You rent a Mercedes Vito and you get an Opel Vivaro on delivery
Anyone who occasionally rents a car or van now and then knows the clever tricks of the trade that rental companies apply. If you are not careful when booking online, it is possible that additional insurance is more expensive than the rental price of the car itself. Companies like Sixt take the cake with additional options that they offer that you as a driver think you can hardly get out of.
equivalent car
You know it, you reserve and pay online for the rental of a Mercedes-Benz Vito and you get an Opel Vivaro. This is described in the contract conditions as an 'equivalent car'. During the reservation, the term example vehicle appears on the form, so you are not actually renting what you are asking for with certainty. This is called a vehicle group. So you are actually renting a car from this category, without being able to further claim what you have ordered online.
insurance
Although all rental cars come with car insurance as standard, in the event of damage, a deductible for the user often applies. However, the deductible that the rental companies calculate in the event of damage often rises. With standard liability insurance, you are not insured for damage caused by a rented motor vehicle. You cannot insure the deductible with such a rental agreement under the liability insurance.
Rental cars are often new and most people will not want to take the risk of having to pay for a large part or even the entire car after an accident. That is why they take out extra insurance so that the beautiful car can be returned without financial damage. Car rental companies are increasingly chasing consumers at costs. And so renting a car eventually becomes a very expensive joke. The issue is certainly not unknown. The Dutch Consumers' Association has been warning for some time against shady practices in the car rental sector, especially abroad where a rental car on holiday often gives you headaches in addition to freedom.
Before departure, first walk around the rental car to check it for damage, and take a photo of every dent, scratch or star in the windscreen. If the rental car has not been washed, be extra vigilant for hidden dents. Also pay attention to tires and asterisks in the windows. Not agreeing with it is fine if the employee hands over the car key.
"When I went to pick up the car at the delivery point, we did a round of damage. The car was already damaged in twelve places on delivery."
Companies like Sixt know how to deal with insurance. Every day the same damaged car brings in money without repairing the damage beforehand. Every day, consumers pay the most expensive insurance policies to drive around with a damaged car.
"Returning the rental car to Sixt Eindhoven was a story in itself. We had to leave the car on an unpaved site in the city center and throw the key in a letterbox. Not even check for damage when taking the car back."
So-called scratches are then difficult to check and a sky-high bill when you return home can still happen to you. After all, you don't know what will happen to that car afterwards. You hear it more and more. Possibly due to a lack of staff, the occupation is minimal and this is at the expense of checking the car when returning it.
buy off
To exclude these risks, you can take out additional insurance in advance that covers the excess on the rental car. Such insurance does not have to be expensive: large companies such as Allianz of Europeesche Insurance, only charge a few euros of premium per day. In addition, there are more extras that some car rental companies want to make a profit from. For example, it is often stipulated in the rental contract that the car may only be driven by one person. If someone else in your group were to drive the rental car and then be involved in a collision, all the lessor's provisions will lapse.
Finally: keep your receipt for refueling the rental car. It contains the location and time. Pay close attention to what the rental company does with your credit card information. Usually a deposit is 'reserved' on your credit card, but additional fuel costs and the deductible can also be settled.
