Bestor's Blog
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- Category: Car Rental in Europe
Beware. Some online travel sellers, notably Priceline's Rentalcars.com, are passing off intermediate-size MPVs (multipurpose vehicles) as fullsize seven-passenger vans. Such cars as the VW Touran, Opel Zafira, Ford Grand C-Max, and Nissan Qashqai can accommodate no more than five persons, and if all are adults, even five is a bit of a stretch. Most rental car companies put them in a category they term Intermediate Special or Intermediate Van.
Technically, it may be possible to squeeze seven people into some of these vehicles but they are definitely not the traditional, seven-passenger family van most customers have in mind when the are shopping for a rental car to carry six or seven persons when vacationing in Europe. The Nissan Qashqai, for example, is slightly smaller than the Toyota Rav4. In one example of blatant misrepresentation, the Greece-based online seller, Economycarrentals.com calls the Qashqai a seven-passenger minibus. In actual practice, this vehicle would be cramped with four passengers and luggage.
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| Nissan Qashqai: 7 Passengers? |
These MPV vehicles are sold by new car dealers in both a five-passenger and seven-passenger configuration. In the seven-passenger setup, virtually all the luggage space is occupied by two folding "jump seats" that are only suitable for kids on short trips. Reputable rental car companies show them as being suitable for no more than five passengers. Be assured such vehicles will NOT handle six or seven passengers with luggage.
If yours is a party of six or seven, you need a Fullsize Van (FVMR, FVAR for automatics) such as the VW Sharan, Ford Galaxy, Renault Espace, Fiat Alhambra and a few others. Regrettably, some companies use the FDMR/FDAR designator for MPVs, and a few companies simply promise a seven-passenger vehicle without showing a typical make and model. When an example is provided, however, look it up in Google. A good source for vehicle information is Wikipedia which has descriptions and specifications for most cars. In online write-ups, words and phrases such as "compact," "intermediate," "5-7 passenger," “5+2” and "MPV" all indicate something less than a fullsize van.
A step-up from the fullsize FVMR is the eight or nine-passenger Standard Van (SVMR) such as the Renault Traffic, VW Multivan, and the Mercedes Vito.
Here's more to guide you in selecting the right rental car.
Get a quote on European rental car.
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- Category: Car Rental in Europe
Before reading this you may want to refer to a comment posted by one of our rental car customers on TripAdvisor.
I hesitate to respond to this sort of thing, but we get referrals from the TripAdvisor forums and what is said about us there is very important. Here's our side of the story.
Ms. XYZ (of course we won't use her real name...or even the login ID she used at TripAdvisor) was indeed charged 74.75 plus 19% value added tax (not quite the $150 she claims) by the rental car supplier when she failed to return her rental car with a full fuel tank. Very high fuel charges are standard procedure with all rental companies in Europe. The voucher she received prior to her rental contained this language: "Client is advised to return the vehicle with a full fuel tank and to retain all gas receipts." Furthermore, all our customers are sent a link to our free special report entitled: "What You Should Know About Renting a Car in Europe" which contains this information: "If the rental company has to fill the fuel tank when you return the car, you'll pay as much as $18 per gallon, and perhaps a refueling charge as well. Bring back a near-empty tank and you might pay more than $200 for fuel plus a refueling charge." Since Ms. XYZ was unable to produce any receipts for fuel, or in any way document that the tank was not full at the start of the rental, we were unable to obtain a refund for her.
As to our inadequate service, Ms. XYZ does not mention the exchange of two to three dozen emails—between Gemut.com and herself, between Gemut.com and Auto Europe, and between Auto Europe and the car rental company in Europe—regarding the fuel charge and other issues related to her rental. Nor does she acknowledge in her TripAdvisor posts that through Gemut.com's efforts and the efforts of our partners at Auto Europe, the rental car supplier in Europe refunded 35.28 euros (about $45 at the time). The supplier incorrectly charged Ms. XYZ an additional day's rental which we were able to have refunded. We wonder if she understands that had she booked directly with the supplier, she would have been alone in seeking her refund from a car rental company whose offices are in Europe.
With respect to the dirty car, we are always disappointed when our suppliers fail to provide top quality service to our customers. I should again point out that our "What You Should Know About Renting a Car in Europe" report contains the following language: "If the car is dirty inside or out, refuse it," and "Don't leave rental location until satisfied." In addition, in the event of service problems with the supplier, each customer is advised to call the toll-free-from-Europe help line.
To summarize, Ms. XYZ accepted a dirty car and one with a fuel tank that was not full. Both these scenarios are specifically covered in our “What You Should Know...” report, the link to which was emailed to her with the rental voucher before she left the U.S.
After her return from Europe, we assisted her in the same the way we do with all customers who encounter problems with a supplier; we collected the relevant documents, listened to her account of what happened at the rental counter, and then presented it all to our contact at Auto Europe who in turn forwarded it to the rental company in Europe. Ms. XYZ was unhappy with the outcome.
A final note: Ms. XYZ says she was injured prior to picking up the car. We fully understand her pain could have distracted her and her husband from challenging the rental car supplier in the ways we recommend. But unfortunately, when all is said and done, what we are left with is the paperwork...or lack of it.
If you are a Gemut.com car rental customer and have had a different experience with us, perhaps you would like to respond to her post at TripAdvisor. You can do so here.
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- Category: Car Rental in Europe
Today, Sunday, January 27, if you book a compact car (4-door, VW Golf or similar) for one week, June 6-13, from the Frankfurt Airport, the prices you will pay at the websites of the major rental car suppliers, including 19% value added tax and 20% airport tax, are as follows:
- Avis: $307
- Europcar: $255
- Hertz: $282
- Sixt: $304
However, if you booked through Gemut.com...in addition to our personal service, expertise and guidance, pre- and post-rental support, a toll-free-from-Europe safety-net help-line staffed by live humans...your price would be:
- $245 (the supplier is Europcar)
Get a written quote here or phone 800-521-6722.
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- Category: Rail Travel Europe
French Rail in no longer one of the countries than can be chosen for travel as part of the popular three, four and five-country Eurail Select Pass.
The guess here as to why France withdrew from participation in the Select Pass is that too many passholders were unable to make seat reservations for the country's airline-style, capacity-controlled seat reservation system which puts Eurail passes on the lowest rung of the priority list. Seat reservations are required on all TGV trains in France and fewer seats are set aside for rail passes than for full-fare individual ticket holders and all other ticket and pass categories.
