Last updated on December 14, 2015
Friendly pricing for customers
Car rental does not compare with any other business and calls have been made to set clearer prices, which should be friendly to customers. Travelauto.com has made some great strides to make this a reality, but this is a challenge especially when others in the industry do not make the necessary changes.
Cheap becomes expensive
Every human buyer would like to have the best deals. However, in most cases, what we buy cheaply quickly turns out to be more expensive, something that haunts the car rental industry today. Many customers are now able to access cheap car rental deals, thanks to car rental price comparison tools. The promise of cheap prices compared to the different available options make things appear the same, but the fact of the matter is that they are not.
When looking for the best price comparison sites, it is always good to work with providers that are reliable otherwise, you might end up working with dealers whose deals are easily manipulated. You should not just work with sites that easily rank car rental companies from the cheapest to the most expensive as most firms will go out of the way to ensure they are ranked top. A good site should allow you to view all the available deals and make it easy for you to make a sober decision without any sneaky prices influencing you.
Is the ranking system a strategic marketing plan? Yes, it is. But is it friendly to the customers? No!
A widespread trick
One of the commonest tricks for example, is for rental companies to promise a car at £25 per week on condition that you take a full fuel tank and use it otherwise return is with no refund.
This has some benefits to the car renter is they are able to use the full tank and return the car empty. Although at the beginning you will end up paying more for fuel (approximately 20%), the advantages far outweighs what you will be able to save on your car rental cost.
However, many customers do not have plans of driving much but are required to pay for full tank although they will be returning the rental car with more than half a tank. Although you will save on the car rental cost, at the end of the day you will spend more on fuel with the average fuel cost for a small car standing at around 80€..
Is this sneaky pricing? Yes it is; customer friendly? No at all!
The logic is simple, your car rental company does not make any profits on the car hire but makes a kill when it comes to the fuel pricing right from the beginning and then hopes you will return it with some fuel in the tank. This remaining fuel will be sold to the next customer and the cycle continues.
An airline comparison
This won’t work in other industries. Just consider what would really happen. An airline offers a £12 flight to Croatia but once you settle on your seat, you are present a compulsory box of food worth £60 which you must finish before landing. Any food you do not consume must be left in the plane for resale to the next customer who boards the next flight.
Does it sound absurd? Yes, but this is what happens with car rental companies.
Our advice is to always be keen and we will show exactly how much it costs as far as fuel terms are concerned especially when you are required to return the rent a car dubai with the same level of fuel it had during pick up. Taking a few minutes checking on this small detail will help you save a lot of money when you rent a car next.
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