Anyone who has tried to hire a car in recent months may have found themselves subjected to increasingly desperate measures by rental companies who are exploring all possible money-making options in a bid to rebound from the economic downturn.

This has resulted in numerous cases of overcharging and additional fees being applied that were not made readily available or understood at the time of booking. Most common among these surcharges are unnecessary insurance cover and roadside assistance levies. Many renters are telling of being increasingly pressured at hire counters into paying extra or risk losing out altogether.

In other cases, damage charges are being rigorously applied on return when a far more relaxed inspection was undertaken at collection. Some outfits have also taken to charging for different pick-up and drop-off points, inflated fuel charges and massive processing fees for toll payments.

Of course, these are all old tricks of any hire car company but many thought the public had seen the last of them as the recession forced companies to retain customer loyalty as first priority, meaning old scams were done away with. Now, with signs of a global recovery permeating the travel industry, rental firms are using all possibilities to garner lost income over the past 18 months.

Rental car companies will not likely rectify the matter after the event either, more often pointing to the need for full clarification of arrangements at the time of booking or collection. The automotive industry is hungry for revenue – make sure you contribute only what you want to pay for.