At East Coast Car Rentals, we have always prided ourselves on providing a smooth, efficient service to all of our customers. We don’t like to get bogged down in the details, because we’re sure you don’t either – you’re taking some well-deserved time out and just want to get out onto the road. That said, there are a few sticking points – frequently asked questions, if you will – that repeatedly arise when it comes to hiring out a car with us. We’ve taken a few of the most common, and endeavoured to answer them as clearly as possible, so that you can drive away fully clued-up. Start your engines!
Why do I have to pay a security deposit?
A deposit, or security bond, has always been a begrudging necessity. They can be applied to practically anything of higher value – the common use is when buying or renting a house, of course – but anything from televisions, cars and flights cannot be procured without first paying a deposit. At East Coast Car Rentals, we’ll pre-authorise an agreed amount on your card – but not actually take it. When hiring a car from us, all we ask is that you return the vehicle to us in the same condition as you drove it away in, with the agreed level of fuel present, and the pre-authorisation will be cancelled. The trick is to treat the rental car as if it were your own. Take a look at our rental conditions, use and return policy in greater detail.
Why can’t I hire from East Coast Car Rentals if I’m under 21?
Younger people, typically under the age of 21, have always had a tough time when trying to hire a car. Though the minimum driving age varies across the Australian states – between 16 and 18 – most car rental companies don’t cater for this age group. We really wish we could, as we love young people, but it all boils down to hard statistics. Drivers under the age of 25 statistically, but not exclusively, find themselves in more car accidents than older age groups, and that’s an unfortunate, cold fact. We just find the risk too great – your safety is paramount to us.
Why can’t I drive to certain parts of Australia?
We don’t allow our customers to drive the car to the Northern Territory, Western Australia or Tasmania. Though this may seem restricting, place yourself in this scenario: rent a car out on the east coast with us – Tasmania is out across the sea. Western Australia is half a continent away and the Northern Territory is too vast a desert to traverse – it can be days before seeing even a person, let alone a settlement or city. Imagine running into trouble there – it’s why we prohibit driving in the Northern Territory, that word safety again. Anyway, it’d be one long slog of a drive if you wanted to reach these places! Additionally, you cannot take your car onto Kangaroo Island, Bruny Island, Fraser Island, Magnetic Island, Groote Eylandt, Gove Peninsula or the Tiwi Islands, as you have to cross to them by ferry – our hands are tied by tedious insurance reasons meaning we cannot allow our cars onboard.
Will my credit card details be secure?
In these early days of a cashless society, credit cards details are closely-guarded secrets, and so they should be. At East Coast Car Rentals, we hold these valuable details in a highly secure server that guarantees your peace-of-mind. We use 128bit SSL encrypting technology – in layman’s terms, every message or transaction sent between your computer and our server is ‘coded’ so that only authorised parties, i.e. yourself and us, can read it. Rest assured.
If you have any further queries, please have a read of our full, comprehensive list.
Happy motoring!