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Thursday, August 5th, 2010
Hertz has announced that it will be continuing its preferred partnership with Air France for at least another three years. The two companies have been in partnership now for 21 years. Air France passengers will continue to be offered access to Hertz’s best deals at all of the airline’s international destinations.
Although benefits will be offered to all Air France customers, those who are Flying Blue members will have that added advantage of earning airline miles on their car rentals as well as getting a 15 per cent discount. Some passengers who travel regularly with the airline will be offered the chance to join the Hertz #1 Club Gold programme, which exclusively offers car upgrades and a fast track hire process at Hertz rental centres.
Passengers holding an Air France – KLM American Express Platinum card will also be offered a range of fabulous deals by Hertz. These include the option of having a vehicle delivered and collected from a particular address with no additional charge.
Air France’s Executive Vice President of Marketing, Revenue Management and Network, Bruno Matheu, said that Air France customers would continue to benefit from the airline’s partnership with Hertz. He added that the rewards, offers and savings delivered by Hertz meant that the carrier could offer passengers an enhanced service around the world.
President of Hertz International, Michel Tirade, said for more than 20 years the partnership between Hertz and Air France had been growing stronger. He added that one of the main reasons for this was both companies’ dedication to quality and service.
Tags: air france, Air France-KLM, American Express, Flying Blue, Hertz, Hertz #1 Club Gold
Posted in Car Rental News | Comments Off
Thursday, July 29th, 2010
Enterprise Holdings has announced that it will be donating a grant of $3 million to the National Urban League through its philanthropic offshoot: the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation. The grant, to be paid out over three years, was announced at a conference in Washington DC, where the Urban League was celebrating its centenary.
Enterprise has been a long-time partner of the National Urban League. In 2002, Andy Taylor, chairman and chief executive of Enterprise Holdings, joined the Urban League’s National Conference as its General Chairman. Enterprise was also responsible for underwriting a study by the Urban League, conducted in 2004, that looked at workplace diversity and employees’ attitudes to it.
By making its donation to the League’s Centre for Urban Leadership, the Enterprise Foundation will help with the administration of the organisation’s affiliates across the nation. The League’s main aim is to offer opportunities and empowerment to those growing up in underdeveloped communities throughout the US.
As well as announcing their donation, Enterprise will continue to celebrate the League reaching 100 by encouraging employees to sign up to its empowerment campaign. Enterprise will also join with the League’s other affiliates at the end of the month to celebrate Founder’s Day. This will be commemorated by a showcasing of various projects supported by the Urban League across the US.
Taylor said that Enterprise was proud to be a partner of the National Urban League and would continue to support the organisation’s efforts to change the lives of individuals as well as communities. The business community has a great ally in the Urban League, he added.
Tags: business community, Centre for Urban Leadership, Enterprise, Enterprise Holdings, Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation, National Urban League
Posted in Car Rental News | Comments Off
Thursday, July 22nd, 2010
A consumer watchdog in the UK has been shocked by the dramatic rise in complaints against car hire companies in the EU. The UK European Consumer Centre claims that customer complaints and enquires are up by 29 per cent for the first five months of the year when compared to the same period last year.
Although complaints were being made about disputes across the EU, countries causing the most problems when it came to hiring a car included Ireland, France, Italy and Spain. The jump in complaints has prompted the UK ECC to produce a pamphlet, which can be downloaded from its website, containing helpful information on what to look out for when hiring a car abroad, as well as details on customers’ legal rights when hiring a car in the EU.
Jed Mayatt, Manager of the UK ECC, admitted that he knew the number of complaints about car hire experiences was in the rise, but was taken aback when he realised by just how much. He added that the problem meant that UK consumers needed to start taking more precautions when hiring a vehicle and entering into rental agreements with their heads screwed on.
According to Mayatt, one of the most important things a customer can do to avoid problems with their car hire company, is to make sure the vehicle is thoroughly checked, on its return, by a member of the rental team, and signed off in good condition.
Too many people simply leave the car in the returns lot and are surprised when a bill for damages arrives two months later because they did not get a signature saying the car was returned in good order.
Tags: car hire, complaints, EU, hiring a car, legal rights, UK European Consumer Centre, UKECC
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Thursday, July 15th, 2010
An alcohol charity has voiced its concern over the availability of alcohol in the country’s petrol stations. Alcohol Concern Cymru said that it is not sure whether the sale of alcoholic beverages in garages is sending out the right message to drivers. The charity has published a briefing paper which it hopes will get the wider public discussing the issue.
The charity said that it realised the difficulties in banning alcohol outright in the country’s garages and petrol stations, but added that there were alternative measures which could be considered. One recommendation was to introduce warnings about the dangers of drink-driving wherever alcohol is being made available.
