One of the most frequent comments made following car hire is; “My car wasn’t the one I booked.” In the world of car hire, it can be extremely difficult to guarantee a specific make and model of vehicle. We show an image on our website to give you a rough idea of what you’re booking in terms of size and specification- you may not always get the vehicle shown and that’s why we always state “Or similar” next to the category.
Photo by: Stasique/Adobe Stock
Why can’t I get the car I booked?
Suppliers’ fleets are changing all the time. Some of you prefer to book your car hire months in advance to ensure you get the kind of vehicle you want. Between placing your booking and the actual start of your rental, the supplier might get a shipment of new vehicles, removing the old, which will change what models are in the fleet. Nearer to your rental, the vehicles available in that category might decrease if one is involved in an accident and is written off.
Basically, it’s better to not guarantee a specific model as this removes the element of disappointment should you arrive on the day and that vehicle not be available for whatever reason.
What vehicle will I receive?
In a previous blog post, we’ve explained how car hire categories work. All vehicles are given a 4-letter code to group them by size and specification. Therefore, you should always receive a vehicle similar to the one shown for illustration purposes.
If the supplier has none of these available, you would usually be given a refund of any difference in price if a lower category is accepted, or you’ll be given a free upgrade. In no situation should you be charged more if the supplier cannot supply the category you booked.
What should I do if I’m unhappy with the vehicle given?
If upon collection you feel you’re being charged for an upgrade that you have no choice to accept, please contact us immediately. If you are unsure about the vehicle you’ve received and believe it’s not from the correct category, you should also contact us. Please do bear in mind that it’s the suppliers who group the vehicles, not ourselves, so they will usually have the final say in whether you’ve been supplied the correct vehicle or not.
We cannot resolve problems about vehicle category retrospectively. Make us aware of your issue at the time and we can liaise with the supplier to reduce any inconvenience. We operate 24/7 emergency telephone support so please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Written by Jessica Juby.
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I appreciate this article from Zest Rental Car that addresses a common concern when it comes to car rentals. The explanation about not always getting the exact make and model of the vehicle is both honest and helpful for customers. It’s important to manage expectations, and Zest Rental Car does a commendable job by stating “Or similar” next to the category to ensure transparency. This article has provided me with a better understanding of the challenges in the car rental industry and the importance of clear communication to avoid disappointment. Kudos to Zest Rental Car for their transparency and customer-centric approach!
thanks
That’s ok in some case like if u choose a fiesta ans get a corsa or choose one model of saloon car and get a different type to me there is nothing lost they are probably very similar in every way. But in our case we ordered a Mustang as we were doing a florida road trip now im sure you are aware a mustang is a mustang there isnt anything similar so when we arrived they tried to offer us a Camero. Even though i ordered the car 12 months in advance. It seems to me these car hire companies advertise better cars with no intentions of giving you the them. Id even emailed them 3 months before to check. I do feel if this is the case they should advertise it as Camero or similar not the other way round. But if they did that you can bet they would lose sales. Anyway we stood our ground and sure enough within 30 minutes we got our mustang. But it wasnt a good start to our holiday. Dissapointing to say the least.
Dear Ms Kelly,
Thank you for your comment.
The supplier would deem there to be a similar vehicle to a Mustang, and they felt a similar vehicle was a Camaro. Unfortunately, we have no control over the way they group their vehicles.
I have checked your booking and can see that we received no request from yourself for a specific vehicle. I appreciate you may have contacted the supplier directly, but it can be best for us to be aware of your request in future as we can check how likely the supplier will be to meet your request.
When a supplier makes us aware of the vehicles they have available, they provide us with a fleet list for their whole fleet for that particular country. Unfortunately, they aren’t organised by local branch which means sometimes, the branch you book at may not have a certain model contained within their fleet. The supplier will always endeavour to provide a vehicle from the category you booked.
Should you receive a vehicle that you feel does not meet the specifications of the category you’ve booked, please don’t hesitate to contact us at the time for assistance. I apologise that you had this dissatisfactory start to your previous rental.
