The travel site that is not as bad as it seems

PRICEWATCH DAILY:A US travel site, a filthy train and car hire have all been stoking readers' ire, writes CONOR POPE

We had a big reaction from readers to a piece we carried earlier this week about the US Electronic System for Travel Authorisation. Several wanted to know why the official website “is the one that looks the most amateur of the lot” and others wondered why the official site address – https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/ – appeared well down the list on matches following a Google search, and why it was the one of the most convoluted addresses.

One reader went so far as to say he’d be perfectly happy to pay upwards of $50 just so he could avoid having to type that address, although his tongue was firmly in his cheek. We hope. Hamish said the article had saved his son €40.

Driven around the bend by car hire

A number of readers, and several car-rental companies, have been in touch about the cost of car hire, particularly on the Spanish costas. Readers highlighted the wisdom of using the web to shop around and pointed out that by steering clear of the big boys this summer they have been able to knock hundreds off the cost of hiring a car this summer.

Damian Leneghan said that for his two-week holiday in Mallorca in July he rented a Citroën C4 people carrier “after much advance research, from a company called Auto Rios”. He says he got “excellent customer care, booked in advance (no payments/deposit necessary) and would recommend this company unreservedly”.

A reader called James sent us a mail after spending his morning looking for car rental in France. “The cheapest place that I found was webcarhire.com. There is an incredible difference in prices. The car that I got for €366 was €545 with a more notable brand.”

A reader called Denis echoed his sentiments and pointed out that by shopping around “you will find cars. It is definitely more expensive than last year and there is not as good a choice but you will still get something.”

“It’s true that this summer the cars are scarce and the prices high,” wrote Kieran. “However, last April I was able to hire a medium-sized car in Valencia for four days for €44 through Bravo Car Hire.”

When the journey is not half the fun

The last word on Irish Rail goes to Catherine Murphy. “A group of four of us travelled on the 5pm train from Sligo to Dublin on Sunday last,” she writes. “At €44 per ticket it’s no bargain but the real problem was the filth of the carriages.” She mentions “over-flowing bins, ground-in crumbs on the seats, dirty floors, and tables that matched the floor in terms of dirt. And this was at the first stop. And what’s with no water in the toilets? It’s not hygienic and is completely unacceptable.”

- Finally, Garrett thinks buying barbecues or garden furniture in Ireland is ridiculous, no matter how good the discounts being offered by retailers are. “What’s the point of buying garden furniture and barbecues if you get to use them once every five years? My barbecue hasn’t seen the light of day since 2002. And that was my mate’s 40th, so we had to make an effort.”

Things haven’t been that bad, surely?

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