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What If I Arrive For My Car Hire And No Car Is Available?

Unfortunately, even when someone booked their car hire and paid upfront, the car hire company sometimes has no car available for them when they get to the counter. Find out why it occasionally happens, and what you can do if the car you booked is not there for you.

Why do some rentals fail because there’s no car?
When you book a rental car in advance, the car should be ready for you at the time you booked. Sometimes, however, things go wrong at the rental company, and the car isn’t available. This is known as a ‘fleet fail’. It is thankfully very rare, but extremely frustrating if it happens. Causes include:

A car unexpectedly needs repairs
A car isn’t returned on time by the previous renter
A car has been double-booked by the rental company.

The risk of a fleet fail is higher on more unusual cars, such as people carriers and luxury cars, because it’s less likely the rental company will have replacements available.

What to do next if you are told there’s no rental car available.

Please call our Customer Service team straight away while you are still at the rental counter.

We will talk to the counter staff and find out what’s gone wrong. Our Customer Service team will do our best to get you a car from the same car hire company. If there’s nothing else available, we will try to find you a car with a different car hire company.

Top tip: Our lines get busy, so if you can’t get through straight away, ask the counter staff to call us instead. They have a special phone number, so might get through faster.

If you DID NOT book through us then follow the steps below:

1. Get a car from another car group

The car hire company might offer you a car from a different car group if they have other cars available. If you get a bigger car than the one you have booked, the counter staff should not ask you to pay for the upgrade. If you receive a smaller car, or a cheaper car group, ask for a refund of the price difference from what you originally paid.

2. Get a car from a nearby location

Ask the rental company if they can provide you a car from one of their other locations locally. For example, if you are at an airport, they might find a car for you at a nearby train station or somewhere else in town.

3. Get a car from another rental company

If the rental company you booked with has no other cars, it’s worth asking the other car hire companies at the same location whether they have any cars.

4. Come back on the next day

If none of the car hire companies can help you right away, or if it’s late and the rental counters are closing, the best option is to take a taxi, a train or a bus to get to where you need to go. Then return the next day when hopefully something may be available.

 

Source: Rental Cars

Photo Credits: Shutterstock

 

Contact Us Now

    Contact Details

    Our customer service team will be very happy to answer any questions you have about Car Rentals Cyprus therefore please do not hesitate to get in touch by phone, email or post.

    • Address: Shop 1, Central Park Residences, 6 April 1st Street 8011, Paphos Cyprus
    • Support Phone: +357 26 945222
    • E mails: carhire@zandxgroup.com
    • Office Hours: Monday – Friday 8am – 6.00pm

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