It’s very hit and miss whether I get my hire cars for work. A bit better if I accept a manual but a lot of times I don’t know if I’m getting one at all until it turns up.
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Yeah their whole model is based on buying in bulk at tremendous discount, run it for a year or so, then sell it into the 2nd hand market for a profit. The rental price just covers the business operating cost, the selling of the cars is where they made their profit.
So you’re right. The whole chipset shortage etc meant they were hanging onto old stock, way longer than they wanted to. Then everything ripples down the supply chain, fuel costs etc etc. Plus a sprinkle of enjoying ripping off ye olde customers!
I would say that company hires are probably down a fair bit as well, with people opting to do more work remotely, on teams etc. Though that shouldn’t affect the branches that Hammerer was talking about in the tourist hotspots.
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Indeed, pain though
I would but sadly we jumped on board with Betamax and then video disc, dammit
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I left the sixth form towards the end of the first year (April) without taking sixth form exams. I suddenly couldn’t see any point to continuing with school based education and was ready for ‘the real world’.
Within a week or two I started a job offering day release to the college I was thinking of going to after sixth form but with the added benefit of actually doing elements of the job in a real environment.
Now we’re 40 years down the line it was a simple case that I learn by doing and only learn a limited about by reading. My dog walking friends have young adults of school leaving age and tell me of plenty of options that satisfy to the ‘stay in education until 18’ rule but are more hands on (although I don’t remember what they are as I’m not that interested so stop listening)…
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Alright ERAC boy. Calm down.
Just spoke to one of your brethren, as I forgot to stick all of my deets in online 
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I think my post above belongs in a different thread. But it doesn’t say anything so I’ll leave it here rather than get a red pencil icon. 
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They must have got ridiculous discounts. My Mondeo was an ex hire car, 12 months with 18k on the clock.
I got it for about £17k, think rrp at the time was about £27k 
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They buy huge quantities of vehicles so they get massive discounts. I guess from the manufacturers’ point of view they’re getting more vehicles out there for future parts sales too.
I’m pretty sure that when I worked for Ford they owned Hertz, but I think they’ve spun that off at some point.
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100% accurate and 100% the reason I dont accept random LinkedIn requests
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Woke up feeling fucked.
Warn out, no energy. Get in the bin.
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Up at 4am for the 6am red eye to Gatwick. Urghh.
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Holiday or work?
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A big internal conference in a posh hotel. One that I’m a day late for because I skipped day 1 for my daughter’s birthday (easy decision!).
I’ve already been abruptly reminded how smelly London is. Or just Gatwick train station platform 4 which smells like a euro Ironman run course (of acrid piss).
When I rolled out of bed my first thought was: well at least I don’t have to do the Celtman swim now. I think that was the last time I was up before 4am.
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Yes! Gatwick Station always smells like piss; I assume it’s drunk groups… but I’ve noticed it before too, usually on the way back from a nice warm holiday to a cold, rainy, piss smelling Gatwick. Or at least that was the case last summer!
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The worst place I’ve known for that. (never worked in London) was when i had to commute to Southampton and the walk up the hill from the train station to Guild Square or whatever it was called was absolutely rank.
Crappy suburbs of Bogota smelled better than that!
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Going back to car hire…
Looking for 10 days in France in early September, pick up Bordeaux and drop off Tolouse. Thankfully the different locations don’t impact the price however thats where the good news ends. It’s almost £700 for the time even with my company discount.
My own car only cost me £500 back in 2015.
Am now trying to work on the other half to see if, instead of taking Eurostar and TGV there, then plane back, she fancies being driven around France in a 2002 Skoda Fabia without air con.
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F***ING NORTHERN MONKEYS WHO THINK GATWICK IS IN LONDON!
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Meh, it’s south of the M62 so technically London 
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