New Champion of the Consumer in the Car Rental Industry
Announcement posted by Car Hire Guide 02 Feb 2016
These responses are not only from car rental operators capable of providing electronic interface with an external organisation, but also from companies with lesser technological resources, including those who do not even have a website.
CarHire Guide’s Executive Director, Darryl Essington-Wilson says that whilst they are still a long way from their stated aim of “Every car rental operator in every part of Australia”, CarHire Guide has created a data base with around 400,000 items of car rental information, with significant rental company numbers (up to 50 different locations in some areas) and service areas with a total population base of around 18 million.
Mr Essington-Wilson says that CarHire Guide has forensically examined the rental terms & conditions and the information provided on the websites of all the rental operators included in CarHire Guide's analysis. The information thus obtained is compared against CarHire Guide's 16 Standards measuring the “Consumer Friendliness” of rental car operators and the results of that comparison have been used to classify each operator into one of five categories denoting the degree of Consumer Friendliness (or Unfriendliness!).
Those operators which meet every one of the Standards applied by CarHire Guide are awarded a Gold Medal Status, and those that are close to that standard are awarded Silver Medal Status. Other rental car operators are allocated in categories three, four or five, depending on the nature of their failure to meet the 16 Standards of Consumer Friendliness.
The responses to consumer enquiries are presented in price order within each category level, with the “good guys” on top of the list.
Darryl has said that in every case where a particular operator has failed to meet a CarHire Guide Standard of Consumer Friendliness, the particular standard that they failed to meet is highlighted to the enquiring consumer with the reasons why CarHire Guide believes that the operator failed to meet the set Standard. “No more nasty surprises” Darryl explained.
The entire CarHire Guide service is free to all consumers seeking to rent a car within Australia.
No rental car operator has paid to be on the system and no rental car operator pays CarHire Guide any commission for bookings made by consumers resulting from a search of the CarHire Guide database.
Darryl describes the CarHire Guide service as representing an entirely new fresh, independent and enlightening service to the car renting public.
Darryl also says that CarHire Guide tells it like it is – warts and all without fear or favour.
The motto that CarHire Guide has adopted is: Don’t get taken for a ride……use CarHire Guide
To use CarHire Guide’s service, simply visit blog.carhireguide.com.au or www.carhireguide.com.au
No need for log-ins, “memberships” or passwords.
Footnote: Darryl Essington-Wilson is a part owner (with other members of his family) of a car rental business on the Gold Coast and has a franchisor/franchisee relationship with another car rental business in suburban Sydney.