Traveller letters: Rental car company Hertz my feelings

A few years back in Britain we had a similar unhappy experience to Winton McColl (Traveller letters, January 14) with a slow leaking tyre on our rental vehicle.

There was no spare and the only remedy was a repair kit which would have ruined the tyre rendering us liable for its replacement at a cost of several hundred quid. Or so said Hertz.

We stood our ground, called the Automobile Association and had its rep confirm that the tyre was leaking. The rental company Hertz said we would have to pay for it to be fixed. We said no way.

After a long discussion Hertz finally agreed that it had been responsible for giving us a car with a defective tyre – and to paying for the repair.

Initially Hertz contended that we should have immediately realised the tyre was leaking, and thus were responsible for the problem, and any remedial costs.

This is patent nonsense. It takes time to notice a slow leak and more still to confirm that your suspicions are correct.

The moral of the story is to stand your ground and don't let the rental companies get away with transferring the cost of their incompetence to you.

Bernard Shirley, Edgecliff, NSW

LOW RENT

I too, like many other Traveller readers (Traveller letters, January 14) have an Avis tale of woe. In June last year we picked up an Avis van in Barcelona after reserving it and getting a confirmed quote over the Avis website in February.

To my dismay, the Barcelona office refused to honour the price, didn't have the car I ordered but "upgraded" us to a much larger "bus" and in the end our cost was almost €800 more.

We were time constrained so had little choice but to take the car, hoping to sort it later but with little ensuing joy.

Paul Soanes, East Doncaster, VIC

Letter of the week

CZECHS AND BALANCES

Yes, David Whitley (Traveller, January 21) Cesky Krumlov is truly gorgeous, especially in early April before the snow has melted. And yes, it may be "the land of stodge", but there is an alternative – a good vegetarian restaurant, Laibon, which offers interesting food and is on the bank of the Vltava River.

Castle View Apartments, just 50 metres from the old town square, is excellent value. If you are looking for a transfer to or from Cesky Krumlov, I can highly recommend the services of Pavel Hlssensky (czechshuttle.cz), a delightful young man who speaks excellent English, and is a patient, careful driver.

Pavel collected us by car from our Prague hotel (the Savic), and the journey took nearly three hours and it snowed all the way. He carried our bags to the Castle View Apartments, and upstairs to our rooms. Pavel also carried them down when we were leaving for the international airport several days later, and even into the terminal.

Glynis Wattus, Adamstown, NSW

LOST AND FOUND

The "good Germans" (Traveller letters, January 21) are not limited to Munich. Years ago in Berlin I took the public transport bus to the airport, writing postcards along the way and got to check-in and discovered I had lost my wallet.

No worries. I was directed to the help desk. The person there worked out which bus I was likely on, radioed a taxi company which dispatched a driver to intercept the bus, found my wallet and delivered it to me intact just before I had to board the plane to New York. All with a smile.

I was able to reciprocate when on a bus in Sydney. I sat down and saw a fat wallet wedged between the seat and side of the bus. It was stuffed full of cash and credit cards. It had a contact number which I rang when I found a phone box.

The wallet belonged to a young Japanese girl on holidays. She was ecstatic to have it returned intact.

Mike Powter, Port Macquarie, NSW

IN A FLAP

Your article (Traveller, January 14) stated that north Queensland's rainforests are "alive with birds and butterflies". But the pictured Richmond birdwing butterfly will not be one of the species spotted.

This endangered, subtropical denizen lives only around the Richmond valley of northern NSW, hence its name, and south-east Queensland.

Land clearance has fragmented its habitat and decimated its numbers. The rescue effort includes pararistolochia vines being planted in botanic and private gardens, and some primary schools, notably Goolmangar Public, more famous because of its alumnus Julian Assange.

The birdwing's survival is uncertain, sightings are rare and highly unlikely around Cairns.

Robin Osborne, Alstonville, NSW

GUIDANCE NEEDED

In his cover story (Traveller, January 7) Ben Groundwater implies that the perfect airport will have a range of facilities and creature comforts – the cost of which would have to be included in airport taxes and charges. Surely, the perfect airport would have the safest and most efficient guidance systems available.

After all, the most hazardous parts of any flight are take-offs and landings, and many airports are in mountainous areas or plagued by violent weather.

Stuart Molony, Mount Martha, VIC

CLAIM GAME

Sixteen weeks after following up an excess baggage charge of $US320 erroneously imposed on us for a flight from Rabat to Melbourne (Traveller letters, November 19), we were reimbursed by Etihad Airways.

It was a frustrating process but we are grateful for the result. The pursuit of such claims worthwhile but is not for the faint-hearted!

Robyn Benson, Mount Martha, VIC

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