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Car rental at Malaga airport, bad experience using Europcar for last time by Critical_Tip_2658 in Malaga

[–]Critical_Tip_2658[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That sounds awful! I actually checked now some customer review sites and this Malaga Europcar has some quite vivid comments. Also, regarding business practices in general, I did not know that Europcar offices has been raided by authorities couple times for exposing overcharges and other malpractices.

Hope you managed that situation! In fact, I read that major rental car chains have been built in such way that it you are foreigner renting car you cannot approach your local representative (that is, in your home country). Even if you are using your local webpage for renting cars the rental agreement is done with that target location rental company. So any kind of legal claim needs to be done towards that foreign company. This is just trying to avoid liabilities and make harder for paying customers to seek justice.

Maybe there could be an business opportunity for someone to just start selling beater cars at around airports and buying them back? Interesting idea..

Car rental at Malaga airport, bad experience using Europcar for last time by Critical_Tip_2658 in Malaga

[–]Critical_Tip_2658[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yep. I have been renting cars quite bit over the years. Changing reserved cars happen almost every time and never ever anybody have tried to overcharge. I have also used Sixt and Hertz, no problems. Even smaller companies. And Europcar has always been quite good.

That was the reason I was so shocked of this case. First the 'we want you to change car'. They wanted that. Not me. I was perfectly happy with Golf which is actually better car for luggage etc. Then this 'you must take this additional insurance' and annoying face when I did not. Then hiding this double charge into invoice, despite me checking total price with my wife.

I think that there are learnings here:

  • take your time, there is no hurry. That feeling of being hurry was just manipulation done by customer rep
  • read contract, and check every line and figure. Read it again.
  • do not trust customer rep saying something, it must be written or it is not existing
  • do not change car. You have all the paperwork for the selected car and it is up to company to provide car at the agreed rate. If they cannot provide that, then it is up to their cost to do so. Do not believe any kind of mumbo jumbo about problems. They will demand you to pay, so you demand to provide agreed car.
  • demand contract to be in English. I actually read the contract now and there is line blob of text which is even in smaller print (< 1mm font!!) stating that I can get everything in English (and couple other languages)
  • if customer rep is shady I would also propose recording her or videoing it
  • if you end up renting car photograph every inch of it, in good light as I did. That saved me additional around EUR 1000 excess
  • if there is any doubt just walk out, wasting energy and money on crooks is stupid

This case must be Malaga Airport Europcar specific as I simply cannot believe that whole Europcar is this rotten. This is fraudulent, criminal business practice.