below are the most frequently asked questions regarding your car hire
Who is buggs car hire?
Buggs car hire started in 2005 and is a fully registered French SARL company (equivalent to UK Limited Company). Buggs was set up by local English residents when the low cost airlines started to arrive at Bergerac airport to offer our unique service and an alternative to the large multi-national companies. In November 2013, a second site was opened at Limoges airport & in January 2016 we are due to open our third site at La Rochelle airport.
What are the car hire options at Bergerac, Limoges & La Rochelle airports?
Bergerac, Limoges and La Rochelle are small airports and, although there are numerous car hire broker websites offering car hire at these locations, there are just Hertz, Avis, Europcar/Alamo and Enterprise/Citer on site, (& of course buggs ). All the car hire broker websites will offer prices they then sell your booking to one of these options. Be aware that no matter what the broker site may offer, your booking will be passed to the local agent, when you arrive to collect the car, they ask you to sign their rental agreement and you will be liable under their terms, not the terms you may have booked on. The local agent will also insist on a credit card so they can pre allocate a deposit and fuel charges which, subject to the condition of your vehicle on return, they will then refund. Buggs will not reserve any funds from your card.
How do I get a buggs quote?
Complete the get a quote form on the front page of our website, our system will check availability and email your personal quotation. Please be sure to complete all the sections so we can give an accurate price, and include any special requirements like wheelchair access, automatic etc..
What is included in your personal quote?
Your quote gives a price for the car/s available based on the times, dates and location requested. It will explain what is included in the price and offer a list of optional extras for you to add, as required. This price is valid for 48 hours. The buggs quote (plus any optional extras you may require) will be the final price you will pay. When making price comparisons, it is important to compare like-for-like. With "comparison websites" and "broker websites" additional charges are often compulsory on arrival, e.g. fuel, out-of-hours fee, cleaning etc..
BUGGS WILL NOT MAKE ANY ADDITIONAL CHARGES ON ARRIVAL.
What is not included in your personal quote?
Optional items - additional drivers, child seats, buggs bonus package (excess waiver cover) and sat. nav. system are all clearly listed with the relevant prices on your quote. You can choose these options when you complete your booking form. You can add these to your car hire cost for the total price with buggs guarantee of no additonal charges on arrival.
What insurance cover is included?
Your quote includes fully comprehensive insurance cover, commonly called CDW (collision damage waiver) including theft, third party and breakdown cover. However, this carries an "insurance excess" amount which maybe payable in the event of any damage. Buggs insurance excess starts at 800 euros for the small cars and increases for the larger cars (1500 euros for all cars when hirers/drivers under 25 years old) . If you add the buggs bonus excess waiver package to your hire options, (not to be confused with "Excess Refundable" offered by broker websites) this will eliminate any need for payment in the event of an insurance claim.(sorry we cannot offer this product to drivers/hirers under 25 years) At 10 euros (approx. £8.25) per day for group A & B Cars and 12 euros (approx £10) per day for group C,D & E cars, this is the most competitively priced excess waiver option.Please note "excess Waiver" is not the same product as "Excess Refundable" which is offerered by broker websites. With the refundable product you have to pay the excess to the car hire company and then go through the procedure of recovering your monies through the insurance, with excess waiver this illiminates the excess and therefore you will not be required to pay it in the event of a incident. Further details are available in the insurance section.
I was told buggs were the cheapest option!
We are confident we offer the best value for money for car hire at our onsite airport locations. When making comparisons with alternative providers, consider extra charges on arrival, e.g. fuel, and the cost of additional requirements like additional drivers, child seats and excess waiver cover. Prices offered by comparison and broker websites do not always show the true final cost. Buggs policy is to offer a fixed price with no additional charges on arrvial. Our priority is personal service to the customer and to make the start of your visit to France a pleasant one.
Will the buggs office be open?
Buggs do not have any set opening hours, we will be there for the times agreed on your booking confirmation document. With your flight details we will also be there if your flight arrival is delayed. Buggs simple solution of meeting clients when requested means that we do have any "out of hours bookings" and, unlike many of the alternatives, we do not charge an "out of hours" fee payable on arrival. We advise that, when making booking comparisons, you check the companies opening times so to avoid disappointment and additional charges.
Can buggs deliver and collect to another address?
Yes, we can deliver locally to other addresses, just put the address details with postcode on your quote request form and, subject to availability, we will include these costs. You can also collect and return to Bergerac Station.
What cars do buggs have?
Buggs continue to update its range of cars on a regular basis. Go to the buggs cars page and select a group for examples of vehicles in the relevant catergory.
Will I get the model of car I booked?
Our bookings are taken by car group. If you have a specific need, i.e. large luggage, wheelchair, please let us know and we will endeavour to provide the car you require, subject to availability.
