As a business travel buyer with responsibility for selecting your company's car rental providers, it is important that you recognise the potential risks involved in renting a high value asset and take all the necessary measures to minimise them.
Ensuring that employees have adequate insurance coverage and understand their liability in case of damage is key. This will help you assess the type of coverage to choose when renting a vehicle for employees at home or abroad. With this in mind, it is important to highlight that people responsible for booking car rental for business purposes should always carefully read the rental qualifications and requirements in advance, whilst employees need to thoroughly check the documentation they are provided.
Rental companies need to protect their high value assets and customers need to be aware of and understand this. Consequently, car rental companies have established a set of strict terms and conditions to ensure both their customers and themselves are covered in the event of damage, breakdown etc.
Recognising potential risks is vital - not only to make an informed decision about the car rental provider to choose, but also to assess the extras to include in each rental, based on the employee's needs, destination, length of rental etc. Considering the risk of vehicle damage or breakdown as well as possible fuel or mileage-related extra charges will also help you have a better idea about the final costs and, ultimately, to save money.
What happens if a car breaks down during a business trip? © ra-photos/iStock
Although this advice may seem obvious to many people, it is surprising how rarely business travellers check their rental agreements properly. Promoting this practice within your company will almost certainly reap benefits. Similarly, rental agreements should be always compared against your company policy. Yet again, the assets' high value and the natural risks involved in their use are strong enough reasons to continuously insist on the need to fully read and understand the documents that car rental companies provide before exiting the branch. Very often, it is not until something actually goes wrong that the terms and conditions are checked and considered.
What happens if the car breaks down?
You should remind employees that all the information needed in case of breakdown should be given to them at the counter — and that it is also available online. The rental agreement and rental wallet usually contain essential information including the emergency roadside assistance number. In addition, at car rental branches it is usual to find leaflets in different languages with detailed information about relevant topics such as insurance, what to do in case of breakdown, additional charges and more. When someone rents a car abroad as part of a business trip on a busy schedule, every second counts, therefore obtaining this information at the beginning of the rental can save a lot of time and headaches if the worst occurs.
And what about fuel?
Car rental companies supply their vehicles with a full tank of fuel and most of them expect the car to be returned with the same amount of fuel. Customers should make sure that they spot a fuelling station close to the airport or else ask where it is when they collect the vehicle. But someone travelling abroad for business can be subject to a number of eventualities that may prevent him/her from refuelling the vehicle before returning it, resulting in refuelling service charges at the end of the rental. The possibility of purchasing a full tank upfront, offered by many car rental companies, can be a very useful option to start the business trip on the right track and avoid unexpected refuelling service charges.
Other useful extras
Purchasing a tank of fuel or optional insurance waiver products at the beginning of the rental can certainly provide added peace of mind when travelling abroad on business. But there are other extras, mainly offered by biggest car rental companies that can make business travellers' lives much easier. From state-of-the-art satellite navigation systems, important in helping to find a specific place in an unknown country or area, to portable WiFi hotspots, which provide perfect connectivity abroad while avoiding roaming charges. These additional products and services available from car rental companies can became a very useful travel companion.
Additionally, many car rental companies have their own loyalty programmes, which embody a number of advantages and result in great time and cost savings for the renters and their companies. These schemes, usually free to join, are particularly useful for frequent travellers as the points they earn can be used on rental days. For this reason, travel buyers should ensure that employees are familiar with these schemes and become members. Enrolling in a loyalty programme is also the best way to avoid queues, bypass the counter, enjoy expedited returns and other perks that vary according to the company.
Another additional service worth considering for those employees who need a vehicle abroad for business purposes is delivery and collection of the vehicle by a customer service representative. This option can save time and hassle and be particularly useful if the vehicle is only needed for part of the trip.
Always check the vehicle
For rental customers, understanding their liability based on the insurance products they have taken is not enough. The company's procurement department has to remind employees to carefully check the vehicle for damage and ask for someone to be there to receive the car on return, if possible, to avoid future inconveniences. Certain car rental customers actually photograph the cars with their mobile phones, which is a great practice, worth encouraging and very helpful when it comes to rescuing a dispute.
If a dispute does arise, it is also important that you take into account that there is an independent body that offers arbitration service; the European Car Rental Conciliation Service (ECRCS). The car rental companies subscribing to the scheme are bound by the decision reached by the conciliation service.
To conclude I would like to stress the importance of promoting, from the procurement department, the need to really think about the classic steps on a rental process before leaving branch. This simple exercise can avoid issues or, at least, reduce their negative impact.