Slightly off topic - If you go early or late season you should never hire
through the tour operator (probably shouldn't anyway but that's another
matter). At the ends of the season there are too many hire shops chasing too
few customers and prices will come down a lot. Also the out of the way
places will probably be cheaper.

e.g. In Mottaret before christmas a friend of mine walked over to a lonely
little shop on the opposite side of the village to the few chalets that had
anyone in them and paid about the half the 'standard' rate.