How to avoid being ripped off by rental car companies

As someone who has hired cars around the world, I can assure you that it pays to take every precaution against being taken for a ride by the very people from whom you are hiring your transport. 

From fuel scams to insurance scams, car hire companies are notorious for their many ways of parting fools and their money. 

In Britain, this week, Europcar apologised to a customer who was overcharged by nearly £1,000 for repairing a minor windscreen chip.

The incident was highlighted in a new report by consumer rights magazine Which? accusing the whole industry of ripping off customers.

It claims some car hire firms are charging customers more than double the going rate for repairs.

Investigators from the magazine took photographic evidence of damage from car hire customers across Europe who believed they had been overcharged.

Photos were shown to three Which? Trusted Trader garages who were asked how much they would have charged for the repair.

In eight out of 12 cases all three garages quoted less than the car hire companies charged for the repair.

In the case of the Europcar customer, Which? said he was charged £1,154 for a small windscreen chip that could have been fixed for as little as £35 (around $55).

Which? conducted a separate survey of more than 150 readers who'd been charged for car hire damage.

It found 44% said they had been hit with an excessive charge, almost 18% said they had been charged for damage they knew nothing about, and 59% said they had never received any evidence of how the charge was calculated from their car hire company.

As a clever car hirer, you need to outsmart the charlatans - which means keeping evidence. 

First make sure you are fully insured (preferably by your own insurer, not the one charging hire rates the car hire company wants you to sign up for).

As soon as you get int your rental make sure it is fully fuelled (you'll be amazed how many times it is $10 or so below full - a nice little earner for MrAvisHertz). 

Check all windscreens, paint surfaces etc for scratches or nicks etc, make sure these all all noted by the hirer, and take photos of all of them before you leave the parking lot. 

When you return, insist on having your vehicle checked and signed off on by a human. Dropping the keys and leaving the car leaves you wide open for any number of dodgy deals.

I was once contacted by a major car hire company two days after dropping off my vehicle in central Paris. They wanted to know where the car was. Don't trust 'em and like boxing referees say: "Protect yourself at all times." 

A great red wine to honour one of the greatest Reds of them all

Claymore winery owner Anura Nitchingham is living the dream. A supporter of the Liverpool soccer team since he lived in the English city when he was student, the Adelaide medico now finds himself with a season ticket at Anfield and close friendships with several former star players.

His Clare Valley winery is also an official partner of the famous English Premiership club.

One of Liverpool’s greatest-ever players, former England striker Robbie Fowler, visited Sydney and Adelaide last month to launch the second Claymore “Signature Series” release – a 2014 shiraz named in his honour.

The first “Signature Series” wine was named after another great Liverpool striker, Ian Rush.

“Following the success of our inaugural Signature Series release, we are proud to welcome the 2014 Robbie Fowler Signature Series Shiraz to the stable, a more than fitting tribute for a player of Robbie’s stature,” said Claymore general manager Carissa Major.

“This is a true celebration of the synergy that is our partnership with the Liverpool Football Club - the ultimate package for lovers of great reds. This is the absolute best selection of our shiraz labelled in honour of a true Liverpool FC legend known as God himself!”

Robbie Fowler was renowned for his ruthlessness in front of a goal. He scored the (then) fastest ever Premiership hat-trick against Arsenal in 1994/95 in 4 minutes and 33 seconds.

He also played a major role in Liverpool winning the treble in 2000-01 scoring in two major finals, the League Cup and UEFA Cup.

He went on to become the sixth-highest goalscorer in the history of the Premier League with 183 goals.

“Having spent my formative years in Liverpool I am incredibly proud to be able to welcome Robbie – a true Scouser – to my very special part of the wine world and honour him and my club with this outstanding red,” said Nitchingham.

The new Signature Series is limited to just two barrels of Claymore’s ultra-premium, single vineyard 2014 vintage Shiraz from the award winning Penwortham vineyard, just south of Clare in the heart of Clare Valley.

There will be 500 individually numbered bottles of the collectors' item wine. It will set you back $95 a bottle and is deliciously rich and powerful. 

See www.claymorewines.com.au.




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Blow to Norfolk Island tourism as airline suspends flights

Norfolk Island is a delightfully laid-back place; a very good holiday destination for Australians looking to escape the hustle and bustle of their big island. 

But getting to Norfolk Island is about to become more difficult after Norfolk Island Airlines announced that it will cease all passenger services from March 17. That means the Brisbane-Norfolk Island route follows Auckland-Norfolk Island services, which were suspended earlier this year.

The withdrawal of Norfolk Island Airlines leaves Air New Zealand with a monopoly on flights to the Australian territory (although you still need a passport to enter). 

Air New Zealand operates three weekly services from Sydney to Norfolk Island, as well as twice-weekly flights out of Brisbane. There are no commercial flights from Norfolk Island to New Zealand.