Kind regards,
Jessica
Zest Car Rental
Why are Zest still using a company like Orlando as a partner when it clearly causes customers so many problems in Lanzarote
Dear Mr Sergeant,
Thank you for taking the time to leave your query on our blog.
We monitor customer feedback very closely and always use this to pass on suggestions of improvement to the suppliers that we operate with. We do not expect our customers to receive consistently poor service, and should this be apparent, we would cease to work with that particular supplier.
Customers are given the opportunity post-rental to complete a survey evaluating the service and vehicle received from the supplier. These ratings are totalled and shown on our website in the quotation process next to the supplier’s logo. This helps our customers make informed choices about the supplier they may book with.
I have looked at the total ratings we have received for Orlando from our customers over the last 6 months. Overall, this supplier has a total service rating of 4.03 out of 5 and a vehicle rating of 3.70 out of 5. At Lanzarote Airport specifically, the service rating is above the average at 4.23 out of 5. The vehicle rating is at 3.62 out 5. Therefore, based on customer ratings, there is no cause for immediate concern. Should, however, the ratings dip below an acceptable standard, our Supplier Team would begin communications with them about what changes need to be made for our relationship to continue.
Should you ever have a complaint about a supplier after your rental, please don’t hesitate to contact customerrelations@zestcarrental.com so they can investigate. However, if any situations arise at the time of your hire, we do always recommend that you contact us at the time in order for us to assist. We are available at all times here in the UK on 01362 852288.
Kind regards,
Jessica
Zest Car Rental
During the course of this summer I have hired three times at the same location through yourselves each time with Budget or Payless (they are the same office, same people and same cars), in the past the default model in the class I order has usually been a Skoda Fabia, this summer in June I was given an Astra, in August a Peugeot 2008 and finally in September a 2015 Fabia, when I asked I was told all the other cars had been brought in for the summer season and had been returned leaving the Fabias, probably the worst equipped car produced in the 21st century, but then the reason I go for Budget or Payless is they are consistently the cheapest on your list, or at least Payless is if I don’t require a second driver. I suppose the moral of my story is you usually get what you pay for.
I rented a “Skoda Octavia or similar” from a hire company. What I got was a Vauxhall Mocha. As I had rented for four people and their luggage this was completely unacceptable. The Octavia has a massive boot and lots of room in the back for passengers; the Mocha has neither. Complaints to the hire company were unsuccessful. It just means that none of us will ever hire form that company again. Lesson learned; if it matters always ask what cars are in that class.
Dear Mr Shand,
Thank you for your comment. Unfortunately, I cannot comment on a booking made through another company. However, I would agree that if you do have specific requirements, you should contact the company to check what vehicle you may receive.
Kind regards,
Jessica
Zest Car Rental
You say it is not your responsibility to what car YOUR supplier gives us, I’m sorry but it is YOUR responsibility as WE have paid you as a broker I guess, what you are saying within your blog, is we’ll take your money and when you get there it’s not your responsibility to what YOUR supplier gives us poor clients YOUR clients, why is it always our responsibility to contact you why can’t it be the other way round?
Dear Mr Welham,
Thank you for taking the time to leave us your thoughts. Unfortunately, your rental contract is with the supplier, therefore the vehicle allocation is fulfilled by them.
As the broker, we try our hardest to work to a resolution for our customers, should they experience any issues throughout the rental period. It is our responsibility to ensure the supplier is providing you with the service you expect. Should you bring an issue to our attention then we will always liaise with them regarding this and endeavour to reach a more acceptable outcome for you.
Kind regards,
Jessica
Zest Car Rental
If I book a VW Polo I expect to get a VW Polo.Anything less will be passed to Wikapedia for future hirers to observe.
Dear Mr Dixon,
Unfortunately, as we strived to explain here, you aren’t booking a guaranteed VW Polo, otherwise we would label the product as “guaranteed model”. You book a “VW Polo or similar”. I can see you have an upcoming booking later in the month. I have asked our Customer Support Team to make a request to Masterkings that they provide you with a VW Polo. Although this cannot be guaranteed, the supplier will aim to meet your request where possible.
