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Wednesday 19 July 2017

Holiday warnings about Car Hire Scams are everywhere

You can tell that schools break up for the summer holidays in England and Wales in the next couple of days by the amount of media coverage given to Car Hire scams and rip-offs.

Last Saturday(15th July 17) iCarhireinsurance PR people had been very successful in getting their latest research in car hire onto the front page of the Daily Mail. The same report was carried over to the online edition of The Sun.

They had researched how car hire companies increase their charges during the busy holiday periods, particularly at popular destinations. Nothing new in this as it does appear to happen on an annual basis.

Meanwhile Simon Calder travel writer for The Independent and The I featured "The ultimate guide to hiring a vehicle without scams and shocks".

Finally The Europcar story was featured in The Daily Mail yesterday - 17 July. "Car hire industry is thrown into crisis as major firm faces police probe into 'fraudulent' repair costs
Half a million Europcar customers could have been overcharged for repairs- Company is facing criminal inquiry over bill inflated by up to 300 per cent Hire firm has admitted customers may have been overcharged £30million"
No doubt more of this will follow.


Enjoy the summer holidays, but do take care.



Tuesday 4 July 2017

CritAir anti-pollution sticker on cars in France

Riviera Radio News e-newsletter has advised motorists that as from  Saturday July 1st motorists, including foreign ones, will be subject to a €68 fine if they don’t display their “CritAir” anti-pollution sticker on their cars, whilst driving in certain parts of France.

For the moment the stickers are obligatory in Paris and most of the French capital’s surrounding suburbs, Lyon and Villeurbanne in central France and Grenoble in the south east.

Signs on the road side will let you know you are in a Zone of restricted Circulation (ZCR). By 2020 they will be obligatory in some 22 towns and cities across the country. (Source Riviera Radio News)

No doubt the car hire companies operating in France will be geared up for this, but do check if you are hiring a car. If you bring your hired car across the border from another European country it is advisable to check on the situation if you are likely to drive in one of the Zones. 

If you are taking your own car to France, you can apply on line and visit their website here Classifications are based on age of vehicle, there are quite a lot of restrictions for older vehicles.

Want to hire a car in France - Visit Zest Car Rental Here