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Car Hire misery.
This summer I have had a car rental booked through carjet.com . We collected the car from Goldcar Europa in Alicante. The bodywork was in poor scratched condition, it smelled of smoke and had some pieces of paper lying in it. Then we discovered that the air conditioning did not work. It took about 15 minutes of driving and fiddling with the controls before we realised the air conditioning was not working. We had been travelling for some 8 hours, it was late at night and so we decided to get to our destination at La Torre Golf resort. About 1 hours drive from Alicante. The next day I took the car to Murcia airport where they exchanged it after keeping me waiting for 1 hour. This car was ok for the rest of my stay. The total rental was for over 3 weeks and cost 526.69 Euros. I then found that on 25th July Goldcar rental Alicante have taken an extra 273.08 Euros from my Barclaycard. I had no idea what this payment was for. I have still not received a statement of how this charge was calculated. This is surely not normal. Charge a customer don't tell them they have been charged and give no invoice or receipt and give no explanation. I then contacted carjet.com who simply contacted Goldcar Europa. They eventually told me that the charge was for damaging the underside of the car. They inferred that they could do no more as I had damaged the car and this is the only part that was not covered by insurance.
At no time did I cause any damage to the car. It was busy at the peak season and I suggest the car had been turned round quickly without being checked fully. I have now contacted Barclaycard who have advised me that I must contact Goldcar and they could not help me. I found this surprising.
In short, they have charged me for damage that was clearly done before I received the car. I categorically deny causing any damage to the vehicle and my wife will happily testify to this. Despite emails to Goldcar I have only received 1 reply saying I caused the damage. Despite my requests they have not provided me with any evidence that they had checked the car. They have also failed to supply a detailed invoice of why I have been charged. I am a regular traveller to Spain and have had no problems with other companies. I actually feel as if I have been robbed since money has been taken from my account with no details given and no evidence that I caused any problems to the car. The question is, where do I go from here. Is it easy to pursue the matter in the Spanish courts And how much would it cost.
As a matter of principal I cannot let the matter rest. I am 273 euros out of pocket for no reason.
I am writing this to ask for help and as a warning to other people about how they seem to sign away all rights when signing a car rental contract with Goldcar Europa. Any help or advice would be gratefully received. Richard Chapman. richard@active-education.co.uk
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Unfortunately Richard with any car hire company not just goldcar you are signing for the car as described on the paperwork when you collect the car and without checking every detail before you sign for it then they could charge you what ever they seem fit.
With damage to the underneath of the car I can't see how they can prove it was you without any proof at all unless the damage is visible without raising the car on ramps.
On the same basis and without sounding nasty they will say how do you know categorically you didn't damage the underside of the car.
Conrad
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Hi
This is a common occurance worldwide.It is up to you to check the car before removing it from the lot. In future if you cannot inspect the car sign the agreement that you have not inspected it.
With regard to Barclaycard again with any complaint they automatically say it is not down to them but between you and the merchant. However this is not always correct as they are jointly liable for any goods/services bought using the credit card if the total value of the goods/service are over £100. Personally my next move would be to inform your credit card company that you hold them jointly liable for the unauthorised removal of funds from your account under the Consumer Credit Act. I would then give them 7 days to reimburse you the money deducted from your account. They will of course refuse but will not charge interest on the disputed amount whilst they sort it out. Again I personally would inform the credit card company that if they do not replace your funds within 7 days you will issue proceedings in the Small Claims Court. Here for a small amount you can issue proceedings and even if you lose you are not responsible for the other sides legal fees. Just think that if it goes to court they will have to have a lawyer and I am certain the lawyers fees will be at least £200per hour plus travelling. So to have a lawyer attend the court it will cost them more than the amount you are claiming. Interesting scenario!!!!!
Good luck
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Stephen
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I would urge anyone hiring a vehicle to take out the extra insurance that will cover against damage to underside,glass and wheels/tyres.It's a small extra cost but will provide you with peace of mind and avoid this undoubted scam!.An annual policy is available via UK insurers for about £50 that will provide similar cover..
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With regard to Barclaycard again with any complaint they automatically say it is not down to them but between you and the merchant. However this is not always correct as they are jointly liable for any goods/services bought using the credit card if the total value of the goods/service are over £100.
Unfortunately this will not cover you on goods/ services purchased overeas. There has been a recent court case over this very subject of overseas purchases and the courts ruled in favour of the card company. I am sure it is on Google somewhere, don't know where though.
Mark
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hi
Sorry to hear of the troubles, we picked up a similar sort of car last summer, scratched, slight dents, one light not working and smelling of smoke, we got the hire agent in san javier airport car hire area to sign the hire paper to that effect, also took pictures; swapped it two days later and no troubles.
We never take the tyre etc insurance they offer, we have an annual cover agreement through Insurance 4 Car Hire. This policy saves us money on our annual trips and guarantees that if you follow their instructions, they will do all the battle fighting for you.
We always take pictures of the car as we return it to the depot, with a digital camera it is no problem to go right round the car.
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Its very difficult to look over the car you are renting when it's late at night when you pick it up. We hired, what we thought was a new Fiesta this month it had 800K on the clock.