A survey by Alcohol Concern showed that around a third of all petrol stations in eight counties across Wales sold alcohol. In England and Wales it is illegal to sell alcohol in motorway service stations. Local authorities can refuse to grant garages and petrol stations the licences they need to sell alcohol, but these measures are usually easily overturned in the courts.
Andrew Misell, policy manager for Alcohol Concern Cymru, pointed out that by their very nature, petrol stations attracted trade from motorists. He added that he realised that alcohol was readily available through many other outlets, but questioned whether premises where customers go to fill their cars up with petrol should remain one of those outlets.
Although the number of drink-drive deaths has fallen dramatically over the past two decades, one in six road deaths is still caused by drivers who have exceeded the legal drinking limit.
Tags: alcohol, Alcohol Concern, Alcohol Concern Cymru, charity, drink driving, garages, petrol stations
Posted in Health & Environment | Comments Off
Thursday, July 8th, 2010
European leaders in car hire, Europcar, and Germany’s Air Berlin have joined forces to offer airline customers the best available rates on vehicle rental. Since the beginning of 2008, Europcar has been one of Air Berlin’s topbonus partners, and now it has become a Premium Partner. This means that the car rental giant will be part of Air Berlin’s booking process, offering passengers the cheapest deals on car rental available to members of the public.
As part of the new deal, Air Berlin will be promoting Europcar’s services in airports, at its check-in desks and at ticket counters. Air Berlin customers will also be transferred to a Europcar reservations call centre by staff taking ticket reservations over the phone.
Europcar International’s global sales and marketing director, Guirec Grand-Clement, said that since becoming one of Air Berlin’s partners on the topbonus program, the car hire firm and the airline have become stronger, not just in Germany, but internationally. He added that now Europcar had been given the status of Premium Partner, even more Air Berlin customers would have access to the company’s international network.
In celebration of its new status with the airline, Europcar has announced that it will be offering a promotion entitled ‘Drive Bigger, Pay Less’ to all Air Berlin Passenger. The deal will mean that participants can take advantage of better deals on car hire at airports including all major hubs within the UK.
In addition, all topbonus members booking a car hire online before October 1 will now receive double the award miles they would usually be given.
Tags: Air Berlin, airport, car hire, car rental, Drive Bigger, Europcar, Pay Less, topbonus. Premium Partner, vehicle rental
Posted in Car Rental News | Comments Off
Thursday, July 1st, 2010
Andy Murray is doing his best to keep English hopes of sporting success this summer alive. He has earned himself a place in the Wimbledon semi-finals tomorrow, where he will face world number one, Raphael Nadal. Murray won his place after knocking Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga out of the competition in four sets.
Talking after his victory over Tsonga, Murray admitted that it would be a tough match against Nadal, but also said that if he is on form, he believes he can win. He added that it was vital that he believes he can win the match before stepping onto the court. He went on to say that Nadal played extremely well at Wimbledon and would be favourite to win tomorrow before adding that the odds were actually irrelevant.
Yesterdays match was the first in the tournament so far in which Murray has conceded a set. He said that he wanted to win at Wimbledon this year if only to put an end to the endless jokes about how long it has been since an Englishman has taken the title. He added that it has been 74-years now, and that he realised that the crowds would love to see a Brit win the competition.
Murray said that winning a first grand slam was always a special experience, but doing it in front of the crowds in SW19 would be extra special.
However Murray conceded that he was still some way off that dream, and before he can realise it, he has to put the number one player on the planet out of the competition.
Tags: Andy Murray, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Raphael Nadal, SW19, Wimbledon
Posted in UK News | Comments Off
Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010
Enterprise Rent-A-Car has been told by a jury that it must pay $15 million to the parents of two sisters who died whilst driving one of their hire vehicles. The jury made their decision after hearing that the Chrysler PT Cruiser in which the girls were driving had been recalled by the manufacturer because of safety concerns.
After leaving their mother’s house, Raechel Houck, who was driving with her sister Jacqueline, apparently lost control of the Chrysler PT, crossed the road’s central reservation and collided with a truck coming in the opposite direction. The car then burst into flames and neither girl survived.
Attorneys for the girl’s parents say that experts have confirmed that the accident occurred after leaking fluid from the vehicle’s power steering system caused Raechel to lose control of the car. A month before the vehicle was rented Chrysler had issued a recall notice for 435,000 PT Cruisers manufactured between 2002 and 2005 because there were safety issues concerning the power steering hose and leakage.
According to records, the Chrysler the Houck sisters had been given had not been repaired and had been rented out a total of four times since the recall had been issued. Enterprise initially said that the crash was the result of Raechel’s driving. However, according to the parent’s lawyer, Lawrence Grassini, the company also offered to pay $3 million if the matter was kept confidential.
