Sunday, August 13, 2006

Italian,Spanish,and Portuguese Drivers Considered Socially Dangerous by Irish Car Hire Firm

The ANNOTICO Report

Ireland's Budget Car Rental Company had been charging Italian, Spanish,and Portuguese Drivers almost $200 a day Surcharge, supposedly because this group had a higher risk of collision or vehicle damage

The enforcement officer described the condition as socially dangerous and one that reinforced stereotypes.
"Its like putting up a sign in a Pub saying: No Irish " considering the propensity for Irish to drink to excess!!!

CAR-HIRE COMPANY DROPS "SOCIALLY DANGEROUS" 150 EURO DAILY CHARGE

The Post
Irish Examiner

By Nicola Cooke

August 13, 2006

Car-hire company Budget has been forced to cut a daily charge of 150 applicable to some European drivers, after its international parent company deemed it illegal.

Car-hire company Budget has been forced to cut a daily charge of 150 applicable to some European drivers, after its international parent company deemed it illegal.

A survey of Irish car hire companies, conducted last week by the Sunday Business Post, found that Spanish, Italian and Portuguese drivers were subjected to the charge by the Irish company.

Drivers from these countries, between the ages of 23 and 30, had to pay an additional 150 a day to hire a car, according to the firms terms and conditions. This newspaper raised a number of queries with the company about its charges. The company subsequently removed the 150 from its terms and conditions.

Budget spokesman Aidan Lenihan c! onfirmed that the charge was cut last week.

Budget International have been in touch with us to say the condition was illegal, so it was removed and is no longer an issue, he said. There was a consultation and we cant justify it, but it was there for a reason.

We want to rent out as many cars as we can, but we want to avoid those cars being crashed or damaged.

Why is there a loading on young male drivers and those over 60? Because they are a group with a higher risk of collision or vehicle damage and this was the case here.

The European Consumer Centre (ECC) in Dublin said it had received complaints about the charge and passed them on to the Office of the Director of Consumer Affairs (ODCA).

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employments consumer policy section also examined the charge. ECC manager Tina Leonard said she was disgusted with the condition and was both surprised and happy to hear it had been removed from the co! mpanys website.

ODCA enforcement officer Claire Gordon, who investigated the complaints received from the ECC, said she found the charge shocking and bizarre.

We looked at state legislation, and internal and EU single market directives but could not come up with anything that specifically applied to the condition, said Gordon.

The enforcement officer described the former condition as socially dangerous and one that reinforced stereotypes.

Its like putting up a sign in an off-licence saying: No Irish, she said.

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