Summer holidays 2020

[craig1912]

Phil. said:

Lovely Nice place to be furloughed too!

£8 per day, you’re being ripped off Just rented a Focus with Goldcar in Southern Spain for £3 a day

£3 per day ...thats what they told you, wait for the extras!

https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/goldcar.es

[Phil.]

craig1912 said:

Phil. said:

Lovely Nice place to be furloughed too!

£8 per day, you’re being ripped off Just rented a Focus with Goldcar in Southern Spain for £3 a day

£3 per day ...thats what they told you, wait for the extras!

https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/goldcar.es

Nope. It’s an all in Full/Full deal including an additional driver.

I don’t take their insurance waiver cover because I have separate cover. I’ve used them so many times they don’t even bother to ask me about extras now

[Jaguar steve]

Phil. said:

craig1912 said:

Phil. said:

Lovely Nice place to be furloughed too!

£8 per day, you’re being ripped off Just rented a Focus with Goldcar in Southern Spain for £3 a day

£3 per day ...thats what they told you, wait for the extras!

https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/goldcar.es

Nope. It’s an all in Full/Full deal including an additional driver.

I don’t take their insurance waiver cover because I have separate cover. I’ve used them so many times they don’t even bother to ask me about extras now

You've got lucky.

I'll cheerfully pay over the odds specifically to avoid Goldcar/Interent and for the Canaries always use Autoriesen.

[Phil.]

Jaguar steve said:

You've got lucky.

I'll cheerfully pay over the odds specifically to avoid Goldcar/Interent and for the Canaries always use Autoriesen.

I agree, they seem a decent lot where I rent from. The same faces for many years.

Had a couple of minor issues over more than a decade but on each occasion it was resolved.

I don’t trust them though and always take photos of the car bodywork when picking up

[aaron_2000]

Shnozz said:

aaron_2000 said:

I take delivery of my cheap Seat Alhambra tomorrow to set about converting it into a camper. Hoping to have it ready by early December in time to see if our supreme leader will let us out to play or not. Aiming to take it over to France then Spain in Jan but not getting my hopes up.

Would you not have been better off with a van base? Looking at converted Alhambras they look tiny!

It's just gonna be me and the mountain bike and I don't plan on fitting it out with cabinets or anything. Considered a Tranny van but I know the Alhambra platform well and I find them a lot nicer to drive than a van. The layout I have drawn up should be roomy enough for me, just need to fit a new turbo and hope that the actual engine is decent otherwise I'll be stripping it, scrapping it and starting again

[Jaguar steve]

Phil. said:

Jaguar steve said:

You've got lucky.

I'll cheerfully pay over the odds specifically to avoid Goldcar/Interent and for the Canaries always use Autoriesen.

I agree, they seem a decent lot where I rent from. The same faces for many years.

Had a couple of minor issues over more than a decade but on each occasion it was resolved.

I don’t trust them though and always take photos of the car bodywork when picking up

Quite right too - we've had 3 different attempts at pulling our pants down in the Canaries with the aforementioned in the past and I'm super cautious now. Going for the cheapest and saving a few quid on a rental deal really isn't worth the ststorms that have come our way once we've flown home.

[Phil.]

Jaguar steve said:

Phil. said:

Jaguar steve said:

You've got lucky.

I'll cheerfully pay over the odds specifically to avoid Goldcar/Interent and for the Canaries always use Autoriesen.

I agree, they seem a decent lot where I rent from. The same faces for many years.

Had a couple of minor issues over more than a decade but on each occasion it was resolved.

I don’t trust them though and always take photos of the car bodywork when picking up

Quite right too - we've had 3 different attempts at pulling our pants down in the Canaries with the aforementioned in the past and I'm super cautious now. Going for the cheapest and saving a few quid on a rental deal really isn't worth the ststorms that have come our way once we've flown home.

Annual insurance to cover their waiver costs about £40 per year. The worst case if they sting you is you claim off the insurance. It can take a few weeks for them to cough up but that’s the only down side I use these guys:

https://www.icarhireinsurance.com/

Goldcar did once deduct a couple of hundred pounds for a ding on the boot but when I emailed them a photo I took on pickup showing the ding was already there, they refunded immediately. They are also prompt at refunding cancellations which I’ve had a few of this year thanks to Johnson and co.

[Jaguar steve]

Phil. said:

Jaguar steve said:

Phil. said:

Jaguar steve said:

You've got lucky.

I'll cheerfully pay over the odds specifically to avoid Goldcar/Interent and for the Canaries always use Autoriesen.

I agree, they seem a decent lot where I rent from. The same faces for many years.

Had a couple of minor issues over more than a decade but on each occasion it was resolved.

I don’t trust them though and always take photos of the car bodywork when picking up

Quite right too - we've had 3 different attempts at pulling our pants down in the Canaries with the aforementioned in the past and I'm super cautious now. Going for the cheapest and saving a few quid on a rental deal really isn't worth the ststorms that have come our way once we've flown home.

Annual insurance to cover their waiver costs about £40 per year. The worst case if they sting you is you claim off the insurance. It can take a few weeks for them to cough up but that’s the only down side I use these guys:

https://www.icarhireinsurance.com/

Goldcar did once deduct a couple of hundred pounds for a ding on the boot but when I emailed them a photo I took on pickup showing the ding was already there, they refunded immediately. They are also prompt at refunding cancellations which I’ve had a few of this year thanks to Johnson and co.

