Potential Car Hire Problems and Disasters

It would be nice if car hire experiences went smoothly, but the fact is, sometimes things do not work out so well. Knowing about potential car hire disasters is a way to avoid these unfortunate experiences and is interesting in itself.

The Car Breaks Down

Sometimes rental cars do indeed break down. They may not be in the best repair to start with or there may be unforeseen mechanical problems. The worst scenario here is that you both cannot get where you are going at all or are seriously delayed and you also owe a large deductible or excess fee. A way to avoid this type of situation is to take out excess insurance. This is a kind of "insurance on the insurance" that kicks in when you owe an excess or deductible. The excess insurance covers the amount the individual renting the car has to pay which is not covered by the insurance company, thus exempting the renter from any financial obligations at all.

Another way to avoid the inconveniences of this sort of occurrence is to inquire beforehand whether towing comes with the car hire. There should be road service that comes right away to pick up the auto and tow it where it needs to go in the event of a breakdown or some of the other instances mentioned below. If there is any doubt about whether this is covered by the insurance that comes with the vehicle or by your own insurance, you may want to make other arrangements.

You Have an Accident

A similar sort of situation occurs if you have an accident. You could find a situation in which you are responsible for a large excess/deductible and in which poor arrangements regarding towing and alternative transportation makes the situation a nightmare. Again, the way to avoid this is to take the kinds of precautions mentioned above. Get excess insurance if you travel a lot and make sure towing and transportation from the scene of an accident are well worked out beforehand.

The Car is Stolen

One of the most nightmarish car hire situations is having the car stolen while it is parked either at a hotel or at some other destination. This causes a lot of problems and requires a huge compensation to the insurance company. So this is a type of situation in which is very helpful to have excess insurance. The rather large excess or deductible that this could involve will be taken care of by the excess insurance provider.

Some other simple precautions to prevent theft are parking in safer areas, always making sure to lock up the car, buying steering wheel locks or wheel locks and putting them on the rental vehicle, and leaving the car in indoor rather than outdoor parking situations when possible and appropriate. Remember always also to ask the car hire company what their policies are regarding theft, especially if you plan to drive in high theft areas.

You are Overcharged

There are some crooked car hire companies out there. They are quite capable of adding extra charges that individuals do not know about after the car is rented. A worst case scenario occurs when someone finds that they have been charged a large amount of money more for the car hire than they believed when they signed the paperwork.

The way to avoid this situation is to make sure at the car rental location that you have thoroughly read or looked over the rental contract and asked representatives of the company whether there are any hidden charges. Often these companies count on an individual taking a vague approach to the car hire so that charges can be slipped past them. Be very forthright and exacting and ask if there is any possibility of extra charges. Also make sure to read the contract.
For more help and advice regarding airport car rentals, please visit car rental Perth.