not rented from Dollar so have no personal experience with them. As Tony says, you must DEFINITELY tell them you are going into Northern Ireland and pay the fee. Some charge it, some do not. Evidently Dollar does charge for NI.

You will be charged for a deposit. Some car companies put a "hold" on your credit card. Others make the actual charge and do a refund if the car is returned with no damage. If it is an actual charge it can involve exchage rate fluctuations, foreign transaction fees, etc.

The only car company I know of in Ireland that tells you all fees up front is Dan Dooley. With the others you will usually find the price doubling or more with add-ons.

If your MasterCard is really one that does cover Ireland (most do not) it covers the insurance with no deductible. However, there is always small print. Read it!! Most likely it will not cover things like mirrors, glass, tires, undercarriage, off-road driving, etc.

Michele

tony2phones · Guru

You must tell whoever you hire from that you will be crossing the border. God forbid you have an accident if you don't. Some companies charge some don't it depends not on the hire companies but their insurance providers. Past history has made UK Ulster a bad risk when it comes to car insurance,

Skip Wiley · Newbie

My wife and I are heading to Ireland in a couple weeks... I recently reserved (haven't paid anything yet) a car with Dollar for 10 days. Does anyone have experience dealing with them?

I have a World MC that will cover the CDW insurance and I have requested a letter stating such (as requested and for back up). In the terms listed on my confirmation, there are a couple items that I'm curious about... the first, obviously, is the 2,000 EUR 'deposit' - does anyone know if this will actually be done, or if it will be a similar situation to the one that CM mentioned above (with Avis not asking about anything or really batting an eye)? The 2nd question is in regards to LDW insurance - is this something that I need to be concerned with in addition to CDW? The last question is in regards to driving to Northern Ireland and an additional fee that Dollar would be charging (30 EUR) - is this typical and/or should I keep my mouth shut?

I'm going to continue to look for rates and see if I can find anything better using the Kemwel link on this page, but any additional information that anyone can provide is greatly appreciated!

Thanks!!

Michele Erdvig · Host

CM,

Thanks for your feedback on renting a car in Ireland. Hope you enjoyed your trip and visiting with your family in Clare. Are you planning another trip soon?

Michele

ctmccaffrey · Newbie

Hi all,

Just a quick note about easy car rental... I was in Eire May 11-18. Rented using Kemwel (THANK YOU Michele!) The car was from Avis. I declined CDW - had a letter from my World Mastercard, but they did not even ask for it. Paid $146 through Kemwel for the week before I left, and only additional charge was the airport fee (about 30 euro) we were at Shannon, family in Clare. I am posting because I got all worried about the rental ahead of time and in the end it was NO PROBLEM. My Dad is 75 this year, so I did have to rent and drive - they DO ENFORCE the 75 year cutoff. Ok, thats my report, and I can't wait to get back to EIRE!

Wellsley · Guru

Thanks Dan,

We have reservations with this company and will be picking up the car at the Dublin airport and returning it in Shannon. I glad to see you had no problems. Puts my mind to ease.

Frank

murphy · Guru

I am writing a follow up post concerning a recent car rental using Hertz, and Journey Through Ireland. We booked November 17, 2010 for a March 29, 2011 pickup at Dublin Airport. The cost included a 10% discount for prepayment, for a total of $533.59. The rental period was over on April 10, for a 12 day rental. The car was a 4-door Opel Vectra with manual transmission. It was comfortable for 4 adults, with a boot that held 4-21"roller bags and 4-personal items (lap top size bags) There was enough room for jackets, a small cooler, groceries, and 2 additional carry-on size bags.

We chose this company because they offered an ALL INCLUSIVE rate. We elected to decline the 12 Euro/day super CDW at the Hertz desk, (which resulted in a 1600 Euro hold on our CC) and instead puchased a year long supplemental insurance from insurance4carhire.com for about $80.00

After looking over my credit card bill, there were NO SURPRISES, like the extra fees we had the time before with Irish Car Rentals/National. And the 1600 Euro fee that was to be a "hold" on my card, actually was just that....it never showed up on my cc statement.

Since Journey Through Ireland has had a franchise agreement for many years with Hertz, and they were great to work with, I would be comfortable recommending them. (www.irelandtouring.com)

Dan

-- Edited by murphy on Saturday 30th of April 2011 10:32:38 AM

Michele Erdvig · Host

Matt,

No problem misspelling my name. Everyone does! I maintain a World MasterCard for the car rental too.

Michele

Roy · Guru

I maintain a World card exclusively for car rentals in Ireland.