Yup we have annual CDW too. Difficulty with that is the insurance will only cough up for market value so if the rental company stings you E500 for a E50 scratch they've got no intention of ever fixing anyway when your flight has just been called and there's no time to argue the toss you're stuffed.

CDW insurance didn't stop our credit card being cloned at the rental desk - we have a dedicated card for rentals that wasn't used anywhere else - or paying up front then having the rental fee plus a fast track service deducted again from the deposit return or a speculative invoice for unspecified underbody damage sent weeks after the car was returned that was quietly dropped when no evidence to back it up could be produced though.

Thieving Cunch of Bunts. I'd rather get the bus.

[Phil.]

Anyone flown back in to the UK recently and can advise how much attention is being paid to the passenger locator form at customs?

[craig1912]

Phil. said:

Anyone flown back in to the UK recently and can advise how much attention is being paid to the passenger locator form at customs?

In October...none. We weren’t asked to show it and I could have put anything on it. I was supposed to be in quarantine for 14 days but Im sure nobody in authority knew.
If they had got their act together they could have linked passport number to the form but doubt that happens.

[Phil.]

craig1912 said:

In October...none. We weren’t asked to show it and I could have put anything on it. I was supposed to be in quarantine for 14 days but Im sure nobody in authority knew.
If they had got their act together they could have linked passport number to the form but doubt that happens.

Thanks. You’re correct that there is no link between your passport number and whether you have completed the form. I suspect they are on different databases and customs don’t have access to the passenger form database which is why they have ask if you completed the form.

[elise2000]

Phil. said:

Anyone flown back in to the UK recently and can advise how much attention is being paid to the passenger locator form at customs?

Yes. They were checking at gatwick a few weeks back. And had a follow up phone call. No checking on the eurotunnel on the couple of occasions I came back in the summer though

[mart 63]

Been to Spain twice since self isolation started. First time didn't fill the form in. Second time filled the form in, never had a call. I must add that I stuck to the rules, except for taking the dogs for a walk at 5am.

[RC1807]

Jaguar steve said:

Yup we have annual CDW too. Difficulty with that is the insurance will only cough up for market value so if the rental company stings you E500 for a E50 scratch they've got no intention of ever fixing anyway when your flight has just been called and there's no time to argue the toss you're stuffed.

CDW insurance didn't stop our credit card being cloned at the rental desk - we have a dedicated card for rentals that wasn't used anywhere else - or paying up front then having the rental fee plus a fast track service deducted again from the deposit return or a speculative invoice for unspecified underbody damage sent weeks after the car was returned that was quietly dropped when no evidence to back it up could be produced though.

Thieving Cunch of Bunts. I'd rather get the bus.

Card cloning: this could just as easily have happened with hacking the credit card processing company. It happens all the time, sadly.

[croyde]

mart 63 said:

Been to Spain twice since self isolation started. First time didn't fill the form in. Second time filled the form in, never had a call. I must add that I stuck to the rules, except for taking the dogs for a walk at 5am.

Nought wrong with that. How on earth are you supposed to deal with your dog's if told to stay at home.

[craig1912]

croyde said:

Nought wrong with that. How on earth are you supposed to deal with your dog's if told to stay at home.

Agreed. We did the same, twice a day and never spoke or went near anyone else. Its just common sense but this government and a minority of the public dont have it which,leaves us in the mess we are in.

[Jaguar steve]

RC1807 said:

Jaguar steve said:

Yup we have annual CDW too. Difficulty with that is the insurance will only cough up for market value so if the rental company stings you E500 for a E50 scratch they've got no intention of ever fixing anyway when your flight has just been called and there's no time to argue the toss you're stuffed.

CDW insurance didn't stop our credit card being cloned at the rental desk - we have a dedicated card for rentals that wasn't used anywhere else - or paying up front then having the rental fee plus a fast track service deducted again from the deposit return or a speculative invoice for unspecified underbody damage sent weeks after the car was returned that was quietly dropped when no evidence to back it up could be produced though.

Thieving Cunch of Bunts. I'd rather get the bus.

Card cloning: this could just as easily have happened with hacking the credit card processing company. It happens all the time, sadly.

I'm pretty convince it happened at the desk right in front of us. Looking back once we knew what had happened there was a great deal of faffing about with our card and their machine. Both were out of our sight for a minute or two and we were distracted by staff swapping round dealing with us and several noisy conversations going on at once. Our bad of course but we know to be more careful next time.

As for the rest, well just Google reviews for the company concerned - seems it's almost standard practice.

[Amateurish]

I flew into Birmingham 6 weeks ago and there was a border official checking everyone's form upon arrival. They were also checked by German officials at the departure gate.

[0a]

I visited a lovely village today, a glass of wine, some random potato thing, and a bit of trash reading. I daren't risk extending a week because of quarantine and potential rule changes here, but it's tempting.

Even though it was overcast up north, it was still 24 degrees. 27 when I got back south in the late afternoon...

[abzmike]

Island hopping in the glory of the western isles... first chance to get away this year and with virtually no one else here aside from locals. Wonderful meal and evening tonight at an inn with a relaxed interpretation of level 1.
Blustery, but that’s November for you.