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

Skip Wiley · Newbie

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

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,

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

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!

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.

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)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jodi · Member

Thank you for the advise.

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

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.

Michele Erdvig · Host

Jodi,

Thanks for the update!

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

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

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

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

PMK · Newbie

Hi, I just found your site and am very happy to realize that "it's not just me" when it comes to car rental in Ireland ! I go to Ireland every year and have never, ever rented a car without feeling ripped off. This summer it was Budget. So now I am going for four weeks and decided to do my homework ( I found your site) but I also called my CCard co. World MasterCard to request a cover letter so that I could decline CDW...they told me They do NOT cover R of Ireland !! I said I had used it with Budget this summer and just wanted a cover letter to avoid hassle, but she told me I shouldn't have been able to do this. Do you think she gave me wronge information?

Michele Erdvig · Host

PMK,

Only a very few World MasterCards cover CDW in Ireland. If you don't have the correct one it will not cover. This is what to do. Call 1-800-MC-ASSIST during office hours. Ask to speak with the Master Rental department. They should be able to tell you if your card is one of the lucky ones that cover Ireland. If it does you can request a cover letter.

I find that if I call the number on the back of my card and speak to 10 different people, I will get 10 different answers. Speak with the correct department that actually knows what they are talking about.

Last time I rented with Budget they lost me as a customer when they charged me thousands of dollars to decline CDW. They did credit it back to me after my rental was over. But it was a pain in the neck that they put through an actual charge and not a hold. Now I rent from Dooley and have been happy with them.

Michele

Lucky Traveler · Veteran Member

Hello there,

We are heading to Ireland for the first time this April. Like many others, I am quite frustrated with the car rental insurance situation. Any tips on which specific World Mastercards will cover collision insurance in Ireland? We do not have a World Mastercard yet, so have been calling the different banks to find out which card will cover collision insurance. After 15+ calls, I've learned that Capital One W.Mastercards do not cover the insurance. I am not sure of which Chase or Bank of America cards will work. I've called the 1-800-MC-ASSIST and they say I have to call the banks directly. With Dooley, the CDW is not too much, but the super CDW is very expensive.

Thanks,

Lucky Traveler

Michele Erdvig · Host

Lucky,

Welcome to my forum. With World MasterCard it is the luck of the draw. I got an offer in the mail for one and sent it in. I was fortunate and it just happened to be one that covered Ireland. Just continue shopping. There are some companies that cover "excess" or provide Super CDW. insurance4carhire.com is one. However, they are changing insurance companies and currently are not offering it to those living outside the EU. But hopefully they will update that soon to include people living in other countries.

You might do a search for "car hire excess". Be sure to read the fine print because often different countries are not included.

Michele

Lucky Traveler · Veteran Member

Hello,

Does anyway know if they have used a Bank of America World MasterCard with World Points Rewards to cover car rental insurance in Ireland? I also see that the Continental Air Pass has a World MasterCard, although the picture of the card online does not state the word "World" on the front of the card. Has anyone used this card for insurance coverage?

Thanks!

Lucky Traveler

Michele Erdvig · Host

Lucky,

Getting the proper World MC is very problematic. The same issuing bank can send many different offers to different people. For instance I have a Capital One business MC that covers Irish CDW. There are a lot of others that have that and it does not cover CDW.

Offers change constantly. Kind of like airfares. It's like throwing a dart at a dartboard, hoping it hits the target. When I applied for my World MC I did not know if it covered Ireland in advance. I just gave it a try. If you can't get the info in advance from the issuing banks, perhaps you should apply for a couple of them.

Michele

Yahowho · Newbie

Hi Michele,

Luckily I stumbled across this thread and have read through it. I have been looking into renting a car for three weeks in late January/Early Feb. The rates don't actually seem too bad but the insurance excess amount that is blocked on your card is pretty hefty in a lot of cases. I'm torn between paying the Super CD Waiver or just letting the company block the 1200euro (compact sized car).

I was wondering if you know which companies offer the cheapest Super Collision Damage Excess waiver?

From what I have found out so far, for a compact-sized car (1200euro excess);

Budget is 13 euro per day + 13.5% VAT.
Europcar is 17.03 euro (including tax) per day. Excess reduced to 100euro.
...any others?

Thanks in advance for the help!