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Owner of Gold Coast Family Car Rentals Explains Cheapest Affordable Budget Airport Vehicle Hire with Zero Excess Cover

Announcement posted by Gold Coast Family Car Rentals 24 Jan 2019

Zero Excess Rental Car Insurance Rarely Zero Says Industry Expert

When we see “zero excess” on a car rental company’s advertising, we would be pardoned for thinking it means just that. But, warns Darryl Essington-Wilson, owner of Gold Coast Family Car Rentals, it’s always wise to read the fine print.

As an accounting expert with corporate experience in the motor vehicle industry and motor vehicle insurance industry, Essington-Wilson is well-positioned to analyse the insurance packages offered by car rental companies. “Zero isn’t always zero,” he says.

“In July this year, I analysed rental car insurance packages across 17 companies that advertise zero excess and found a great many exclusions. Only one other company offered a zero excess insurance package that equalled the scope of cover of the one I offer to my clients – and that was at a much higher cost. Seven companies offered zero excess packages but did not provide any details to consumers of what they did or did not cover.”

The Exclusions That Might Come as A Surprise

Essington-Wilson lists some of the exclusions that could result in a shockingly high cost to consumers. “Accessories,” for example, are often not covered. They include things like car keys and remotes, and rekeying a car is a costly business.

But it’s not just being careless with keys that could turn out expensive. One of the “zero excess” companies Essington-Wilson investigated excluded hail damage from its cover while another had an exclusion on damage caused by a vehicle roll-over. Yet another company took this several steps further and excluded over and underbody damage as well as reversing damage, tyres, and keys, and of course, he could not determine anything about the seven who provided no scope of cover information at all.

The cost of overnight accommodation following an accident is also very rarely covered. “Only one other company besides ours offered this benefit,” says Essington-Wilson, “and it offered a lower allowance, and at a higher price than we do.”

The Cost of Comprehensive Cover

While the list of exclusions on many zero excess insurance packages offered by car hire companies may seem shocking, most of us would expect that car rental businesses offering the real thing would have very expensive insurance.

But with a little financial mastery, Essington-Wilson has bucked the system. His company offers true zero-excess insurance that costs substantially less than the lesser coverage offered by others and also much less than that of the only competitor in the car hire industry whose insurance offer passed scrutiny.

He is of the opinion that consumers with a zero excess insurance package shouldn’t have to pay for damage to a hired car any more than they would with their own insurance whether they were at fault or not, and he has proved that peace of mind needn’t be bought at an exorbitant price.

Always Read the Fine Print

It’s something we all know in theory but seldom do in practice: “Read the fine print.” Many of us sign documents in the belief that they’re “standard.” But in this case, “standard” could turn out expensive if things go wrong.

Essington-Wilson warns that there’s no substitute for reading and understanding agreements such as those covering insurance for hired cars: “If you don’t want to get stung, you need to read the agreement forensically,” he says while acknowledging that most people rarely do. “If you were to rent a vehicle with a Zero Excess in our part of the world, without forensically reading the complete rental terms and conditions, you would have only two chances in eighteen of getting what you thought you were buying, and 16 out of 18 chances of getting it wrong. I suspect a similar outcome would apply in most other areas”, Essington-Wilson added.

“Our zero excess cover really is zero,” he says. “I’m proud of that. At Gold Coast Family Car Rentals, we’ve achieved what most big-name car rental companies haven’t.”

If you would like to know more about the cheapest car hire on the Gold Coast (there’s a guarantee) plus zero excess insurance cover, visit the Gold Coast Family Car Rentals website. Or just hire a car next time you need one on the Gold Coast. You can get an online quote, book online, or you can call + 61 7 5508 3333.

Syndicated by Baxton Media.