Headline deals on rental cars have been flooding the internet, but Gold Coast Family Car Rentals CEO Darryl Essington-Wilson warns that in some cases, they may be too good to be true.
Do Gold Coast Car Rental Holiday Deals Save You Money?
Headline deals on rental cars have been flooding the internet, the press and leaflets during the build-up to the holiday season, and some of the prices advertised look pretty good. And many of them may be the real deal, but Gold Coast Family Car Rentals CEO Darryl Essington-Wilson warns that in some cases, they may be too good to be true.
Holidaymakers Warned to Check the Extras
He cautions holidaymakers who don’t do their homework that they may feel they have been duped when faced with the final account if they hurry to sign a deal based solely on the reduced daily rental advertised. But Darryl hastens to add that this is not necessarily because of false advertising.
The promoted base daily tariff is usually genuine, particularly when backed by well-known names in the car rental sector. And those companies will undoubtedly stand behind those printed tariffs to the letter. However, according to Darryl, a problem could lie hidden in the letters which are not printed in the advertisement. Those are the ones which spell out the add-ons, make up the list of terms and restrictions, and they usually have varying numbers of dollars attached to them.
Counting the Costs of Cheap Deals
This is because the special deal is usually only related to the base tariff for daily rental, and by comparison with others in that regard, at this level, it might appear to be the best option. But, on digging deeper into the fee structure and comparing the other fees involved, that is not necessarily the case.
Australian Consumer Law mandates that all compulsory charges are to be either included in the published price, or shown in close proximity to the published price, in the same font size. Optional extras need not be included in an advertised price, but of course, they should be included in any price that is specific to the enquirer’s stated needs.
Darryl believes that there is a string of factors that need to be included in any rental car comparison. Among these are the where, when, and how far the car can be driven, as well as how many people can drive it. And there are others, such as where it's collected, and where it’s dropped. All of these fees can vary considerably between rental companies, as do insurance excess charges and what they cover.
Comparing Apples with Apples
As a Consumer Fairness Gold Medal award-winner, Darryl is committed to making the total cost of car rentals as transparent as possible. An accountant and business consultant before he moved to Gold Coast 17 years ago, and devoted his life to turning two small car rental businesses into the thriving Gold Coast Family Car Rentals that exist today, Darryl looks at the whole package when it comes to cost to the customer.
He even offers a Best Value Guarantee for rentals of four days or more. There’s a generous refund attached if a customer finds a better local price. However, it only applies when the so-called cheaper option’s full-service package is identical to his, including optional extras, insurance excesses and other fees. And that’s because of his conviction that car rental costs can only be compared in terms of total service value.
For those planning to travel in and around Gold Coast city, and particularly between Surfers Paradise and Coolangatta, and including the Gold Coast Airport, by making sure to book online with Gold Coast Car Rental | Vehicle Hire | Cheap Car Hire - Family Car Rentals, or call + 61 7 5508 3333. Pick up and drop off at the Gold Coast Airport can be arranged.
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