Easy Reservation - Fast Processing
Written: May 18 '08
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Product Rating:
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Pros: easy reservation system
Cons: frequent flyer programme is poor
The Bottom Line: Enjoyable experience, fun car and easy to use reservation system.
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| jwissinger's Full Review: Europcar |
In April of 2008 I booked the a compact car on-line midway through the afternoon. I chose to book in Edgware, on the northwest side of London because it is within walking distance of a tube stop. The day before I had realized my car was not in working order and I needed a quick solution to carry on with my plans for the weekend. I chose Europcar because their price was competitive (not the cheapest) and they were accessible via public transport. Their opening hours are typical for the area; 0800-1800 weekdays and 0800-1600 on Saturdays.
The online reservation system was easy to navigate. This is a no frills system that is easy to use, but two features stand out.
1. Ability to view the price in multiple currencies. This can be quite convenient to either view the rate in your home currency or the local currency of where you are going.
2. Change the car selection on the fly. While the rate for the car you selected appear, you can easily select a different model vehicle from the menu and see the price. The down side is that you don't see the different model vehicle prices side by side.
It was my first experience with Europcar....so first impressions count. As I booked mid-way through the afternoon I fully expected to show up to the rental center and find that they either didn't have my booking or would take awhile to process. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the paperwork was all filled out, the car had been inspected and it was waiting for me outside. Granted, they were not busy at the time, but it couldn't have been smoother.
The base rate includes insurance coverage up to an excess of 600 pounds. As I have had to pay excess charges in the past because of an accident I often take the extra insurance just to be sure. For additional charges the excess can be lowered to 250 pounds or zero. I opted for the zero for total piece of mind, though for 3 days it did cost about 40 pounds extra.
The car I was given was a Vauxhall Astra, Silver, with about 6,000 miles on it. It was full of pipe and the brakes needed only a gentle touch. The interior had been thoroughly detailed and the exterior sparkled. This model got about 30 miles to the gallon. It easily fit our two child seats in the back and had quite of bit of luggage space in the boot. It is quite a large car for the compact class of vehicles.
I returned the vehicle after hours, about an hour before they opened in the morning. Being on the high street in Edgware, parking is a premium and so they do not provide much space for returning vehicles. After about 5 minutes of maneuvering I was able to squeeze into the last spot on the lot. Then I simply dropped my key in the drop box and then waited to see the charges on my credit card.
Everything went very smoothly and I wouldn't hesitate to rent with Europcar again. The one down side is that they are not associated with any of the frequent flyer programmes that I use. The service seemed fair, adequate and met expectations. There was nothing exceptional that
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
jwissinger
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Member: John Wissinger
Location: London
Reviews written: 18
Trusted by: 2 members
About Me:
An American living in London; Sharing the experience and lessons learned.
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