Holiday Autos Bookings

[wilma-bride]

Just a warning to anybody who has booked a rental car with Holiday Autos for after 1st November.

I received the following email this afternoon:

Dear Mr XXXXXX,

We are writing to you because you have booked a car hire via Holiday Autos with a departure date after 1 November 2013.

In June, Travelocity Global announced the sale of the Holiday Autos brand to CarTrawler. As a result of the sale all car rental bookings with departure dates on or after 1 November 2013 will be cancelled with refunds to be processed to the card used to pay for the booking within 10 days of this email.

In order to assist you to make alternative travel arrangements, CarTrawler has reserved a similar car category and price for you under your current reference number 12540169.

In order to complete this process please contact CarTrawler on 0800 224 8001 or carhire@holidayautos.com within the next 7 days, to avoid cancelation of the provisional reservation.
Please also note that while the provisional reservation price excludes any Damage Excess Waiver products and/or cancellation protection policies booked via us, you may book similar products via CarTrawler.

If you choose to confirm your provisional reservation with CarTrawler, please note that this booking and all subsequent terms and conditions including the fuel policy and any additional local charges will now be with CarTrawler. We can ensure you that they will be more than happy to assist you with any queries you may have.

On behalf of Holiday Autos, we apologise for any inconvenience and thank you for your custom.

Kind Regards,
Holiday Autos Customer Care Team

So much for the best laid plans of mice and men....

I haven't yet contacted them so I don't know how the provisional booking compares to the original price I paid but I will update to let you know. I had got (what I considered to be) a really good price, though, so I'm not sure I'll get anything else as competitive.

 

[wayneg]

Nice of them.

No reason why they can't transfer existing bookings.

I used them last month after changing to Cartrawler. The way their confirmation reads is not as clear as they used to be before. Caused a lot of confusion and hassle when I collected in Boston.
I won't use them again unless I get a really cheap deal, rather pay a few £ more to avoid them, shame because they have been great for the past couple of years.

Hope you get sorted. Cheapest I can find is with Hertz 33% sale & 10% Quidco for next month, sale ends this weekend.

 

[wilma-bride]

Thanks Wayne, Hertz are looking to be pretty competitive at the moment (Car Trawler's price was useless). Do you know offhand what their fuel policy is (Hertz's)?

 

[wayneg]

Thanks Wayne, Hertz are looking to be pretty competitive at the moment (Car Trawler's price was useless). Do you know offhand what their fuel policy is (Hertz's)?

You can either pay for a tank or take back full as far as I know.
When I collected from Miami in April my Gold #1 settings were to pay for a tank on collection so I just paid but I felt it was a bit expensive at $94 for a 7 seater SUV. It was costing me about $60-65 although I never let it get too low. I have since changed my setting so next rental I can return full.

 

[Elise79]

From the FAQ:

Does the car come with a full tank of fuel?

Hertz rates do not include fuel.

Hertz vehicles are usually provided with a full tank of fuel and must be returned with a full tank of fuel, or a local refuelling charge will apply.

Fuel Purchase Option (FPO). For convenience, you may purchase a tank of fuel from Hertz at the time of rental, at a price that is competitive with local fuel stations. This method eliminates the need for you to refill the tank before returning. Please, be aware that we are unable to give a refund for unused fuel. Please check availability of FPO at time of pickup of the car.

Some special offers may have a mandatory FPO clause, so that a full tank of fuel is charged upon pickup of the car and the vehicle must be returned with the tank empty. In this case, a related remark will appear at step 4 "Review & Book" during the online quote/reserve process.

 

[wilma-bride]

Thanks Wayne and Tracy, I am going to book with them, I think

For anyone else booked through Holiday Autos, I will just say that I found their customer service particularly bad today. And, despite what the Email said, there was NO provisional booking under my reference. The only reason they need the reference is so they know what you paid and what vehicle you had booked when they give you the quote.

 

[wayneg]

Thanks Wayne and Tracy, I am going to book with them, I think

For anyone else booked through Holiday Autos, I will just say that I found their customer service particularly bad today. And, despite what the Email said, there was NO provisional booking under my reference. The only reason they need the reference is so they know what you paid and what vehicle you had booked when they give you the quote.

I wasn't impressed with their response to my complaint last month. I was compalining about Holiday Auto's new confirmation not being as clear as their old ones. Their reply totally ignored their confirmation, only bothered about Alamo.

Our sincere apologies on behalf of Alamo for any inconvenience caused.
I kindly inform you that our company is always grateful for all the feedbacks in according to the service level of our car rental agents received from the customers.
As a customer-focused company we make every effort to ensure that all of our car rental agents meet our high standards of service.
We are very sorry to be informed that you have found the service of our car rental agent as such unsatisfying.
Please note that you can always inform us about the bad experiences with the particular car rental agency so we could provide your bookings with the most suitable option.
Should you prefer not to book with Alamo again, please call our Contact Centre. Our agents will be happy to assist you by finding the best offer and exclude this particular supplier from the search.

 

[gavvy]

Makes me feel a little better now that my Carhire3000 booking is £30 more than Holiday autos was when I last checked last month.

Can't believe they have done this though, not exactly a good way to keep the loyal custom of the old holiday autos customer base!

 

[Magic Megadegs]

I've had the same. Going to ring them now!

 

[wilma-bride]

I've had the same. Going to ring them now!

Good luck!

 

[Magic Megadegs]

Hmmmm Hertz £100 out like for like. Booked online with holiday autos using Wayne's affiliate link and hopefully 15% cash back. Including extra insurance £145 for the week Ford Escape or similar. Confirmation from car trawler but price £19 cheaper than the one they quoted me on the phone x