Carhire warning

[travelingsuep]

Hi everyone

I thought I would share my experience of AutoEuropa/Sciliy by Car who I rented with via Auto Europe in July. I had a minor scrape - no arguments, my fault - and AutoEuropa took the money off my credit card a few days after I returned the car. I have an excess policy and despite AutoEuropa being quick enough to claim their money, I had to wait 5 weeks (after numerous phone calls and emails) until I could get a damage report from them to complete the claim. Bad enough, but...

Today 1st October I checked my credit card statement and AutoEuropa have deducted an unauthorised 60euros mid-Sept. Why, I have no idea. I have spoken to my credit card company, have to wait for forms, complete them etc in order to eventually get my money back.

I will never use AutoEuropa again, especially as the cost of calls & time has equalled what I saved by not using another company.
Sue

[brynithel3]

Hi Sue

From one who suffered inthe past, sorry to hear about your problems. I hope you get them resolved quickly.

From which airport did you get the car? I have not had any problems at Lamezia or Naples but Rome is another matter.

Ciao

John

[italianirish]

Hi Sue,
I also had problems with the same company in June. They took €60.00 of my credit card. When I emailed them, they said it was for insurance excess. I told them I didn't want the extra insurance when I got the car because I had insurance excess with another company. They insisted I wanted their extra insurance when I got the car. After lots of emails to them, I never heard anything back from them and I never got my €60.00 back from them. I collected my car at Lamezia Airport. Needless to say I won't be using them again. I am sorry I never posted this when it happened to me. Maybe you would have read it and not booked with them.
In future if I have problems with any other companies on any matter, you can be sure I will be posting.

Michael

[bella_ciao]

Originally Posted by italianirish

Hi Sue,
I also had problems with the same company in June. They took €60.00 of my credit card. When I emailed them, they said it was for insurance excess. I told them I didn't want the extra insurance when I got the car because I had insurance excess with another company. They insisted I wanted their extra insurance when I got the car. After lots of emails to them, I never heard anything back from them and I never got my €60.00 back from them. I collected my car at Lamezia Airport. Needless to say I won't be using them again. I am sorry I never posted this when it happened to me. Maybe you would have read it and not booked with them.
In future if I have problems with any other companies on any matter, you can be sure I will be posting.

Michael

Hi,
Thank you for letting us all know about your problems with unauthorised credit card charges by car hire companies. 60 Euros seems a very odd amount to charge for insurance excess - I think that word should be substituted for "excuse" because it seems that any will do when it comes to these companies taking money from your card. Excess usually costs a lot more than that - sometimes more than the actual car hire itself when you sign for it at the airport (or even if you add it on when making out the online form), so I really don't think that one washes.
We got caught out the first time we booked with Hertz through Ryanair to pick up the car at Lamezia airport - we had already told them that we'd paid for the excess but found our card had been charged for more than £300 when we arrived home. I've already documented this on another thread, along with several other members who have been similarly charged. We did get our money back after putting our credit card into dispute. We also wrote a letter of complaint (along with an email to Hertz) and got a polite, apologetic letter back from them, informing us they had refunded us the money. However, I noticed that they had only refunded us in part for this charge, so I pointed this out and they refunded the rest without question. You simply have to be persistent and, if everyone has the same determination, here's hoping these companies will eventually get the point.
However, you do have to read the small print as the following thread will reveal:

http://www.scalea.info/forum/chit-ch...d-payment.html (Car Hire/un-authorised credit card payment)

I guess the moral is to use a reputable company, who will be more likely to be fair with you, and always read the small print because different countries often have different rules. Best to be wise before the event wherever possible.
Hope it turns out well for you.
Ciao,
Frances.

[travelingsuep]

Thxs for all your posts.

It seems as if you can't trust any company. I rented at Rome this time (I had read your previous post John), but had to have a car. Michael - your right in Scalea, we paid almost the rental price again in excess.

As I paid in full, prior to rental, and except for the damage I had to pay for, there is no reason for them to make a 3rd request to my CC company.

I think Barclaycard will get my money back on my behalf (once I receive the forms), as I phoned them asap to inform them of the unauthorised deduction. I haven't emailed Auto Europa/Sciliy by car yet, but the can't argue it's for excess as they charged me nearly 300 euros for the damage caused to the car. Fingers X'd.

[brynithel3]

Hi Sue

Best of luck with your appeal.

We are setting off tomorrow and have booked with Eurocar, through Easyjet. After previous experiences I am always filled with trepidation and am on my guard during the transaction. The latest scam, of charging road tax, will be the first question that I will ask them. Then off, armed with my trusty camera, to inspect the car. Always get them out to note any discrepancies on the paperwork and get these alterations stamped. They hate leaving the desk. Then pray you avoid the Kamikaze drivers during your holiday.

Ciao
John

[bella_ciao]

Originally Posted by brynithel3

Hi Sue

Best of luck with your appeal.

