Planning a trip to your favorite destination is something good, but always travelers have this question; how will we get around when we reach that destination or country? That is where they land on the idea of hiring a vehicle for self-drive. Planning to hire a car in a foreign country is a very challenging task which requires a lot of time and attention to avoid making mistakes which can cost you time, energy, and even happiness throughout your trip.
And as we know, most car rental companies prefer full payments of the car rental to avoid the inconvenience during the time of picking the vehicle. So there are some mistakes you should avoid when planning to hire a vehicle for a self-drive trip to Africa since if you make a mistake, you’ll regret it throughout your trip.
These are just some of the mistakes many people make and end up messing up their entire trip.
Signing a Car Rental Agreement without Reading It.
Most car rental companies will send you a copy of this agreement through email in case you booking online or if you visit their offices before you do anything they will give you this piece of paper which in most cases is in 4 pages. It comprises all their terms and conditions, insurance policy, roadside assistance among others.
No matter how careful you are, mistakes can happen. As is the way many people neglect to read the terms and conditions of use of different products, then some get even further down to car rental contracts.
The fact is most people don’t see the importance of reading contracts. Many feel it is just a legal agreement between the car rental company and the client, but it is often the rules and regulations of the company to their clients. So, reading your contract is a must. Don’t overlook something you’ll come to regret throughout your trip and even feel free to ask any question where you don’t understand.
Ignoring to check the condition of the car
Sometimes, you may be in a hurry when you want to start your trip early so that you can reach your destination on time. So you decided to quickly just sign the contract and immediately pay for any vehicle they have brought to you without any inspection. You disregard the small dents and scratches on the vehicle and even engine check. After moving, then regret comes to follow. Don’t let the urgency of reaching your destination in time make you overlook this. Take your time to move around the vehicle, check everything, and take photos of every scratch you see in the car. It is very important because you may end up paying for the scratches you didn’t put on the vehicle during the time of returning the car.
Renting a vehicle with No Eyes
As far as technology is concerned, there is nothing wrong with online galleries when looking for a vehicle to hire. The mistake comes when you see pictures of the vehicle and loves it, and you decide to contact the car rental company to reserve for you that specific vehicle and even pay for it. Reaching at the time of picking when it doesn’t look exactly how it’s in pictures or when ]the picture was taken some 5 years back the car was still new. I recommend that you tell the car rental company the specifications of the vehicle you want and they tell you the options they have and you choose instead of focusing on one vehicle yet you may find that they have many other better vehicles than that.
Stop Recording Bad Parts before Moving
Before leaving the company parking, it is important to have a record of whatever damage is on the vehicle. You may find the vehicle has some small damages before you get it and the company didn’t notice it. So on the return of the vehicle, they come to see those damages and they think you the one damaged the vehicle which can make you pay excess for the damages. Therefore, it is very important to photograph or to request the repair of any defective parts of the car before you start the trip. You can keep a copy of the photos and information to act as proof that the damages existed on the vehicle before you hired it.
Failure to Report the small damages on the car
This can also be a continuation of the above points. Not only should you be aware of the damages on the car then end up photographing it, but you must report the damage as soon as you see them to the car rental representative. For example, you might overlook a small dent on the car. Then at the end of the trip, you waste time when you have to convince the company representative that the damages were there on the car before you hired it. So it’s better to report any damage you find on the car before starting the trip.