What are the fuel arrangements?
Buggs provide the car full of fuel and ask you to return the car full. If for any reason you do not return the car as requested, we will re fuel the car and charge you the pump prices plus 40 euro refueling fee. We believe this is the fairest option, as alternative providers are requesting you pay for a full tank on arrival and return the car empty. We think this is a hidden charge, as it is not always possible to returnt a car empty.
Do buggs provide child seats?
Yes, we have a wide range of quality car seats available for all ages and our prices are the cheapest at Bergerac, Limogoes & La Rochelle airports. For insurance reasons we are not allowed to fit them into the car but we will be there to assist and help insure they are fitted correctly. Do not hesitate to contact us if you have specific requirements.
Do I need to provide the warning triangle and yellow vest required by French Law?
No, buggs cars are all ready equipped to meet these requirements. Please ask the buggs representative when collecting your car to point these out if you require clarification of their location in the car.
Do I need to provide a breathalyser kit?
No, this is not required by French law.
How do I book my car?
Once you have received your quote you can reserve the car by clicking on accept your quote on the front page and completing our online booking form. We will ask you to complete all of the details required to enable us to have your rental agreement ready for your arrival. You will therefore not have stand around filling out forms at the airport and we can have you on the road in a matter of minutes. (You are welcome to wave at the queues for the other companies!). We have a regular user form for our increasing number of return customers, this is an abbreviated version as we will have certain details from previous hires.
How do I pay for my car?
Once we have received your booking form we will telephone you to confirm the details then take your payment. We recommend where possible that you use a credit card for payment (Mastercard or Visa) as this may offer you certain benefits. Alternatively we accept Visa debit or a French cheque/card if this is more suitable to you.
Do I need a credit card to hire from buggs?
No, we accept debit cards for payment, and do not request a credit card deposit on collection of the car.
What extra costs are added?
Assuming you return the car in the condition you collected it with the correct fuel we NEVER take any additional payments or try sell you additional extras.
Do I pay extra if I am over 70 or under 25 years old?
No, Buggs do not charge any extra fees for drivers over 70 or under 25 years old, but all drivers must have held a full driving licence for a minimum of 3 years. The alternative hirers at Bergerac, La Rochelle and Limoges airports may add an additional daily fee when you collect the car for these age groups. Buggs have managed to avoid additional young/old driver fees, however, cars hired/driven by drivers under 25years carry an insurance excess of 1500€ and we are not able to offer the excess waiver option, and hirers under 25 are required to leave a 1500€ credit card deposit (on arrival) which is refunded on satisfactory return of the car. Our insurers will only allow under 25year drivers to drive/hire a group A or B car. So if all goes well young drivers will not being paying any additional costs.
What if I need to cancel or alter my booking?
Buggs are happy to make minor changes, where possible, to any booking. A small admin fee may apply if extra payments or refunds are required. If you need to cancel a booking refer to our “terms and conditions” for the standard refund options, however we highly recommend choosing our cancellation cover you will see this option when completing your booking form. For the small fee of 10€ per hire this “no questions asked” option offers a 95% refund applicable up to 4 hrs prior to your agreed collection time. This refund policy is the best money back option available for car hire at Bergerac, La Rochelle and Limoges airports.
Where and how do I collect my car?
At Bergerac - the Buggs Bungalow is on the left as you exit the arrivals building. You can't miss it as it is in our corporate colours of lime green and purple.
At Limoges & La Rochelle airports - follow the signs to the specific car rental buildings via the main airport building exit. Our desk is situated in this building with all the other car hire companies.
One of our representatives will be there to meet you and get you on your way as quickly as possible. Please remember to have your drivers licence and passport for all the drivers.
What documents do I need to collect the car?
We require all drivers to present a valid full licence (photo copies are not acceptable), if you have a UK "photo" licence only this section is required, the paper section accociated with these is no longer required, however we suggest it is useful to bring it as it maybe required by French police in the event of an incident. Old UK paper licences are also acceptable, as long as they are in a readable condition, We do not require the DVLA code. . All drivers will also need to show their passports/ID cards for identification.
What if my flight is delayed or diverted?
We keep track of flight arrivals and departures and will be there, whatever, to meet you. It is useful if you have a mobile phone with you so, in exceptional situations (like flight diverted), we can contact you and confirm new arrangements.
What if I have an accident or breakdown in a buggs car?
Buggs provide a pack in the glove box with all the relevant paperwork and contact details for use in such an event.
Do buggs support other local airports in France?
Buggs plan to open at other airports in France but we are finding it hard to keep up with demand in Bergerac and Limoges (La Rochelle schedule to start in Jan 2016). However, if you are looking to move down to this part of the world and would like to run a branch of buggs at another location, please do not hesitate to contact us.
What if my question is not here?
Contact us via the contact page
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