We are setting off tomorrow and have booked with Eurocar, through Easyjet. After previous experiences I am always filled with trepidation and am on my guard during the transaction. The latest scam, of charging road tax, will be the first question that I will ask them. Then off, armed with my trusty camera, to inspect the car. Always get them out to note any discrepancies on the paperwork and get these alterations stamped. They hate leaving the desk. Then pray you avoid the Kamikaze drivers during your holiday.

Ciao
John

Hi John,
Thanks for your post and I'm sure we'll all be very interested to know how things turn out for you re: car hire this time. To be honest with you and amazingly enough, the bump we had the last time we were in Calabria wasn't on the actual road but in a supermarket car park - someone had simply backed right into us while "maneouvering" and simply drove off - we hardly recognized the car when we came out of the supermarket - nearly walked right past it! Fortunately, it wasn't quite as bad as it looked but the scrape had left a nasty black mark from the other car's bumper. I had seen this happen in another supermarket car park the previous year when someone backed right into another parked car - the chap knew I'd seen it but just looked a bit sheepish and drove straight off.
Anyway, we managed to clean it up a bit and the damage was minimal. We pointed it out to the chap on the Hertz desk at Lamezia - it was fairly quiet at the time so it didn't cause him any problems to come out and see for himself - the total charge was 70 Euros, as I remember - better than receiving a bill loaded with "extras" if we'd been less than honest. I guess it's best to get to the airport as early as possible, so that you have more time to address these things (not forgetting to make sure the petrol tank is full first, of course!)
I think you're wise to have a plan like this (i.e. taking a camera and going with the representative to check the car and papers, both when you pick it up and drop it off) because it could save you a lot of hassle when you get back home. If enough people do that, they will surely get tired of having to deal with writing letters and giving refunds. I hope there's no dodgy "small print" on your Eurocar agreement.
Have a great time in Calabria and we hope to hear that you didn't have too many problems with this car hire situation.
Ciao,
Frances.

[brynithel3]

Hi Frances and Cool

Thanks for the tips. I will examine the final paperwork at hand.

I find that whenever I arrive at Rome ( between 1400 and 1500 hrs) the courtesy bus is not running and the petrol stations, on the approach to the airport, are closed. I am normally fortunate to find that the car supplied is not full and therefore it is not a problem when I return it.


Ciao

John

[bella_ciao]

Originally Posted by brynithel3

Hi Frances and Cool

Thanks for the tips. I will examine the final paperwork at hand.

I find that whenever I arrive at Rome ( between 1400 and 1500 hrs) the courtesy bus is not running and the petrol stations, on the approach to the airport, are closed. I am normally fortunate to find that the car supplied is not full and therefore it is not a problem when I return it.


Ciao

John

Hi again,
Yes, being vigilant with regard to all of these things when hiring a car (especially in a different country) seems to be the only way to make sure that you've covered your side of the transaction, so that everything is documented and you do have a leg to stand on if unauthorised charges show up on your credit card statement. I guess it's worth putting your holiday on hold for a few minutes and wearing your 'business hat' to have peace of mind during your stay in Calabria and then ignoring the desire to avoid the hassles at the airport when you drop the car off in favour of doing all the necessary checks/ taking photographs of the car, etc., to make sure these things are covered.
We found they are very particular at Lamezia about filling the tank before returning the car and I believe most people use the garage just before you get to the airport for this purpose. Of course, it's a different matter if the tank isn't full when you pick up the car but, naturally, this is one of the things you have to check when collecting the car.
I suppose that many will be using alternative routes to Scalea and the surrounding area now that Ryanair have closed their flights to Lamezia for the autumn and winter months but the same rules apply whichever airport(s) you choose to fly to in Italy. It will be interesting to hear different members' experiences when using these alternative airports and how they choose to make the onward journey, especially if they have been used to flying into Lamezia Terme airport in the past. It will also be helpful to know when Ryanair decides to reinstate their flights there - they did bring them back again last year for a while but it will probably be sometime in the Spring when they start flying there again. If anyone gets any news on that, please post it on the forum so that we all get to hear about it.
Have a safe journey and great time in Calabria, to anyone fortunate enough to be travelling there soon.
Ciao a tutti,
Frances.

[billy]

Hi,
I have used Hertz 3 times this year already from Rome booked through the ryanair website and, so far, have not had any problems regarding extra charges. Like John, I always go armed with my camera and ensure that any dents/scratches not reported on the form provided are added to the form before I drive the car. What I fail to understand is that if people are being charged extra money to allegedly repair dents and scratches why have any of the cars got scratches and dents in the first place. This is just a way of these Hire Companies obtaining more money from the punters and should not be allowed by law. I am going to Scalea for 12 days at end October/November and think I will stick with Hertz for the present although I did notice that Auto Europe were quite a bit cheaper. I am a bit wary of Auto Europe after reading some of the reports on this site.
Regards for now, Billy.

