Comments on: Car hire shortage in Spain an issue for holidaymakers http://www.travel-rants.com/2009/07/13/car-hire-shortage-spain/ Sun, 29 Jan 2012 01:52:48 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Enrico http://www.travel-rants.com/2009/07/13/car-hire-shortage-spain/#comment-165706 Enrico Wed, 26 May 2010 18:49:14 +0000 http://www.travel-rants.com/?p=4547#comment-165706 A car is essential for a lot of areas in Spain and if you arrive at the airport and the booking fails to materialise, that is just plain wrong! Surely the whole Spanish tourism industry is going to take a hammering not just now, but for years to come because of this as I certainly will be thinking very carefully about returning there in the future. A car is essential for a lot of areas in Spain and if you arrive at the airport and the booking fails to materialise, that is just plain wrong! Surely the whole Spanish tourism industry is going to take a hammering not just now, but for years to come because of this as I certainly will be thinking very carefully about returning there in the future.

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]]> By: John Nelson http://www.travel-rants.com/2009/07/13/car-hire-shortage-spain/#comment-159141 John Nelson Wed, 13 Jan 2010 08:46:52 +0000 http://www.travel-rants.com/?p=4547#comment-159141 So that's what's been going on this past year! I've lived here in Madrid for years and years and always rent a car for vacations, and this past year the prices were far too high at multinational rentacar companies and local operations alike, so I ended up borrowing my sister-in-law's car for August. Even in low season, in January 2010 we had to forego on renting a car in La Coruña for a 3-day visit because it was more expensive (189 euros) than taking taxis! Sara Jones is right, too: that same sister-in-law bought a standard model Volkwagen Golf in September 2009, no special paint or anything, and is STILL WAITING for delivery. The dealership says there's been a slowdown in the manufacturing process. So which brand of cars is the one of all those 1000s of cars rusting on the lots? It certainly isn't VW! So that’s what’s been going on this past year! I’ve lived here in Madrid for years and years and always rent a car for vacations, and this past year the prices were far too high at multinational rentacar companies and local operations alike, so I ended up borrowing my sister-in-law’s car for August. Even in low season, in January 2010 we had to forego on renting a car in La Coruña for a 3-day visit because it was more expensive (189 euros) than taking taxis!
Sara Jones is right, too: that same sister-in-law bought a standard model Volkwagen Golf in September 2009, no special paint or anything, and is STILL WAITING for delivery. The dealership says there’s been a slowdown in the manufacturing process. So which brand of cars is the one of all those 1000s of cars rusting on the lots? It certainly isn’t VW!

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]]> By: Mark http://www.travel-rants.com/2009/07/13/car-hire-shortage-spain/#comment-151493 Mark Sun, 30 Aug 2009 18:38:24 +0000 http://www.travel-rants.com/?p=4547#comment-151493 A guest of ours has arrived at Almeria airport today having booked a car with a broker on Thursday. This was a very late booking, so there is no excuse for the companies still overbooking on a bank holiday weekend. The lady was left stranded at the airport with her 8 year old son and 2 suitcases. She ended up taking a taxi which cost her €80 (her hire car was going to be €84 for 3 days!!) and of course will need one back on Tuesday. It is totally unacceptable that the car was offered, even allowing for no shows. The fact she was what I would consider to be a vulnerable traveller makes the situation even worse. A guest of ours has arrived at Almeria airport today having booked a car with a broker on Thursday. This was a very late booking, so there is no excuse for the companies still overbooking on a bank holiday weekend. The lady was left stranded at the airport with her 8 year old son and 2 suitcases. She ended up taking a taxi which cost her €80 (her hire car was going to be €84 for 3 days!!) and of course will need one back on Tuesday.

It is totally unacceptable that the car was offered, even allowing for no shows. The fact she was what I would consider to be a vulnerable traveller makes the situation even worse.

