Has anyone ever heard of economycarrentals.com? I found what seems to be a pretty good offer for an automatic car, 2 days with GPS in Bordeaux. And the site claims "no hidden fees". But I am hesitant because of all the Europe car rental horror stories I have heard. Also, if anyone could recommend another site that offers good deals and is upfront about the TOTAL price (meaning I won't get a completely diferent and much higher bill when I get back home)? I've already tried europcar, national, sixt, autoeurope,budget, avis... They all seem to have tricks up their sleeves... Please advise. Thanks!
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9371 posts
I'm curious what you mean by "tricks up their sleeves". In all the times I've rented (various companies) I've never had even a slightly different or higher bill than I expected when I got my bill. If you read the website carefully and know what you are signing when you pick up your car, there won't be any surprises. If you don't understand something, ask. I've never had a problem having someone explain it to me before I signed.
Posted by
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
8293 posts
Christine, what tricks do they have up their sleeves? And what "Europe car rental horror stories" have you heard? My husband and I, and my sister and , have rented cars in Europe umpteen times and never found a trick up anyone's sleeve. In fact, more than once we have been upgraded to a larger and posher car, which in a way, was an up-the-sleeve trick but it was a good one and didn't cost us anything extra. If you have actually contacted all the major car rental companies that you name, and you think they are trying to trick you, then maybe you should consider train travel.
Posted by
OP
Tampa, FL
12 posts
Well I'm glad to hear some success stories because you usually only hear the bad stuff so I've been really stressing about this part of the trip. What I mean by tricks up their sleeves is that the terms will say additional fees may be charged and when I ask a simple question like "will any additional fees/taxes/surcharges be added onto this total?" I get evasive answers or "I'm sorry, I cannot find the reservation" despite the fact that I gave them the reservation # that they gave me...
What car rental agencies did you use? How did you book? Directly or through another company?
Train is not an option for the place and dates we are driving. Thanks though.
Posted by
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
8293 posts
In England we have used Hertz a couple of times, in Italy, Maggiore. Through Autoeurope, (brokers) it has been Alamo, National and Avis and I can't remember who else, maybe Budget.
Posted by
Lebanon
711 posts
We always rent from Hertz or Autoeurope. Autoeurope is a consolidator and will find you a good rate. It is harder to find an automatic these days, but in france Hertz is a good one to get automatics. If you do not take your own GPS, keep in mind that the one on your car will probably be in French. They do switch to English, but we had a hard time switching several times. We take our own GPS. It is cheaper, also.Now you have to pay extra for a GPS. We always splurge and go with a Prius.. it is in the green level at Hertz.
Posted by
OP
Tampa, FL
12 posts
Went with Hertz and it was a smooth experience. We were charged exactly what we were quoted. Thanks for all your helpful suggestions!
Posted by
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
8293 posts
Thank you for reporting back. Glad all went well.