Avis to charge for no-shows
Avis Europe is to start charging customers for no-shows.
The car rental firm will be the first to impose the charges, and claims it will bring the sector in line with hotels, cruises, tours and flights.
Customers who do not cancel prior to the allocated rental pick up time, or do not turn up within 24 hours thereafter, will be charged £40.
The initiative will be progressively rolled out across the Avis Europe network throughout 2009, starting with individual customers booking through the web and call centre.
Avis will also begin requesting a valid Form of Payment at the time of booking.
Group commercial director Wolfgang Neumann said: “We are taking this action to improve vehicle availability for our customers, particularly during peak season, and to use our fleet more cost effectively.
“Charges for cancelling a rental booking are 100% avoidable if customers think ahead and that’s something we believe this measure will encourage them to do.
“It is also a fairer system for customers who diligently collect their cars and simply echoes standard practices across the rest of the travel industry.”
By Bev Fearis
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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