A WOMAN has told of her shock after being told she would have to shell out over £18,000 to hire a car at Dublin Airport.
The tantalizing quote of a week’s rent paid for plans for a city break with pals.
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RTE’s Joe Duffy took to Twitter to report the €18,703.50 caller Mary should have paid for the seven-seater.
Liveline host Joe said: “€18,703.50 to rent a car for a week. #ripoffpublic.”
Based in Turkey, she initially said she thought the numbers were in pounds.
She said it was an example of “fraudulent Ireland at its best”.
And she said to Joe, “I love Ireland…I love to visit…My soul is happy when I’m in Ireland.
“But with prices like this, I’m also out of the market.”
Mary had planned to bring friends for a visit, but the quote, which doesn’t include insurance, made her think twice.
She said she has since looked at car rentals in four other cities for the same car size and duration.
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The equivalent arrangement in Malaga would cost just €982, while in Paris she would be charged €1,692.
She could rent a car for a week in London for €1,200 or in Belfast for €1,171.
Mary said: “Ireland is open for business, but only come if you’re extremely wealthy, and if you’re not, don’t bother.”
The cost of €18,703 over a week equates to over €2,500 per day.
Even though this has been split between seven people, it still comes out to around €2,600 per person for the week.
PRICE SHOCK
Twitter users offered cheaper alternatives, with Mary saying she would be up for “anything much less” than the original rental price.
One user said: “It’s cheaper to buy a used one and leave it at Dublin airport on the way home!”
Another user joked, “Using a helicopter would be cheaper.”
Addressing the off-putting nature of tourism, one tweeted: “A tourist seeing these prices plus accommodation would wonder why I would go there.
“Looks like we’re trying to scare away the tourists.”
A third person said: ‘We have become a complete embarrassment.
When it became clear that the listed price didn’t include insurance, one Twitter user commented, “That’s health insurance you would need after seeing this.”
