Letters

Tourism and renting a car

Wed May 25 2022 - 00:10

Sir, – I have been charged €2,100 to hire a car for a week in Ireland this July. How is inbound Irish tourism ever going to recover with gouging like this? – Yours, etc,

FINBARR McCARTHY,

Caves Beach,

New South Wales,

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Australia.

Sir, – On the afternoon of Saturday, May 7th, I accompanied two friends, visiting from Italy, to the desk of one of the major car rental companies at Dublin Airport. They wanted a car for two days, to visit relatives in Co Wicklow. They selected the smallest car from the models available. It looked from the illustration like a little Postman Pat car.

From 4pm on Saturday to 6pm two days later on Monday, they were asked for €609. This was, according to the not very helpful clerk, a three-day rental, as it was for two full days plus two hours. Returning the car two hours earlier, at 4pm on Monday would have brought the cost down to “only” €407.

It was a question of supply and demand, the clerk said.

Clearly the demand is there, but the car rental companies don’t appear to have been able to manage the supply side. So they hike their prices instead.

Needless to say, my friends declined the offer and I drove them to Wicklow instead. They now have a colourful story to tell their friends back home, the essence of which is “Don’t even think about hiring a car in Ireland”. – Yours, etc,

RONAN FOSTER,

Dublin 16.