Cally Houck, the girl’s mother, said that she had not wanted Enterprise to silence her, and that the company would have to take responsibility for its actions.
Tags: Chrysler, Chrysler PT Cruiser, Enterprise, enterprise rent a car, hire vehicles, recall, safety
Posted in Car Rental News | Comments Off
Thursday, June 17th, 2010
The Hertz Rent2Buy scheme will now reach more people through the online pages of AutoTrader.com. A new partnership means that vehicles from the Hertz rental fleet will be advertised for sale on the AutoTrader site, giving the Rent2Buy program an additional audience of around 15 million people across the US every month.
The advantage to AutoTrader customers of choosing a vehicle from the Hertz rental fleet is the unique three-day trial which is on offer. As well as offering good condition second hand vehicles at reasonable prices, Hertz also offers potential buyers the chance to take the vehicle away, test drive it, and have an independent expert assess its quality.
If after the three day test period a customer decides that the vehicle is not for them, then the vehicle is returned and the usual Hertz rental fee is charged. If the customer chooses to buy the vehicle, then an agreement is drawn up and the vehicle is purchased at the listed price. The three days rental fee is waived.
Mark P Frissora, Hertz chairman and CEO, said that by making second hand cars available through AutoTrader.com, Hertz was offering yet another outlet for customers to search for their ideal vehicle. He added that Hertz was extremely proud to have such a trusted site added to their listings.
Chip Perry, AutoTrader.com president and CEO, said that the Hertz Rent2Buy was unique and offered customers a great way of getting their hands on a used car, truck or SUV. He added that by partnering with AutoTrader, Hertz would gain access to the largest market for used vehicle buyers in the country.
Tags: AutoTrader.com, Hertz, Hertz Rent2Buy, Mark P. Frissora, rental fee, second hand vehicles, used car
Posted in Car Rental News | Comments Off
Thursday, June 10th, 2010
South African car rental businesses are being forced to reassess their fleet sizes as the number of visitors coming to the country for the World Cup tournament falls short of expectations. At the beginning of the year there was an increase in the number of vehicle sales to car hire firms in anticipation of the tournament. However, over the last couple of months, the number of new vehicles being bought has tailed off dramatically.
According to executive chairman of McCarthy motors, Brand Pretorius, Budget Rent A Car has already started reducing the size of its fleet. Just over a month ago the firm reduced the number of vehicles on offer by 1,200 units. The company has looked at forward reservations and come to the conclusion that the added number of vehicles it had brought in for the tournament will not be required. Budget may reduce its fleet by another 1,600 units over the next few weeks if demand does not pick up.
Pretorius said that one of the main problems was that the corporate market was not materialising as expected for the games.
Martin Laubscher, CEO of Barloworld Motor, also admitted that there was a great deal of uncertainty in the business about the amount of customers coming to South Africa for the football. He added that the Barloworld group was prepared for whatever might happen in the market.
Although the company has around 2,000 more vehicles in its fleet than it did 12 months ago, and although utilization rates and rental days have remained static, Laubscher remains confident.
Tags: Barloworld Motor, Budget Rent A Car, car hire, car rental, football, south africa, World Cup
Posted in Car Rental News | Comments Off
Thursday, June 3rd, 2010
British travellers have revealed their most unpleasant holiday surprises in a new survey. The poll was carried out by one of the country’s leading car hire comparison sites, carrentals.co.uk. 1,500 members of the public were asked to reveal what the least liked to be surprised by when away from home.
Topping the list for many was hidden costs. 40 per cent of respondents said that additional costs on their holiday bill were extremely unwelcome. 40 per cent of those who complained about hidden charges said that it was additional charges on their car hire bill which were most irksome. 27 per cent were most irritated by their accommodation costs increasing unexpectedly, and 21 per cent said that additional medical bills and excess baggage fees were their biggest annoyance.
Half of those who responded to the survey said that they had experienced nasty surprises when booking into their holiday accommodation. 25 per cent said that they had stayed in rooms with broken furniture. Others complained of vomit and urine in the bed, and some said that finding used condoms in the room was something of a turn off. One third of respondents also claimed that they had been surprised to find appliances which were faulty or did not work properly.
One third also said that they had been unpleasantly surprised to find other guests in their room when they arrived, such as cockroaches, worms, ants, rats, lizards, spiders, snakes and even the odd possum.
Managing director of carrentals.co.uk, Gareth Robinson, described the results of the survey as an eye opener.
Tags: accomodation, baggage fees, car hire, carrentals.co.uk, condoms, holiday, medical bills, possum
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