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]]> By: Sara Jones http://www.travel-rants.com/2009/07/13/car-hire-shortage-spain/#comment-150620 Sara Jones Wed, 12 Aug 2009 01:20:59 +0000 http://www.travel-rants.com/?p=4547#comment-150620 I have a villa holiday company near Alicante and we hire cars for our clients, and this year have had nothign short of a nightmare locating the cars. Cna I just say thought that I know first hand why this problem has occured. In light of the credit crunch, banks expected tourism rates to decrease, and were also nervous and by result, they did not extend credit to the car hire companies. Car hire companies by their cars on credit, rent them, then pay back the loansa t the end of the peak season. That is how the survive. They work on very small margins, and rely on cheap credit, and the ability to easily sell their fleet after the season. With no credit to buy cars, and no car purchase market to sell their fleet...car hire companies could not provide enough cars to meet demand. Once money did start flowing in, they were still unable to purchase additional vehicles as the manufacturers had simply not made them. it is impossible to buy an MPV in Alicante for 2 months! I realise this is no excuse for late cancellations and other administrative errors, but car hire companies for the most part work off a very large number of no shows, and they have never been unable to get cars before. They were not equipped to cope with the crisis, and many of them will simply go out of business. A very sad result of the credit crunch, but please...DO NOT blame Spain! I have a villa holiday company near Alicante and we hire cars for our clients, and this year have had nothign short of a nightmare locating the cars.

Cna I just say thought that I know first hand why this problem has occured.

In light of the credit crunch, banks expected tourism rates to decrease, and were also nervous and by result, they did not extend credit to the car hire companies.

Car hire companies by their cars on credit, rent them, then pay back the loansa t the end of the peak season. That is how the survive.

They work on very small margins, and rely on cheap credit, and the ability to easily sell their fleet after the season.

With no credit to buy cars, and no car purchase market to sell their fleet…car hire companies could not provide enough cars to meet demand.

Once money did start flowing in, they were still unable to purchase additional vehicles as the manufacturers had simply not made them. it is impossible to buy an MPV in Alicante for 2 months!

I realise this is no excuse for late cancellations and other administrative errors, but car hire companies for the most part work off a very large number of no shows, and they have never been unable to get cars before. They were not equipped to cope with the crisis, and many of them will simply go out of business.

A very sad result of the credit crunch, but please…DO NOT blame Spain!

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]]> By: Mark http://www.travel-rants.com/2009/07/13/car-hire-shortage-spain/#comment-150446 Mark Sat, 08 Aug 2009 11:29:01 +0000 http://www.travel-rants.com/?p=4547#comment-150446 We have an apartment in Vera, Almeria which at least 1 hour's drive from the nearest airport. Luckily our holiday rentals haven't been affected by this at the moment as most of our guests are from mainland Europe and bring their own cars. On the Eye on Spain forum I use, there are plenty of posts about people queueing at the arrival airport (Alicante, Murcia, Almeria) to find no vehicles available. One of the big brokers is offering to refund the difference between the original booked price and the subsequent increase, but to date I have not seen anyone successfully receive a refund. 99% of the time we use a broker and we collect our car from a van in the car park. Very reliable service and never been let down yet. Paying on arrival is another benefit. In response to Richard Holland's post above, this situation has been known about since at east March this year as we were advised by our reguar broker that we use when we go to Spain. The BBC have only picked up on this today when the problems have been evident since the beginning of July. I agree, holidaymakers should be made aware that there is a shortage this year ad advise to book the hire early, but how far do you push it? I always book a car when I book a flight. I use two sites and compare, then make a booking. One week before departure I check them again to see if the price has dropped, in which case I cancel one booking and make another. I try to advise UK guests of this as well, but people will always wait until the last minute to try and grab a bargain. We have an apartment in Vera, Almeria which at least 1 hour’s drive from the nearest airport. Luckily our holiday rentals haven’t been affected by this at the moment as most of our guests are from mainland Europe and bring their own cars.

On the Eye on Spain forum I use, there are plenty of posts about people queueing at the arrival airport (Alicante, Murcia, Almeria) to find no vehicles available. One of the big brokers is offering to refund the difference between the original booked price and the subsequent increase, but to date I have not seen anyone successfully receive a refund. 99% of the time we use a broker and we collect our car from a van in the car park. Very reliable service and never been let down yet. Paying on arrival is another benefit.

In response to Richard Holland’s post above, this situation has been known about since at east March this year as we were advised by our reguar broker that we use when we go to Spain. The BBC have only picked up on this today when the problems have been evident since the beginning of July. I agree, holidaymakers should be made aware that there is a shortage this year ad advise to book the hire early, but how far do you push it? I always book a car when I book a flight. I use two sites and compare, then make a booking. One week before departure I check them again to see if the price has dropped, in which case I cancel one booking and make another. I try to advise UK guests of this as well, but people will always wait until the last minute to try and grab a bargain.

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