Car rental has gone mental...

At Toulouse airport a couple of weeks ago I clocked that we’d spent more time waiting in line for our pre-booked and paid for Europcar rental than we’d spent in the actual air flying from London.

It seems we got off lightly. Reports abound of other firms hitting customers with unexpected costs for dents and scratches which, it emerged this week, are often not repaired. Instead, they claim to accept a lower price when they eventually come to sell the car on. Companies are also putting pressure on punters to pay for extra insurance even if they are covered and deposits worth up to £1,200 are being blocked from credit cards.

I have absolutely no idea what you can do to avoid such widespread sharp practices but hope that this heads-up proves useful.