Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Car Rental - Rent a Car

Wait…want to hire a car? But you are still unaware of many things related to car rental…

Car hire agency or car rental agency is an agency that rents out cars or automobiles for a limited period of time with a certain amount of money or fee for hiring an automobile. Car rental agency is a wide form of hiring shop with numerous branches. Majority of these agencies are located near airports, bus stations, railway stations and busy cit areas where a frequent hiring of automobiles are seen. These agencies also have online reservations through computer. Most of the travel agencies also have connection with major car rental agencies. Car hire agencies also serve a wide variety of needs by renting vans and trucks also.

The conditions to get a car for rent may vary according to the brand or size of the car. The rented vehicle should be returned in a good condition and should not exceed the prescribed driving distance or kilometers by the car agency. If the distance exceeds the normal prescribed one, the agency will ask for extra payment for extra kilometers. In addition to this, there is a minimum age for the vehicle driver, mostly 18 or 21 but in some cases it is 25. In today’s technological world the introduction of GPS (Global positioning System) technology which is used to limit the speed of the car and also to locate the vehicle in case of any mishap. A majority of car rental agencies insists the use of credit cards to make it easier to identify the person who steals the car or to charge additional fees, if any defect is later found with the car after the car is returned to the agency.

The information or documentation to collect a car are passport or any other identification similar to that, driver’s license, prepaid car voucher and a valid credit car in the driver’s name. In some countries international driver permit along with national license is needed. If the person wants to make any changes in the booking, he will have to contact the customer service. Different types of insurance coverage will be offered to add money on to the base rental rate. But most of these insurance are covered by the personal auto insurance policy. Exception from this is Collision Damage Waiver or CDW which is an extra daily charge covering both the cost of damage of a car involved in an accident and loss of use charged by the agency. To avoid cheating, consult with an insurance agent before taking a car for rent. Loss of use is the time and money lost for the car company as the vehicle cannot rent during the time of repair, if it met with an accident. Some credit card covers the damage or theft of the rented car. Most credit cards which offer this feature only cover basic models which do not include SUV’s and luxury cars.

There are certain requirements to meet before taking a car for rent. They are:

(1)Know the age requirement of the driver.

(2)Compare the rent of different agencies.

(3)Determine whether it is a free upgrade or discounted rate.

(4)The classes of the car depend on the different brands at different car rental agencies. Rental cars will be typically the base models.

(5)Book the vehicle as soon as possible to avoid the confusion during travel.

(6)Before providing the credit card number, ask about the cancellation policy.

(7)Give rent only for the needs.

(8)Don’t pay double of the car insurance.

(9)If two people are going to drive, make sure that both of their names should be in the agreement.

(10)Inspect the car before taking it from the car agency.

(11)Fill the fuel before returning the car to avoid charging a premium.

(12)Ask for map and directions to the destination.

(13)Take a membership of a rental agency to avail special offers, if the traveler is frequent renter.

(14)Make sure the mileage policy is favorable so that to avoid extra charge.

It is better to take the car according to the weekly rate, if a person is keeping a car for more than five days. Mostly the seventh day ends up saving money on weekly rental and might not need the free seventh day but there is always a plan of change.

For Car Hire visit @  www.gerrardbeacon.com

Article Source: www.buzzle.com

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