Hi there folks,

Just wanted to confirm another successful Avis discount deal booked online - Using Avis.com I booked an Intermediate car (Group F = Nissan Primera Automatic) the day before I needed it for collection/return at Dublin airport - starting 31st May for 5 days. I used the discount code AWD D0052091 (Actually I copied this # from the receipt - it does have an extra '0' in the middle, but I've checked and both versions work fine.) I picked the country of residence of Australia which got me a nice big 40% discount (The rate included basic CDW and Theft Protection and unlimited mileage.) Thanks very much to those who posted the relevant info so I got this discount! ^ :-: ^

It did take a while to complete the paperwork at Avis' Dublin Airport Terminal desk, mainly because it was the guy's first week on duty. He had to keep checking stuff with the other staff which was a wee bit nerve-wracking for us... The way they calculated the costs on their form was slightly different and confusing too, but there were no problems really and nothing was queried regarding the discount or country codes.

By the way, I recommend you review the damage on your vehicle compared to the marks on the inspection form carefully prior to driving the car away. We were made aware of some marks on the car by the Avis guy and the inspection form which we had to sign at the desk (without seeing the car). I did sign the form but added 'NOT inspected', just in case it was even worse than we imagined! When we went to collect the car, it did have a surprising amount of damaged paintwork, particularly down the nearside. Still, it appeared to be superficial stuff (and marked on the inspection form) and was just fine inside so we took off on our trip.

Well, once we reached Cork and Kerry the exterior damage became much more understandable... The countryside there in the south west of Eire is totally fabulous but extremely narrow and twisty... If I hadn't been used to driving on the left in a right-hand drive car I would probably have been miserable - trying to avoid flying off a cliff or bumping along the side of the rocks or the tour buses! If you're a right lane/left-hand driver, you might want to consider the top-up CDW that removes the 500 Euro damage liability excess... and chosing an automatic would be a huge help too - During our trip we met several US couples with some hair-raising and hilarious tales about driving on the 'wrong' side in a manual car.

Actually the whole time we spent in Eire was wonderful. We enjoyed ourselves so much that we lost track of time vs distances... on our last morning we realised we would never make it back to Dublin in time and would have to change our return flights and car drop off location from Dublin to Cork. When we called Avis' customer service they happily changed the booking without making any additional charges, which was a very pleasant surprise.

Avis' staff at their Cork Airport yard were very obliging too. We were a bit concerned because we hadn't managed to clean the car en route to the airport and it was covered in salt spray and sand when we turned it in. (We had refilled the petrol tank ourselves as arranged (it was full when we collected it) The Avis chap didn't even bat an eyelid about the dirtiness, saying, "Don't worry, that's nothing that a quick run through the car-wash won't fix. You get back in and I'll drop you at the terminal." Splendid service.

Lastly...

1. There's a petrol station almost next door to the Avis yard at Cork Airport (and the yard is only a minute or two from the terminal.)
2. I've since received another copy of the Avis receipt through the post and there are no unexpected/additional charges added.

All the best,