You may remember we recently wrote about car hire scams in Spain but we’re now shifting the focus further east. Today we’re going to take a look at car hire scams in Cyprus and Turkey. To be fair to most car rental providers, there aren’t many of the old scams left these days as many firms have cleaned up their act (certainly the ones we work with anyhow!) Despite this, there are still issues to be aware of.
Photo by: Balint-Radu/Fotolia
Car Hire Scams in Cyprus
Airport fees/ shuttle bus scam
Picture the scene, you’ve booked a hire car for collection at Paphos or Larnaca Airport. Having checked the terms and conditions, you’re going to be walking over to the car hire company’s desk in the airport, then hopping on a shuttle bus to collect your car. Simple really.
Or so it seems! You arrive at the airport after a 4 hour flight and head over to the car rental provider’s desk in the airport. You are told that unfortunately you cannot get on a shuttle bus to collect your car off-site, you must pay €20 to collect it from the airport car park.
Photo by: zimmytws/Fotolia
If this service is offered to you, you should have been made aware of it before placing a booking. It should also be optional, therefore you should have been given the choice to travel off-site to get the vehicle.
Solution: Double check the collection arrangements before making a booking. Make sure that you understand what is and what isn’t included in the headline price. If you have any questions, please contact us before booking and we are happy to assist if you have any questions.
Full-empty fuel policy
You should know about this one by now but for those of you who are new to car rental it’s easy to overlook. In short when you pick up the car, you pay for a full tank of fuel and then return it empty. The car rental provider will also charge you a higher per litre price, meaning that you have paid over the odds for the fuel as well.
The chance of it being completely empty are slim however. No-one likes the stress of driving on fumes, crossing your fingers that you’ll make it back to the airport!
Solution: Book a deal with a Fair Fuel Policy. All of our prices in Cyprus (and worldwide for that matter!) include a fair fuel policy. This means collect full, return full or simply return with the same amount of fuel. We always specify what the fuel policy is on the search results so you can make a decision that works best for you.
Car condition
Photo by: LuckyImages/Fotolia
OK this isn’t a scam as such but it’s an important issue to be aware of when you land. In Cyprus, rental car suppliers are allowed to hire out vehicles until they’re 8 years old. Frustratingly, Cypriot law means the company has to keep these cars for at least 4 years so the second hand market isn’t flooded with cheap cars every year. Not surprisingly this means the cars can be a little scratched.
Whilst we don’t expect our customers to receive damaged cars, it can happen particularly in the summer.
Solution: If you’re not happy with the vehicle provided or feel it’s in any way unsafe, please speak to the supplier immediately so they can find you a suitable alternative. We are also available to assist you if you need our help.
On an interesting side note, in the good old days (until last year at any rate) all rental cars in Cyprus had red number plates. This was both good and bad depending on your viewpoint. They alerted other drivers to the fact you were a tourist and unfamiliar with the road system but they also told thieves you were a tourist who may have left valuables in the car.
Car Hire Scams in Turkey
Photo by: Galata-TTstudio/Fotolia
On site confusion
In Turkey, it’s not uncommon for some rental companies to state the vehicle is located on site when it’s not. When you land, you’ll be met by a friendly rep who will go through the paperwork with you and give you your car keys. He’ll then escort you to a car, and drive you off site to a petrol station or car park where your car will be waiting. Why you ask? To avoid paying airport parking fees which is linked to our next scam.
Solution: Double check the collection arrangements before booking.
Avoiding airport parking fees
Unfortunately it’s not you avoiding the parking fee but the supplier. There are two ways this one can work:
- The rep will take you to the car, run through everything with you before disappearing fairly quickly. It’s then you realise you have to pay to raise the barrier so you can be on your merry way.
- The rep will give you a token or ticket with credit on to cover the parking charge. Unfortunately it won’t actually have enough credit on it so you have to pay the difference.
Solution: Double check the procedure for exiting the car park before signing anything and make sure there’s enough credit on any token you’re given.
Be alert!
In conclusion, you could argue some car hire “scams” these days aren’t really scams but rather poor service. If you’re on your toes you shouldn’t be caught out. We realise however this is the last thing you want to do when you’re on holiday and that’s why you can contact us anytime for our assistance.
The incidents listed above certainly serve as a good reminder to check the small print before signing anything so you know where you stand upon collection. As stated earlier, we certainly don’t condone any of these practices and want to know if you ever experience them so we can prevent them happening again.
If you ever think you might be in danger of being scammed, stop and think it through. Get in touch with us to double check anything you’re not sure of and make sure you don’t sign anything unless you understand the terms thoroughly.
Also, remember to keep all the paperwork from the rental safe once you get home. You never know if you’ll need it a little later in case of unexpected charges.
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