Regarding the prepayment of fuel issue, I want to give a hint to the friends who will rent a car later. I just saw a car friend above who said something not quite right. When we paid the prepayment for fuel, we were told to pick up the car with a full tank and return it with a full tank. However, when we returned the car, we were informed that because we returned it with a full tank, the deposit would be refunded. But in reality, it did not happen. We sent an email to the car rental company Sixt to confirm this, and the reply was that after prepaying the fuel fee, it is not necessary to return the car with a full tank, and returning it with a full tank will not result in a deposit refund. (It's just a way for them to keep your money in the end.) As long as you have signed the contract, they will insist on it. (Regarding what the car friend above said, to put it bluntly, it's just a matter of not being good at English. I really want to roll my eyes at this. ️ They are lumping everyone's different situations together.) ?
United Kingdom Q&A
We arrived in Paris on the 13th and stayed for 6 days, then drove to Fontainebleau, Lyon, Nice, Monaco, Genoa, Florence, and arrived in Rome yesterday. We were on edge the whole way... First of all, the temperature here is not hot. The wind is quite cold. We have to wear down jackets and woolen hats to keep warm. It is not recommended to drive in the city of Paris. It is difficult to find parking spaces on the road surface. The entrances and exits of underground parking lots are too narrow and difficult to find. Navigation mainly relies on the map built into the Apple phone, which is actually a collaboration with Tom Tom and is very accurate. The maps we downloaded at home are not very reliable, including Google Maps. We were misled several times, even guided to a snow-covered mountain road at night. Maybe it's because we didn't enter the address accurately. Remember to enter the postal code of the region. Google Play needs to be installed to have offline maps, so you must have wireless WiFi. The high-speed rail here is very fast. France is 130 and Italy is 110. I think this is the lowest speed. There will always be cars following me to drive. After all, the car company gave me a top-of-the-line Mercedes-Benz E200 station wagon, black German license plate, which is too eye-catching. This caused me to park in the underground garage and dare not park on the road, for fear that my car windows would be broken and my bag would be stolen. All overtaking must be done from the left side, and then the left lane must be given up. It is forbidden to occupy the left lane for a long time. Right-hand overtaking is strictly prohibited, which is very dangerous! Highways need to prepare some 50, 20, 10, 5, 2, 1, and 0.5 euro banknotes and coins in advance. Do not enter the electronic payment channel by mistake. France and Italy have many dark tunnels that are relatively narrow. Overtaking and turning do not slow down. It feels like you're driving a race car, so small cars are popular here. Their control performance is good. Remember not to rent big cars! My Mercedes-Benz is too long, and the city control is really a bit difficult. Those streets, tunnels, and parking lot passages are really narrow! Bring fewer luggage when you go out ?
France Q&A
I just returned to my country, and overall it was safe and sound. I didn't encounter any thieves, and my car was also in good condition. First of all, the safety education is quite sufficient, and the journey was like fighting monsters, but in reality it wasn't that scary. Italy's famous attractions not only have police, but also armored vehicles and armed soldiers, making it difficult to imagine how thieves and scammers would operate. Secondly, don't be tempted to park on the roadside. I always use paid parking lots, and there are people watching over them in Pisa. In addition, Italy may have an average economic situation, which is reflected not only in prices, but also in the scarcity of black people. Even in the capital Rome, there are slightly more black people, but even they look down on Italy. Finally, let's talk about ztl. Italy's historic districts are relatively small and essentially tourist attractions, so parking outside the ztl will not cause much inconvenience ?
Italy Q&A
The United States is very large, and every time you go somewhere it's different. This summer, I went to Yellowstone and chose an SUV, but I regretted it because the high center of gravity made it tilt heavily on the mountain roads... and all the roads were paved, so if you don't have a need for a lot of luggage, don't choose an SUV. Last year, I rented a BMW 4 Series to drive around the Grand Canyon area and it felt great. I stayed in Yellowstone for 5 days, 2 days at Old Faithful, 2 days at Canyon, and 1 day at Yellowstone Lake. The itinerary was not tight, so I just played around and drove all the roads in Yellowstone. Accommodation in Yellowstone is expensive, and the itinerary was not optimized, but the gas prices were cheaper than in the Bay Area. As for cash and credit cards, to be honest, I haven't used much cash in recent years. I only keep cash for tips. Throughout the trip, I only used cash once at a strange restaurant in Salt Lake City for one night, and also used cash to send postcards at the Yellowstone post office. Everything else was done with credit cards, including self-service gas and meals. It was surprising to find out at a gas station in Carson City that they explicitly did not accept VISA credit cards and had to use a MasterCard. I remembered trying credit cards at gas stations in Utah and San Diego last year, and this year's experience was really different, as many gas stations have upgraded ?
