It’s a long time since I last needed a hire car.
In fact it is one experience in life I find ridiculously unsettling.
Virtually all the “Big Boys” make a big thing about customer service, but seem to delight in ripping off “the customer”.
Only last week my daughter law was confronted with the threat of a bill for a new tyre.
Strangely enough the tyre was barely damaged, and the photo on Roz’s phone showed the slit was there when the car was collected.
That made ’em back down!
Toady it was my turn to spin the wheel of Hire Car delight.
Okay so the Dublin Airport rental people were quite pleasant – but over 70 euros for a day in this, well it seems steep to me.
How did I get on?
Firstly I thought this Skoda Fabia looked quite nice (there was a dark green one that looked fantastic), but then I got in and to drive the thing.
Uh oh! A manual car, I’d forgotten manufacturers still make such things.
The brakes sounded awful as I drove off, probably caused by the brakes having ben liberally washed with water and then not having time to dry off when it was parked up.
The engine? Sounded lovely, but it didn’t have any “grunt” whatsoever despite rumours of having 94 horses under the bonnet.
The rear view mirror was perfectly positioned to accept the incoming glare of Mercedes Sprinters and Ford Transits. No automatic dipping facility, and the manual dip wasn’t that effective either.
The switch gear was (in places) absolutely horrid. The knob which allows the driver to adjust the electric door mirrors could potentially cause a nervous breakdown. Every attempt at adjustment gave the impression that it would brake any moment.
YUK!
Air-con – surely it comes as standard on all cars in 2023? No here it doesn’t!
Eventually I decided to try the radio on IRSH FM or whatever! Surprise, surprise. It sounds better than the one in my top spec Hyundai Ioniq!
After an hour crawling around the M50 another arterial routes I pulled into the hotel car park, took out my luggage and went to shut the boot.
You have to reach up and pull a rubbery phallic shape.
It makes me shiver just thinking about it! Maybe it was designed by someone with a peculiar fetish?
Why did you get rid of it? 