Measures designed to assist drivers who are unable to fulfil their rental contracts due to the current extreme weather conditions have been introduced by Avis UK.
The rental company is waiving its non cancellation fee on pay-on-return reservations booked for pick up until January 4.
Customers holding pre-pay bookings may cancel their reservation and receive a full refund without the normal £20 administration fee this usually incurs.
But Avis is “strongly advising” customers to cancel their booking if they know they will not be able to make it to the Avis location as this will free up cars for other stranded customers.
The company warned that its call centres are experiencing a high volume of calls. Where customers with a pre-pay booking are unable to cancel before their rental date they can still request a refund.
For bookings where the face value of the voucher is above £75, Avis will refund any amount in excess of £75. However, for bookings where the face value of the voucher is below £75 no refund will be made.
Customers who have already picked up their rental car but are unable to return it due to the weather, may extend their rental at the same daily rate they are currently paying by contacting their rental location.
Commercial director Anthony Ainsworth said: “The current cold snap has knocked the UK transport network sideways and with just a few days to go until Christmas it couldn’t have come at a worse time.
“By temporarily suspending these cancellation fees, which are an industry standard, Avis is trying to help minimise the problems the current weather is presenting to UK travellers.”