Car rental

Suggestion: go to Gemut.com (out of Oregon) and see how they compare. He will meet or match offers. I have used them twice and had no problems.

They have a toll-free number.

Hi Vicki,

I agree with Steve. See what Andy Bestor at www.gemut.com can offer. We used them for our car rentals for our last 2 trips recently.

Paul

I went to Gemut web site and requested info on rental in Austria yesterday (2/15) and as of 11:00 have not heard any thing, hope this is not how they handle all customers.

Depending on when you requested the quote, you might have sent it after close of business there. Everyone is not as email-happy as the US, and don't place as much priority on prompt replies. Or something else might be causing a delay. Give it more than a few hours before you question their level of customer service.

Have never used nu car rental; have ALWAYS used Auto Europe for many trips. Always cheaper than the other guys. If you're so inclined, specify a "manumatic" transmission; they're priced out at the "stick price" but give you great flexibility. Drive as a stick in the rural/small town areas, switch it to an automatic when in the city. Makes for a nice driving experience.

Hi Vicki,

It may take a day or so to get a quote from gemut.com. We had very good experiences with them, including last Sept. If you prefer, give them a call:

Andrew Bestor

Auto Rent Manager

800-521-6722

Vicki - I used Andy this past year and the year before. I never used e-mail - I phoned. Remember that it is basically Andy and his son, but once I gave them the dates and pick-up/drop-off cities etc., they e-mailed my voucher/confirmation in less than 24 hours.

I printed it off and presented it at the rental agency in Munich and everything was in order. One time when I called, Andy was on-line with another customer; he asked for my home phone and within about 15 minutes he called me back. I have no vested interest in Gemut, but I have been totally satisfied two years in a row.

I also have had excellent service with the Bestors, Bob and Andy. They will get back with you. I had to leave a message before but they got back with me shortly. Also, communicated via e-mail. I have used them on three different trips and have no reason to not use them again. Keep in mind that they will quote you a price in U.S. dollars and hold the price even if the dollar loses value to the Euro. On the other hand, and it appears the dollar is gaining strength against the Euro, you can call and they will give you a better price if that in fact does happen.

Hi Vicki,
Email isn't 100% reliable. We reply to all quote requests but for a variety of reasons, they don't always get to their intended destination. I regret that may have happened in your case. I suggest you phone 800-521-6722 x 1. If you get voice mail, leave a message and you will receive a return call the same day.
Bob Bestor
Gemut.com

I must appoligies to Andy and all, within minutes of my post I got an e-mail offer from them, looks good but still shopping.

I have also received a great quote from gemut. Do I need to worry if I have a problem once I'm in Italy if I can't reach them by phone immediately? I'm assuming if I go through autoeurope they are staffed 24 hours a day and gemut is not. Is that correct? Any worries?

Even though you may rent through Gemut you will use Autoeurope's 24 hour contact number. Gemut will send you an e-mail with an attachment which will include your voucher. You will see that it is an Autoeurope voucher so it appears as if you rented through Autoeurope. Although Gemut and Autoeurope do have an affiliation their rates may very well be different. Call both and see which gives you a better deal but you will have access to someone 24/7 regardless of which one you rent through.

Why hassle with Emails and phone calls? Just fire up the Auto Europe website, choose your pick-up and drop-oof sites, your car, and see the quote instantly. You can do this with the majors also. Fast and easy. If you can't find the price you want plug in your special Costco, AAA,AARP. etc number, and chck the price again.

Then, armed with this info, see if more quotes are needed.