If you have, you’re not alone – but frustrating waits at car rental desks vary greatly between companies. Our new research reveals all…
We’ve all had one of those nightmare trips: departure delays, a bumpy and uncomfortable flight, luggage taking an age to appear on the carousel, and to top it off, when you just didn’t need it: an agonising wait at a car rental desk.
But the good news is: by choosing the right car hire company, you may not have to suffer this final-leg frustration again.
Our new research found huge variations in customer waiting times between rental firms – pick the right one and you’re off to a flying start on your holiday; but the wrong one could leave you waiting for over an hour!
Car hire horror stories
According to our research, the worst offender was Goldcar (owned by Europcar), with over 63% of people in our survey having to wait at least 15 minutes, while 24% had to wait over half an hour.
At the top end was the Canary Island provider, Auto Reisen, with only 13% of those surveyed having to wait 15 minutes or more.
For waiting times with all the other major car rental companies, see the full results of our research here.
My experience
After a long exhausting flight, you’ve queued at passport control, waited at the baggage carousel, and now you have to queue to pick up the car you’ve already paid for? What on earth is the delay?
In my experience of low-cost car hire companies, the wait has been caused by understaffing, and those that are serving the long, snaking queue of customers, being motivated solely by commission.
It’s worth holding up the queue if they can take a percentage of the overpriced insurance they are trying to flog.
And insurance is complicated – it takes a long time to explain the intricacies of SCDW, TP, PAI and whatever other mind-boggling acronym they’ve come up with in order to confuse you into buying.
And the queues probably work in their favour – after an excruciating wait, you’ll probably agree to anything to just be able to get behind the wheel and start your holiday.
Have you had a frustrating wait to pick up a hire car? What was the reason for your delay?
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