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HITTING THE HIRE SPOTS
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Page 39
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When the chips are down and you need an extra set of wheels, van rental companies are just the ticket. But do they provide
adequate service and, more importantly, serviceable vehicles? CM
went undercover to check out the current state of the market.
Van and truck rental is an essential part of the commercial world, but apart from being able to locate providers in the Yellow Pages, most people will have little idea of what to expect until they take the plunge.
Areas such as cost, service and vehicle condition will remain a mystery until the punter is at the counter or behind the wheel. For this reason, CM decided to investigate the whole process—from the initial telephone enquiry through to collection.
Our survey comes at a time when the state of the rental market is strong due to several factors, including the rise of online shopping and the outsourcing of delivery work.
Robin Mackonochie. of the British Vehicle Renting and Leasing Association, says: "The market is buoyant, especially in the run-up to the Christmas period.rlbe growth of internet shopping, the restrictions on new driving licences to 3.5 tonnes, the increased reliance on courier companies and the outsourcing of requirements have all contributed to this."
In order to keep our survey fair and to ensure vehicles weren't specially prepared, none of the bookings were made in CM's name.
Each of the vehicles rented was assessed on its condition.Whatever your reasons for hiring a van, the chances are it's seen some action in its time. Not being responsible for a vehicle's condition can bring out the worst in people, so just what state can you expect to find your rented vehicle in — and, more importantly, will it be safe to drive?
Testing procedure
We enlisted the help of two FTA vehicle inspectors to see if our vans were in sound working order. All the major areas were looked at, from tyres to engines.The results proved that though rental companies are at pains to say their vehicles are offered in proper working order, some are in far better condition than others. Because there are many rental companies out there, we decided to narrow our survey down to 10, all based within the south London area.These were Avis, Budget. Enterprise, Europcar,Hertz, National, Northgate, Practical,Thrifty and TLS. These companies were randomly lifted from an internet search to avoid any preference.
The plan was to phone each company anonymously to enquire about price and availability, then make a booking (checking fo ease of procedure), and collect the van the following day. On collection we would note th level of service and the state of the vehicle before travelling toTunb ridge Wells to meet the FTA's inspectors, using the drive from south London to assess the van's condition from a driver's point of view.
What came across when initially booking these vehicles was just how smoothly the process was handled. Admittedly, there was some confusion when speaking to certain companies. For instance, in some cases the specified weights of vehicles was a blur — som( call operators didn't realise panel vans are available at 3.5 tonnes (Hertz) while others (Budget) were run via a national website and had to put us on hold for two minutes to locat the availability of the vehicle at the dealershij Others confused us with their sales patter.
But on the whole, things were wrapped up i about four to five minutes. Reserving the vehicle was done by credit or debit card, though some didn't take American Express.
What was also noted was the depth of information required by each company whet collecting the vehicle. As well as a valid drivir licence, most also demanded two further proofs, including a utility bill with name and address and a passport.