When we looked it over the next morning in daylight there was trim missing the aerial was missing there we 2 deep scratches on the drivers door and a rather large dent on the bonnet. But we were provided with a tiangle and high vis jacket !!!!!!
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Sterling
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lucky you Sterling!! we have yet to pick up a car with it's full compliment of safety equipment. Not a nice feeling when you are pulled over by the Guardia Civil for a silly driving error, and they want to go through the car because you stupidly forgot to travel everywhere with your passport to hand.
I know it is hard to see faults at night, but things like deep scratches and dents on bonnets should be photograph-able even in the dark.
It is always a temptation after the flight etc to jump in a get to wherever you are going asap, but a couple of minutes spent looking over the car will save a lot of hassle later, there are usually some well lit areas in car pounds, drive to one of those . Mark on the hire agreement any faults and then get the people handing out keys to countersign.
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Hi Cooberpedy,
With regard to the safety equipment not being in the car when picked up. I was told by the hire company (Goldcar) that if there you are stopped and fined by the Guardia your fine would be reimbersed by them.
I took a car back to Goldcar and asked them to provide these items, they did for a €20 deposit. I asked why they didn't inform clients of the option to hire. I was told then about the fine being paid. Ridiculous!!!!
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Sterling
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Yet another way of adding to the cost of car hire, a deposit of 20€ means that you can't just hand back the keys and run for the flight, you have to queue to get your money back, I bet they rely on not many people being bothered to collect 20€ at the end of their holiday. Very seriously thinking of buying the triangle and hi vis jacket and leaving them in our apartment, the outlay would be repaid in less than a year and they would be available for others to use.
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You need two triangles and some people say thay have been fined for not having 5 Hi Vis vests in car even though only two people were in car at the time.
I bought a set of triangles for Carrefour and always travel with my Hi Vis vest in my hand luggage. I keep the triangles and extra vests at the the house and transfer them to the boot after I arrive.
For the last couple of car hires I've used Econorent and they supply the triangles and 1 hi vis vest as standard.
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Hi Semi
Thanks for the information, I will definitely get the triangles next time I am over, and the hi viz vests ( or would they be cheaper here at the moment given the exchange rate?)
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I think you can get them for 2.50E in the markets. I get mine from Poundland, depends if you have one local to you.
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Accepted Terms and Conditions:
- All drivers must be at least 21 years of age and have been in possession of a valid driving licence for at least one year.
- Our prices include:
- V.A.T. and Local Taxes.
- Unlimited Mileage.
- Fully comprehensive insurance without excess, personal liability insurance as well as theft insurance (personal belongings are excluded).
- Our prices do not include:
- Petrol (please note our fuel policy below).
- Additional drivers, 2€ per day per driver, up to a maximum of 10€ per additional driver per rental with a maximum of 3 additional drivers per contract.
- Baby Seat, 2,50€ per day up to a maximum of 30€ per rental.
- Fuel Policy:
- For rentals of three days or less, you will receive the vehicle with a full tank and upon the return or the vehicle you will be refunded the proportion of unused petrol.
- For rentals of a minimum of four days, you will receive the vehicle with a full tank and you should return it empty.
- The price of a full tank varies from 45€ to 120€ depending on the make and model of the vehicle, and we kindly request be paid upon pick up.
- Complaints must be lodged within 30 days of service rendered.
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Hi all, 2 things.
1. Can someone give me a definitive as to what equipment you must carry by law in your vehicle when driving in Spain.
2. Never leave a hire car place on returning your vehicle without having one of their staff check it and sign your paperwork to say there is no damage, and if they claim there is, have them clearly state what it is. Not easy if you are returning out of hours, but no check means you are leaving yourself wide open. I did this once and never again. Nuff said.
Regards,
Ken.
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Hi Kenny B
Things that should be carried in a car.
1 Compulsory:
Hi viz jacket for everyone who will get out of the car if it breaks down.
2 Warning triangles
Set of replacement bulbs
Firstaid kit
If spectacles needed to drive then a spare pair
All documents relating to car i.e. reg docs, insurance, ITV if applicable.
2 Advisory
Fire extinguisher
Two bottles of water. 1 for passengers and 1 for the car.
Be advised that apart from usual rules it is illegal to drive at night with the interior lights on.
Lights should not be used during daylight unless very poor visibility.
In tunnels you need your lights on even if there is lighting.
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Stephen
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Accepted Terms and Conditions:
- All drivers must be at least 21 years of age and have been in possession of a valid driving licence for at least one year.
- Our prices include:
- V.A.T. and Local Taxes.
- Unlimited Mileage.
- Fully comprehensive insurance without excess, personal liability insurance as well as theft insurance (personal belongings are excluded).""
But does this apply if booked through a 3rd party (ie Carjet)?
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Poppyseed
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Hi Poppyseed, I think that Carjet are just acting as an agent in the case you mention; however I think the person hiring the car will be doing so with GOLDCAR. I also assume that the driver would sign GOLDCAR Terms & Conditions not those of Carjet.
Regards Frankie
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Cheers Steone, very useful.
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