United States Q&A
For one-off compensation and various benefits for those who suffer permanent injury. Q: What constitutes an "accident"? Any illness or injury caused by a sudden event. Some cases are uncontroversial: those who have been assaulted, involved in a car accident, fallen over, self-harmed, injured by any external force, and sudden illnesses that cannot be predicted. ACC will usually accept these cases straight away, without seeking a doctor's professional opinion. Some cases may be related to past medical history, for example, if someone who previously had high blood pressure suffered a heart attack or stroke in New Zealand, there is controversy over whether this counts as an "accident". ACC will usually seek a doctor's opinion and then make a decision on whether to pay compensation. However, in these cases, doctors usually side with the patient and advise ACC to pay compensation. Unlike general commercial insurance companies, ACC can be "free" and automatically joined. The biggest difference between ACC and general commercial insurance companies is that you don't have to join ACC insurance before an accident happens. As long as you are a natural person in New Zealand, you are automatically insured ?
New Zealand Q&A
I just returned from Sweden in August, and I have had many appearances before, including developed countries such as Australia. In theory, there should be no problem at all. I am now worried that the Zhongzhi Visa Center is playing tricks. I was supposed to submit my documents on September 1st. At that time, the staff checked the child's documents first and said there was no ticket pre-order. The child's other documents were all qualified. I actually bought the ticket, but I was confused and didn't print it. I told her I would go to the lobby to print it and come back in ten minutes. She said that even if it was a supplementary document, all three people had to upgrade to VIP, and each person had to pay an additional 250 yuan. I thought it was not worth it and said I would come back another day. So I made another appointment on September 5th. I checked the documents at home many times and thought there should be no problem before I went. As a result, after the staff checked all our documents, they said the photo was not qualified, and the proportion of the face in the photo was too large. I said I took it when I applied for a Swedish visa in July, and most importantly, the staff who checked the documents a few days ago said that everything was fine except for the lack of a ticket pre-order, and they even asked me to paste the child's photo on the application form. Why did they say the photo was not acceptable this time? Isn't this finding fault for no reason? I was particularly angry at the time and argued with them. The staff asked for approval from their superiors, but they said that the result of today's review was final, which was simply unreasonable. Both my partner and I went to take photos again, but the child did not go. In the end, we had to go to the school to pick up the child and take photos, which was simply trying to find ways to charge extra fees, shameless to the extreme. I don't know if they have submitted our documents as required, because based on the situation of submitting documents twice, I think the conduct of the staff of the Zhongzhi Visa Center entrusted by the embassy is really not commendable ?
Switzerland Q&A
Return and inspection of the car
1. Prepare the checklist provided by the rental company before
2. Rental agreement, insurance documents, deposit receipt
3. Wash the car before returning it, both interior and exterior. Otherwise, you may be fined up to 500 Swiss francs for car washing (e.g. in Switzerland)
4. All photos taken when picking up the car
5. Return the car with a full tank of gas. Otherwise, you may be charged for refueling, which can be expensive
6. Take a photo of the fuel gauge
7. Take photos of any potential scratches to avoid being overcharged
8. When the car is inspected, make sure to check what is written and any associated fees. If there are any objections, resolve them before signing. This can be a stressful time, especially if you are in a rush to catch a flight, and you may overlook certain issues. It can be difficult to resolve them once you have returned home
9. The deposit refund will depend on the rental company checking for any violations, parking tickets, or toll charges. It may take 1-2 months to receive the deposit refund, and there will be no notification. The charges will be automatically deducted
Additional information: Some gas stations offer automatic and manual car wash services. Both require self-operation.
Automatic car wash: Drive in, the brushes will automatically clean and dry the car. The cost varies from 10-29 Swiss francs, depending on the size of the car. Advantages: Quick, approximately 10-20 minutes. Disadvantages: Expensive, and the car may not be thoroughly cleaned. Vacuuming requires coins, approximately 1 franc for 10 minutes
Manual car wash: Advantages: Cheaper, more thorough cleaning, and can help identify any issues. Disadvantages: Tiring, limited time with the car wash hose, need to purchase car wash detergent. Indoor vacuuming requires renting a vacuum for approximately 1 franc for 10 minutes ?
Switzerland Q&A