Whether you’re embarking on a road trip with your friends or
you’re in charge of driving your grandparents to your cousin’s wedding, you may
find yourself in need of hiring a car at one point or another. Whatever your
reason for renting a vehicle, one of the most important parts of the process is
finding the right car rental company for you. After all, finding a professional
company that prides itself on great customer service will make the entire
process much easier and less stressful for you.
When choosing the right company, there are a number of
factors to consider. You should always expect the best service possible, but
what does this entail? How do you know if your chosen rental company is
offering you the best deal around, or whether they’ve simply provided the bare
minimum? At First Self Drive, vehicle rental experts based in Norwich, we
understand that the process can be overwhelming. That’s why we go above and
beyond to answer all FAQs,
and have even put together our very own guide to car rental and what you should
expect from your chosen company.
A comprehensive
selection of vehicles
First things first - a good car rental company should
certainly offer a comprehensive selection of vehicles. You’ll want to know that
your chosen providers are able to meet your car hire requirements, whether
you’re driving one other passenger or ten. If the company in question doesn’t
offer a variety of vehicles, it may be a sign that they aren’t as well-established
as others in the local area. As a bare minimum, your car rental company should
offer a selection of cars, vans and people carriers, but from those with years
of expertise, you may expect a range of trucks and tippers too.
Before committing to a company, double check their website
and give them a call to discuss what cars they offer. Whether you have a
particular manufacturer you like or you’re just not sure which style would be
best for your requirements, it’s always good to discuss this with the company
in question.
Vehicles in good
condition
When hiring a car from a rental company you should also
expect the vehicle you hire to be in great condition. While you may not be able
to check this before making the booking (although reading previous customer
reviews and testimonials is a good place to start), you should certainly spend
time checking when you collect the vehicle. If the vehicle you’ve hired isn’t
in great condition, it speaks volumes about the professionalism and diligence
of the company. And, if something were to happen on the road, you’d want total
peace of mind that the company you’ve rented from will be willing to help.
When checking over the vehicle, make sure to:
● Look
for any noticeable cosmetic damage. If there are scratches, dents or bumps,
make sure to take photographs and ask the company to make a note of it. This
will help prevent any disputes when you return the car, as you’ll have proof
that it wasn’t you who caused the damage.
● Check
how much petrol or diesel you’ve been supplied with. Your rental company will
usually expect you to return the car with the same amount of petrol they
provided, which will often be a quarter of a tank. It’s important to make sure
you do this as you may be charged when returning the vehicle if you haven’t
refueled beforehand.
● Before you drive away, ensure you are
comfortable with the controls and switches, such as indicators, horn and
windscreen wipers within the grounds of the car rental company. You don’t want
to get a couple of miles down the road and find that you are operating the
windscreen wipers when your actual intention was purely to indicate left or
right.
On the flip side of this, your car rental company will expect
you to return the vehicle in the same condition as it was in before. If you
return it with dents or scratches that weren’t there previously, you’re likely
to be charged.
Friendly and
professional staff
As with any service you use, you’re entitled to excellent
customer service when hiring a car from a rental company - in fact, this is
something you should expect at a bare minimum. This is extremely important when
you’re hiring something like a vehicle, as poor service could lead you to rent
the wrong make or model for your requirements. Great service will also make it
much easier for you to ask all the questions you need to, as friendly and
dedicated staff will be willing to go above and beyond to answer everything you
want to know. This includes showing you the ins and outs of the vehicle you’ve
hired, as it may be slightly different from anything you’ve driven before.
If the company you have in mind doesn’t give you a great
first impression, it may be time to look elsewhere. After all, if something
goes wrong with your car, you’ll depend on your vehicle hire company to assist
you. For this reason, great customer service and professional staff are crucial
when finding the right car rental company for you.
Comprehensive
insurance
When hiring a car from a rental company, you need to have
total confidence that they’re a registered and trustworthy provider. The first
step in checking this is to ask what insurance they have and where you can find
the details of it. In most cases, all the insurance information you need will
be printed on your rental agreement, but well-informed staff should be able to
discuss the ins and outs of the coverage before you make a decision. All good
companies should have comprehensive coverage to protect you and them in the
event of an accident or collision, so it’s imperative to discuss this before
you agree to hire from them.
As a result, it’s likely that you’ll be charged extra to
cover the costs of the car insurance, so this is something you should expect
from your car rental company. Some companies, including us at First Self Drive,
also offer a Collision Damage Waiver, which gives customers the option to pay a
daily charge to reduce their maximum liability charge. Discuss this with your
company to see if the option is available.
Roadside assistance
In the case of a breakdown or other emergency, you’ll likely
want the support of your car rental company. If something has gone wrong with
the vehicle you’ve hired, it’s important that you can get professional help
quickly and without hassle. For this reason, it’s important that any vehicle
you hire is covered by 24-hour roadside assistance. That way, you can rest
assured that if anything does go wrong, you won’t be stuck in the middle of
nowhere without access to help.
As much as your car rental company has a duty to arrange
emergency breakdown cover when you hire one of their vehicles, it is your
responsibility to report any accidents or faults with the car as soon as you
can. Once you’ve reported any problems, they will then offer advice or extra
support where possible.
Cheap car rentals
When you inquire about a
company’s services, you should expect to receive a free, initial quote and
reasonable rental prices. It’s important to discuss all the costs you’ll be
charged during the rental period to make sure you and your chosen company are
on the same page. If you don’t get a quote beforehand, you may end up having to
pay more than you were expecting to.
To avoid this, it’s always recommended to get a quote in
advance and to discuss how you’ll be charged - i.e. will you be charged on a
daily or hourly basis? Will you need to pay upfront or when you return the
vehicle? What payment details will the company need when processing your
booking? Make sure you have all this information beforehand to avoid any
surprises and compare the proposed charges to those of other hire companies in
the local area. If your quote is wildly expensive, it may be worth looking
elsewhere, however, if it’s significantly cheaper than others it may be
reflected in the quality of service you receive.
First Self Drive: New car hire in Norwich at budget prices
If you’re looking to rent a car or van in Norwich, look no
further than First Self Drive. We offer reliable vehicle rental at highly
competitive prices to domestic and commercial clients in the local area;
whether you need a car, van, minibus, tipper or truck, we’ve got something for
you. We understand that the process of hiring a vehicle can be overwhelming,
but with our range of high-quality vehicles, friendly staff and budget car
rentals, we can make the process much simpler. We’ll go above and beyond to
make sure you hire the right vehicle for you at a fair price - our team of dedicated professionals will also
guide you through the vehicle to make sure you’re comfortable before you drive
away.
For more information about our vehicle hire and to find out what you can expect
from our service, get
in touch
with us at First Self Drive today.