Norfolk Island Airlines fares to Norfolk Island included a free half-day tour of the island on arrival.

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Norfolk Island Airlines issued a press release blaming increased costs as the key factor behind the decision to suspend operations. 

Passengers with existing Norfolk Island Airlines bookings will be entitled to a full refund. The airline will continue to operate freight services to the island.

Put your mobile phone away and pay less for your dinner

A pub in North Wales is offering a 25% discount to diners prepared to lock away their phones while they eat as part of a "Mobile-Free Mondays" campaign.

The Fat Boar pub in Wrexham wants to encourage its customers to spend less time staring at their mobiles and more time actually talking to each other.

Staff will come round with a cash box and invite punters to lock away their phones. The boxes will remain on the table, but staff will keep the keys to ensure there’s no cheating.

Announcing the scheme in a Facebook post, the pub explained the rules: “1. Hand us your mobile when you sit in our restaurant. 2. Not have the phone returned until you pay your bill. 3. Book in advance. 4. Talk, chat and enjoy your evening with no distraction!”

Rich Watkin, a Fat Boar director (since when did pubs have directors?), told the BBC: “Mobiles can often be a real distraction and stop us from just sitting among family and friends and simply having a good conversation and that’s why I came up with the idea.”

Restaurant manager Jade Darlington added: “I think we all feel a certain amount of pressure to be constantly checking emails, social media, texts and all the other messaging on our phones.

“But if we can do something to encourage people to put their phones down and concentrate solely on one another and the fun night out they are having with us, then I think that’s a really positive thing”.

The gastro pub hopes to also offer the deal at a nearby sister restaurant. 

Head west for Australia's largest open art studios event

Australia's largest open art studios event is returning to Margaret River in April 2018 with a new look.

More than 130 artists will participate in the event from April 28 to May 13 and studios will be thrown open to visitors from Busselton to Augusta in the south west of Western Australia. 

Margaret River Region Open Studios chairman Jim Davies said it was fitting for the style of the creative and interactive event to evolve in its fifth year.

“We're thrilled to have so many talented artists keen to open their studios to the public for this year's Margaret River Region Open Studios event, and with the organic growth of the event year-on-year we wanted to also create a strong and identifiable brand," Davies said.

“The vibrant colours in the brand reflect the stunning colours of the Margaret River region, which inspire our artists on a daily basis.

“Our program for this year is packed with a wealth of diverse artistic talent, allowing visitors to pick out their favourite artists, mediums, styles, days or locations to create a personal DIY experience.” 

Art lovers have the opportunity to meet the people behind the local art scene and get a peek into their creative lives and inspirational spaces.

Mediums featured include painting, drawings, sculpture, glass blowing, print making, furniture making, jewellery, ceramics and textiles.

Local artists are the stars of the show and talent this year includes renowned landscape artist Douglas Kirsop, who is participating for the first time, as well as other well-known names including Rachel Coad, Leon Pericles, Rebecca Cool, Mary Lynne Stratton, Lauren Wilhelm and Jo Broadhurst. 

Each artist's studio, workshop or exhibition space is mapped, allowing visitors to easily plan their inspirational days over the 16-day event. Margaret River Region Open Studios is free to attend and no bookings are needed. See mrros.com.au. 

Sandalford sets the national standard for cellar doors

The consistency of excellence at the Sandalford cellar door and restaurant in the Swan Valley has been rewarded with the West Australian wine producer winning gold in the category of Tourism Wineries, Distilleries and Breweries at the Australian Tourism Awards.

Sandalford chief executive officer Grant Brinklow said the accolade was all the sweeter as it was a milestone that the winery had been actively chasing. 

“To all of us, it represents the realisation of Peter, Debra and Garry Prendiville’s vision that Sandalford would become the very best at what we do," Brinklow said. "While we have been a gold winner in this category at state level on 10 occasions previously, this was the
first time we have been awarded the national prize. 

"We are feeling ecstatic; having won bronze and silver at these awards the past two years to now be taking the gold trophy back to our winery is simply fantastic.”

Brinklow said the company loved being a part of Australia’s tourism industry and was very proud of Sandalford’s history and heritage.

“There is an outstanding team at Sandalford who strive every day to deliver truly world class wine and wine tourism experiences to more than 160,000 visitors a year from around the globe," he said.

"The Swan Valley gives visitors a connection to wine in a memorable way which I feel is unique in the world, and we are delighted that our regional partner, Swan Valley Visitor Centre, was also recognised with gold status at these awards.”

Sandalford Estate Swan Valley offers several cellar door tasting experiences, multilingual winery tours on suspended walkways, al fresco dining under the vines, luxury cruises to and from the estate and world class concerts with international acts.