Car Hire Comparator Unveils New Initiative to Help Travellers Avoid Excess Insurance Rip-Offs

LONDON, July 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

As Summer Holidays Start carrentals.co.uk Campaigns to Help Travellers Avoid Over-priced Excess Insurance Charges

With an estimated two million cars being rented by British holidaymakers this summer, the UK's leading car hire comparison site Carrentals.co.uk has launched a major new campaign to help travellers avoid hefty excess charges, which can cost up to £2,000, and over-priced insurance cover.

The company says that it believes over 50% of travellers feel pressured into taking out additional excess insurance at the car hire pick-up desk in their destination, with many of these policies failing to include cover for essentials such as damage to the windscreen and tyres, and lost keys.

Gareth Robinson, Managing Director of Carrentals.co.uk, says: "We've found a growing number of people complaining about excess insurance in our customer research.  The issues are always the same - customers being mis-sold insurance at the point of car collection.  They may end up paying twice for cover, paying a premium for taking out the cover last minute in resort, or not receiving the cover they really need - all of which we believe are unacceptable.

"As a result we've launched this initiative to help explain more about what is and what isn't included in these types of policies, and to give customers the information they need to plan ahead and ensure they get the insurance that's right for them and save themselves money."

The Carrentals.co.uk excess insurance campaign includes a new advice video to explain about the key issues involved - found at http://www.carrentals.co.uk/extras/car-hire-insurance - and travellers can visit the company's Raising the Standard Forum, where there is an area dedicated to question and debate on excess insurance - visit http://forum.carrentals.co.uk/collision-damage-waiver-excess-insurance

Carrentals.co.uk has also developed its own excess insurance policy, based on customer feedback, which can be up to 60% cheaper than at the rental desks, saving travellers up to £75.

"The video is easy to view through the site and gives a lot of information many people may not be aware of," adds Gareth.  "We also wanted to offer customers a high quality, affordable alternative that they can trust, and that's exactly what our new policy provides."

Carrentals.co.uk is the leading car hire comparison site, comparing deals from up to 50 rental companies, including Alamo, Auto Europe, Budget, Holiday Autos and Sixt, in over 15,000 locations worldwide.  

http://www.carrentals.co.uk.  

About Carrentals.co.uk
Carrentals.co.uk was launched in February 2003 and grew to become one of the UK's leading online car hire companies by 2006.

In 2007 the company re-launched its site to create the first major online price comparator in the travel industry. Using the latest technology the Carrentals.co.uk site now searches up to 50 different car hire websites, providing an impartial comparison of the best prices available in over 15,000 locations.

Websites searched include Alamo, Auto Europe, Budget, Ebookers, Hertz, Holiday Autos, Opodo, Sixt and Thrifty, with the Carrentals.co.uk site quickly comparing prices and allowing customers to refine their search by car type.

The Carrentals.co.uk site also features over 5,000 pages of travel information in a mini-guide format.

In 2008 Carrentals.co.uk was voted Best Car Hire Website in the Travolution Awards, and in 2010 it was Highly Commended in the Best Meta-search/Price Comparison category. To book or for further information visit http://www.carrentals.co.uk