Collecting your hire car
When you collect your hire car, there are a number of things you should pay special attention to.
- Make sure you sign the hire contract.
- Make sure you are given an opportunity to inspect the condition of the hire vehicle.
Therefore, do not collect your hire car without first making sure that everything is as it should be. If you fail to do so, you might regret it later on. ECC Belgium can tell you what to look out for.
Read the contract
The hire contract is an essential document, which you can rely on in all circumstances. Therefore, do not sign it without reading it first when you collect your hire car.
Read the contract carefully. Check what services and insurances are included. Study the general terms and conditions as well as the prices.
Collecting your car from abroad may lead to a specific problem: that you do not understand the language of the contract. In that case pay special attention to the abbreviations of the (English) insurance; find out what they mean and check whether the insurance is included in the contract or whether it should be paid for separately.
Compare voucher with contract
If you reserved your car in advance – online or through a travel agency – you will receive a voucher, which you hand in at the counter when you collect you hire car from the hire company. Always accurately compare this voucher with the contract, bearing the following in mind:
- Are the services in the hire contract similar to those mentioned on my voucher? Make sure they have not been charged twice.
- Does the contract include optional services or insurances that must be paid for which are not mentioned on my voucher and which I did not ask for?
- Does the hire contract take account of the advance payment I made when I made the reservation?
Collecting the hire car: inspect the car
You have just one opportunity to inspect your hire car, together with an employee of the hire company: when you collect your hire car. Do not miss this opportunity.Make a note of every scratch, dent and any other damage to the car, sign the damage statement along with the company employee and keep a copy. This will avoid problems later on.
If you collect your hire car and there is no opportunity for you to inspect the car with an employee of the hire company, take photographs of the vehicle (with automatic time and date), to demonstrate that the hire car was already damaged.
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