Rental car firms accused of gouging customers over holidays

In Ireland, car hire operators are being accused of taking advantage of customers over the upcoming busy Christmas holiday period, with some trebling their daily and weekly rates.

One rental company that typically charges €69 per week for a small sedan will charge €216 over Christmas – more than three times the normal rate. Most companies are charging at least twice what they normally do with economy-class vehicles hiked the most.

Consumer groups are warning that these massive increases will hit not just tourists, but also those coming home for Christmas. It was also suggested that tourists will see this as yet another indication of how expensive Ireland is as a travel destination.

At Avis and Hertz rental rates will increase during Christmas week, by as much as 130 per cent.

Senator Brendan Ryan, the Labour spokesman for consumer affairs, called the increases “truly shocking.”

“At a time when we should be doing everything we can to attract visitors to Ireland, we have car-hire companies engaging in this kind of gouging. This is profiteering plain and simple,” he said.

Thanks to www.independent.ie for the above quotes, for more information on this article please visit their website.

www.hertz.com