I have read horror stories about renting a car in Ireland and all the woes it entailed, so I made a reservation with Avis. For 9 days, the car came to $465 including tax and surcharges. Another $125 was to be paid in Ireland was for gps and all the insurance offered. I thought it was a huge deal. I called twice yesterday to confirm and point blank asked if that extra price included gps and insurance. They said the prices were correct over and over and over. $592 was the complete price for everything. But when I looked online, my total was $931! This time I called booking and the agent insisted it was the lesser price even when I asked if insurance was included. After several minutes of my insistance, he discovered the error. No apologies were given. Now I'd like to rent from another agency. Can you suggest a reputable, reasonable agency with whom you've been satisfied? We're picking the car up at Dublin Airport and returning it to Kerry Airport. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9369 posts
I have most often rented from Irish Car Rentals when I have gone to Ireland. But I would go with whoever gave me the best deal. You can book with some agency, but keep shopping. You might come across a better deal before your trip. Then just cancel the first reservation.
Posted by
Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada
45 posts
We used Carhire3000. They are a broker. They were amazing to deal with, very good and got us the best deal. They also offer Damage excess insurance by a third party that is quite a bit less expensive that the daily rate. We did get a small ding in the car, and although I was out of pocket for a couple of months I did get fully re-embursed. Are car came from Budget, and exept for the jerk that drove the shuttle from the airport to our car, everyone was great.
After I had paid for the car, while still in Canada, I found a cheaper price on Budgets website. When I called Carhire3000, the apologized, gave me and even better price and reversed the difference the same day. They were great!
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9369 posts
As Rob points out, if you take third party super CDW insurance instead of that offered by the rental company, it will be on you to cover the cost of damage until you are reimbursed. Sper CDW at the rental counter may cost more, but you can just turn in the keys and walk away - everything will be paid.
Posted by
Lima, Perú
126 posts
I priced out several car companies and went with Dooley Car rental. No problems, hidden fees, really easy transaction. A commuter bus takes you from airport to the car lot a few minutes away. We paid $199 for a 10-day car rental (but that was well over 1 year ago) + CDW. You can check prices & reserve on line: http://www.dan-dooley.ie They have a local US office in NJ: 1800 331 9301, which I called a couple of times before leaving to confirm reservation - again.
I would definitely use them again.
Posted by
Jericho, Vermont, USA
143 posts
We are going to Ireland in April and renting a car. I have done a lot of research and have booked with Dan Dooley, mentioned by someone else. They have no hidden fees, and I got a good rate. Go to IrelandYes.com for tons of info on car rentals - it's Michele Erdvig's site and all on Ireland. Julia