Rental firms turn to other companies when cars run out

Many renters wonder what happens if a car hire firm runs out of a vehicle that a client has booked. In some cases, the renter will be offered a free upgrade from an economy class vehicle, to a compact or intermediate car, which they may then choose to accept or reject. In other instances, however, a rental firm will actually contact another company in the area and arrange to have them supply the client with the requested passenger vehicle. In a minority of instances, however, this can lead to confusion and possibly problems for the renter, so it is important to know ahead of time what to expect.

An unhappy rental client recently contacted Christopher Elliott, the prominent travel ombudsman whose columns are syndicated by Tribune Media Services. The renter explained that he and his wife had asked to rent an Opel Astra vehicle from an Alamo outlet in the Republic of Ireland. Yet immediately after arrival, an Alamo agent informed the clients that this car was out of stock, but that they would be able to rent the same car from a nearby Budget outlet. Yet after the rental period, the clients realized that they had been charged a hefty $572, when the originally noted price for the Alamo vehicle stood at $222.

Elliott pointed out that this situation illustrates very well something that all renters should look out for when they are told that their selected car is out of stock and are thus offered a similar car from another rental firm. The original rental company (in this case, Alamo) is required to foot the bill for all expenses incurred, if clients must hire a car from another firm, because the originally reserved vehicle is not available. It is, however, always up to the renter to verify that they are receiving the originally quoted price, even if they are sent to pick up a car from another firm. As such, it is important to have the reservation confirmation—which indicates the original price—on hand.

In the end, Elliott was able to convince Alamo to issue a full refund for all additional expenses incurred when the clients had to go to Budget to rent a car.

www.budget.com