Should you receive a vehicle that you feel does not meet the specifications of the category you’ve booked, please don’t hesitate to contact us at the time for assistance.
Kind regards,
Jessica
Zest Car Rental
What makes me cross is when the rental company (booked through Zest) advertise it as a Mercedes-Benz or similar and when I asked at the pickup where the Mercedes cars were the assistant said they’ve never had Mercedes for rental. Similarly when I booked a Mini convertible, I got a poor imitation VW EOS and there were absolutely no Minis anywhere in sight. They claimed BMW had recalled them the previous week, but I don’t think that was the truth.
Dear Mr Price,
Thank you for your comments. I have run your query past our Product and Supplier Team for clarification. The models and vehicles shown on our website are supplied to us in the form of a fleet list from a particular supplier. The fleet list covers all the locations that supplier operates from in a certain country. Therefore, this does mean that the lead vehicle shown is the vehicle from that category in the majority of their locations; it doesn’t mean this vehicle is available from every single branch. I appreciate that this may cause some frustration but please be assured that you should always be given a similar vehicle in terms of size and specification.
Should you arrive and feel you’ve not been given the correct vehicle, please don’t hesitate to contact us at the time so we can work to resolve your dissatisfaction.
Kind regards,
Jessica
Zest Car Rental
A problem I encountered when hiring a vehicle through you a year or so ago was not so much the vehicle category/passenger/luggage capacity issue but the engine capacity. I booked a Ford Fiesta which in terms of size/passenger and luggage capacity was fine. However in common with many models there are a range of engine sizes, when booking there is no indication of engine capacity. It became clear that with 4 passengers the engine size was woefully inadequate and even slight hills were a struggle, 2nd gear on several occasions.
Can engine size not be given at time of booking?
Dear Mr Watts,
Thank you for your comment. Due to the variety of vehicles that fall within a certain category, the engine sizes will also vary. Therefore, it’s not possible to guarantee a specific engine size. However, should you contact us Customer Support Team, they would be able to give you a bracket of what engine sizes may be available for that group to give you a rough idea.
Kind regards,
Jessica
Zest Car Rental
I actually think it is part of the surprise, I always try and look over the counter at the key fob to see what we are getting. Does not worry me at all as long as it is the class or above that I have ordered, why would anyone worry about it. Mind you the wife would rather not have a Cleo cos no CD player. Even then we do not care a jot. apart from that, good to try different makes. What does surprise me is the different prices for the same make and model of car. Keep up the good work, Economy Car Hire. That is me not agreeing with your change of name.
Dear Mr Frere,
Thank you for taking the time to leave your comment.
Usually, a supplier will only show one price for a certain category. Other suppliers may show a higher or lower price; this usually depends on demand and availability for that specific category. Unfortunately, we have no control over this as suppliers set their own prices.
I am sorry to hear that you don’t agree with our name change. We felt “Economy Car Hire” was doing us a disservice and negatively portrayed the high service we strive to offer.
Kind regards,
Jessica
Zest Car Rental
On my recent trip to Spain, I had booked (for the second time) a Nissan Juke. For the second time, I didn’t get the car I had booked, despite the fact that there was one at the depot.
I was fobbed off with a huge Kia Optima, which was much bigger in dimensions and engine size. Furthermore; it had not been filled to three-quarters full, despite the paperwork stating that it was. This huge car was already damaged on the rear corner, despite the fact that it was very low mileage. Parking spaces in Spain tend to be on the tight side and this made parking a continual problem, wherever we went. Curved ramps in multi-storey car parks was also a problem, particularly when we met other cars going the opposite way.
Dear Mr Jewell,
Thank you for taking the time to leave your comment.
I have run your query past our Product Team and they have checked with Centauro’s systems- this supplier has listed the Nissan Juke and the Kia Optima CRDI (which you received) in the same category.