[italianirish]

Hi all,
I used to use Hertz at Lamezia. Now I use auto-europe.co.uk. They are much cheaper than Hertz and you pick your car up at Hertz. I can never understand how that happens. You would think Hertz would be cheaper because your not going through a third party.


Michael

[bella_ciao]

Originally Posted by italianirish

Hi all,
I used to use Hertz at Lamezia. Now I use auto-europe.co.uk. They are much cheaper than Hertz and you pick your car up at Hertz. I can never understand how that happens. You would think Hertz would be cheaper because your not going through a third party.


Michael

Hi,
I think these companies have to be very competitive with their prices - I don't know quite how it works but I expect that, like Ryanair, they have a deal with Hertz which enables them to offer a better rate to their customers. I agree, it does seem peculiar but I guess this is how the world of big business operates! The main thing is that you get the right deal to suit you and that people don't take liberties with your credit card afterwards!
Thanks for the info.
Ciao,
Frances.

[travelingsuep]

Originally Posted by italianirish

Hi all,
I used to use Hertz at Lamezia. Now I use auto-europe.co.uk. They are much cheaper than Hertz and you pick your car up at Hertz. I can never understand how that happens. You would think Hertz would be cheaper because your not going through a third party.


Michael

Wow I started something here. Michael, please be very careful. I booked through auto-europe.co.uk! It was only on arrival that I discovered the voucher was actually for auto-europa/Sciliy by car. They are connected, I can show a stack of emails between auto-europe.de & myself.

For me, I will never book using auto-europe chain. The extra money of Hertz or someone else, to me, is worth it.

[Dave]

Hello all
I am Dave
We have been going to scalea for some 3 years we have used nearly all the car hire people at Lamezia airport always there is some added charge ????
Anyone found a good one

[caoimho]

While we're on the matter, can anybody tell me how quickly these charges for damage go onto the credit card? Not that I'm expecting any charges but just would like to know .
Ci vediamo
Kev

[bella_ciao]

Originally Posted by caoimho

While we're on the matter, can anybody tell me how quickly these charges for damage go onto the credit card? Not that I'm expecting any charges but just would like to know .
Ci vediamo
Kev

Hi,
I can't be that specific but, with Hertz, they made a note of the damage and then told us how much would be charged to our credit card. I seem to remember that this charge showed on our next statement and was converted into GB pounds.
Usually these kind of charges show up fairly quickly. Here's hoping you don't have any but we were able to retrieve this amount through our excess insurers, Insurance4carhire. Just make sure you take appropriate photographs, as mentioned before on this thread, and go with the representative when he makes the inspection, taking note of what is written on the form and then ask them for a specific quote for the damage and make a note of this also.
Hope this helps.
Ciao,
Frances.

[fifi]

Hi Caoimho the car company thends to send you out an invoice a few weeks on your return
and the extra details should be on that.Well I lost your email ,but the kids are still in contact. I hope both of you have settled back after your extra long holiday.We are all totally fed up here, work, school, ++Thought we might manage a short trip before Christmas but not looking that way. Take care xxFifi

[Hev&Steve]

Hi all
We all seem to spend time criticizing Car Hire, which most of the time is rightly deserved. But every once in a while we have a good experience with them.

Just before my recent trip to Scalea, I booked a car from Naples Airport through Holiday Autos, the best deal they found was booking through Europcar. We picked the car up on arrival at Naples, a few scratches, took some pictures and told one of guys in the Europcar office "just in case". Returned the car at the end of the holiday, problem was we had gone into the next days rental by about three hours.
Anyway a few days after we arrived home, there's the expected bill for E29.15, but they had charged us for Excess insurance for damage and theft waiver. I emailed them back accepting the extra days charge, but not the insurance charge, as we already had insurance which I had told them when we first picked the car up.

Surprise, surprise in a matter of days a credit note arrived refunding us the full amount even including the extra days hire charge as a "gesture of goodwill" the letter said. So next time, it's Europcar for me, can't beat good service.

Just makes a change to say something good about a car hire company.

Ciao
Steve

[bella_ciao]

Hi,
Nice to hear about your good experience - thanks for sharing it with the rest of us. Here's hoping there'll be more of the same.
It just goes to show that it pays to be prepared and to follow up on any problem a.s.a.p.
I have to say we have used Holiday Autos ourselves in the past and found them to be a very good company. Europcar seems to have come up trumps for you - any reputable company will be concerned about retaining their good reputation and will therefore do their best to do the right thing by their customers in these circumstances.
Thanks again for the info.
Ciao,
Frances.

[brynithel3]

Hi Steve and Heather

What good news. Unexpected no doubt. Since our bad experience with Autoeuropa we have used Europcar, in Rome and Lamezia, and had a good experience on both occasions. Pleased to hear you had a similar experience. What did you think of the road improvements on the Salerno to Largonegro road? Or did you have another diversion which caused you to be late? Hope you are both well. Are you still planning to go out next February?

Ciao

John