For those who have hired a car whilst on holidays: can you help me please?

[HelenLoveJoyOfSpringfield]

We are heading off to France soon and have hired an economy 4 door car to use whilst there.

AFAIWA we had paid for the car hire and everything else when we booked the holiday.

First of all it says "All prices are inclusive of additional driver, local taxes, theft protection, collision etc......."

Then below in small print it reads:

will be charged between 40 and 60 euros for the diesel [incase we don't leave it back full, but we will] and it said this was non-refundable!

Also says that on returning the car to terminal after use we will be charged 25 euros for parking fees??

Also it states an excess of between 775-1675 euros on the car insurance incase we hit the car.. I though we were insured already...

We are so confused as we have never did anything like this before!

Also, the time we booked we stated we needed a booster seat for dd [6] and a car seat for ds [2]. On the booking form for the car it says we have 1 seat for a 0-1 year old. Will I be able to change it when we get there?

Is it a leading company Europocar / Avis ? If yes I would call the UK rental line and get things sorted out.

YOu will be given the car with a full tank so you must return with a full tank or you will get charged and they will likely charge you a refuelling fee as well. Look out for a petrol stn as you leave the aiport and check its opening times ..If it has an automatic pump that you can use if shut so you can return full.
No idea about the parking I would check when you get there as there might be a free parking area . Ususally ch comps have there own parking spaces...Seems wierd.
You will have an excess ( like any insurance company ) and you will be liable for the first 775 or 1675 ( that seems very high to me ) depending on the type of car that you rent. You can normally reduce or eliminate this excess. Sometimes it is cheaper to do this in advance.
If you requested a seat for a 2 yr old they have confirmed a seat for 0-1 this will normally be rear facing. So I would revert back to get a front facing one.
Again you requested a booster seat I would suggest that you take your own. I have not seen many of them in ch offices overseas but maybe somebody in France could help.

I am sure it will sort out and have fun. Also you state an economy car check what make / model they won't confirm the exact one they usually say or similar so you can make sure that your luggage will fit.

Thankyou Rosa.

I may call them tomorrow & see what they say.

I wonder if their receptionist speaks English? Perhaps I will call them now to to be assured.

It's Europcar France.

I just tried to call the company and the boy didn't know what I was saying, he didn't seem to know what a booster seat was

Ring Europcar UK ...Far easier to be honest they will have on the system all the info you need. They will request the car seats ( and come back when the depot has confirmed them )advise if booster seats exist They will be able to tell you the cost of the excess ( based on the car the you have booked) and be able to tell you the cost of reducing the excess. I ring Eurpocar Uk for all my bookings worldwide just find it easier. Number off web site.

I hired a car for the first time in France recently. Basically I agree with everything Rosa said! I was surprised by the excess amount in the event of an accident too! (luckily didn't have one) We took our own car seats which looked comical when piled up on the airport trolley with 2 pushchairs and bags but it wasn't that much hassle- you just check them in with the luggage- often for free- and it means you know how to fit it and everything at the other end. I filled up with petrol the day before returning it and getting back to the airport didn't show on the gauge but it obviously depends how close you are staying to the airport. I'd just check about the parking when you get there. We got the economy car and the boot was tiny but we managed to squeeze bags in the footwells for back seats, just! have a great holiday!

We had a nightmare with Hertz at Geneva last year - wouldn't honour the internet quoted price adding various extras and odd day rates to it but would n't release the car until we agreed . Refuelling charge is standard, note where the nearest petrol station to airport is.

Try to sort the seats out now (the Stage categories are the same there but Stage 1 can be described as a Baby seat and a booster as the aged 4 ish) but don't have high expectations re quality. If you wait you could easily be kept waiting with overtired kids in tow - not a pleasant or relaxing way to start a holiday.

The girl @ Europcar was lovely but couldn't ammend the booking as it was booked through holiday autos.

She recommended that we take our own booster seat for dd if we could... so my next question is.. do I need to book it on as extra luggage onto the plane??

Holiday autos were closed when I called but I will call again in the morning & enquire about what type of car we are being given and how we can lower the excess.

Dh says that it will be the lower end of the excess we would be expected to pay as it is an economy car.

Who are you flying with ? If it is within baggage weight allowance then you can either stow it into a bag/case or check as oversized luggage. Ryanair and a few other budget ones may be iffy about number of pieces of baggage etc though.

Thanks Cf & LIZs.

I think we will take dd's booster seat with us, better be safe than sorry.

I am so excited yet nervous & confused all at once!!

Never been on holiday with the 2 kids before!

We're flying with Easyjet.

I wasn't going to take ds's pushchair as he hates it. We have a wrist strap instead so he can still have the independence of walking.

Do any of you know if we can just turn up at Eurodisney on a morning and buy tickets or do they need to be bookd in advance??

Thanks, lovely people

You can buy on the gate.

WooHoo!!!!

Thanks very much