Should the paperwork you receive not be correct, please raise this with the supplier before driving away. They should always make sure that the paperwork displays the correct level of fuel. We would also advise that you take timestamped photos of the fuel gauge should this be questioned at a later stage.
I am sorry to hear that you were dissatisfied with the pre-existing damage to the vehicle. Again, it is worth taking the time to ensure this is documented and you have photos as evidence of it being present on the vehicle before it was handed over to you.
To reiterate the message of our blog, should you feel dissatisfied with the vehicle or service provided by the supplier, please don’t hesitate to contact us at the time so we can work to resolve any issues.
Kind regards,
Jessica
Zest Car Rental
So I book a Chevrolet Cruze for £578, I could book a Toyota Corolla for £482 but I fancy the Chevrolet. When I turn up the give me a Toyota Corolla and assure me it is the same class of car. At the time I do not know I could have had it for less so I accept what they say, I am in Australia and know little about either car.
Seems sharp practice to me even if it is in the rules.
Dear Gordon,
Thank you for your comment.
I can see that you recently rented a Chevrolet Cruze or similar with the supplier Thrifty. I have checked with our Product Team and they’ve informed me that if you received a Toyota Corolla, this should have been a Toyota Corolla sedan. This model is set in the same category as the Chevrolet Cruze by the supplier. If you would like us to check this, please don’t hesitate to contact customerrelations@zestcarrental.com and send in a copy of your rental agreement.
To reiterate the blog, should you arrive and feel you’ve not been given the correct vehicle, please don’t hesitate to contact us at the time so we can work to resolve your dissatisfaction.
If, in future, when making a car hire booking and you’d like further information on what vehicle you might receive, please don’t hesitate to contact our Customer Support Team and they’d be more than happy to check with your chosen supplier what vehicles they might be able to supply in that category.
Kind regards,
Jessica
Zest Car Rental
Thank you for your email regarding the booking of cars and the Question about recieving or not recieving the car you have booked.
it has happened several times to us when we have booked with you and wanted to pick up our vehicle at Faro in Portugal. We visit my son and his family every year and never ever have we recieved the car we were supposed to get. As my son lives down a lane we have picked a vehicle which we thought would have good clearance of any ridges or deep track in the road, each time we have been given a smaller vehicle so much so, I said to my husband should we ever book with you again, we would pick the cheapest on line, then we cannot possibly be given a smallefr vehicle. Last time we were there, having spoken to the guy at the desk, he informed us that we had got what we had booked for. Then changed his mind, having gone to pick our vehicle up (which was for between 10 days to 14 days out of season in February at 11 o’clock at night, there were lots of the same vehicle we were supposed get sitting on the rental cars car park. We went back inside and complainted, we were then told that they were all booked out. Which to us was a blatant lie as there was no one else there and bearing in mind that one of these was supposed to be for us. We were very angry to say the least as he would not budge on the issue. So, unless somethiong is done regarding this matter I vefry much doubt we will be booking again with your company and likewise the rest of my family who visited Portugal several times a year.
Dear Mrs Henderson,
Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment on our blog.
I would reiterate what I’ve said in the blog and that if you ever doubt that you’ve received the correct vehicle, you should contact us at the time so we can investigate this with the supplier.
Unfortunately, if we aren’t made aware of these issues at the time then it can be very difficult for us to try to correct the problem. I have located your booking from February and can see that no-one contacted us regarding this situation. We send out post-rental surveys a day or two after you are due to return the vehicle which allows you to rate the service and vehicle provided by the supplier. I can see that this survey was not completed.
We operate 24/7 emergency telephone support and can always be contacted at the time of any issues. If we aren’t made aware of the problem then we haven’t been given the chance to work towards a resolution. Should you book through us in the future, please remember to contact us immediately should you experience any concerns or issues.
Kind regards,
Jessica
Zest Car Rental
It is a nice blog and i am sure this info is very useful in future. Before booking a vehical check the service review of this company and ask about them. Thankyou…!