FOAK Car rental.

Is it standard operating practise for a car compound to exist and rent
their stock through several 'brokers'?

I can rent a car from the same address through a couple of different
websites/phonenumbers/trading names with seemingly different terms,
insurance exclusions, costs and excesses.

I am confused.

 

There are several price comparison sites / booking agents who can book
the same car at different prices, with different insurance terms.

 

Yes. Often the broker will provide you with a top-up insurance package at a
much better rate than the hire company.

Pick a broker that lets you pay the hire company on collection of the
vehicle. This is even more important in the current economic climate.

It's a PITA if the broker goes bust before they settle up with the hire
company. Happened to me in 2007 when Autobookers went tits-up. The Italian
hire company came after me 3 months after I'd had the car rental, charging
the fee to the card I'd used to secure the deposit. It should've been an
easy chargeback on the credit card but a brain fart, using different credit
cards paying Autobookers and securing a deposit on the car, made matters
awkward.

 

Don't expect too much love, you're only a girl.