Europcar - I'd rather walk! (Europcar)

Member Name: RotweilerC

Product:	Europcar
Date:	16/02/04 (1235 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cars OK, Located at airport

Disadvantages: Won't talk to anyone, Keen to charge extra, Resort to bailiffs

Update:
It's now May 2004, 17 months since I rented the car from Europcar, nearly a year since I paid the bill to Morgan Stanley. What do I get in todays post - a threat of "pay up or we send in the bailiffs" Morgan Stanley refuse to send information, Europcar won't talk to their bank, instead, they try and send my account to a debt recovery service.

Lessons:
If you want to rent a car, DON'T USE EUROPCAR.
If you use Europcar, make sure you have a good credit card company
If you use Europcar AND don't have a very good credit card company, GET A GOOD LAWYER!!!

So, currently, I've paid the bill to my credit card company and owe nobody any money. MOrgan Stanley won't send information to anyone and won't talk to the other credit bank (Citibank). Europcar won't talk to Citibank OR Morgan Stanley - but insist that they have not had any money and are about to get my credit rating killed and take me to court! Hmm, time to get lawsuit going and stir up a hornets nest!
Just another Saturday then....

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Let's get a few things clear up front on this one. I don't smoke, I never have, I never will. That doesn't mean I don't like smokers or that I want smoking banned (or that I don't either!) but I just want to be unequivocal about the smoking thing. OK, now we know where we're at! My wife doesn't smoke either, nor (to the best of my knowledge) do my 3 and 1 year old!

I needed a car to get from Aberdeen to see my brother and sister-in-law up in 
9;lgin. Given it was December and I had my family with me, I rented a car - why Europcar? Because they had a special deal with AA members. That won't be a strong enough incentive in future, that's for sure!

Arriving on a cold wet December afternoon, I hand over the obligatory license and credit card. It's dark, my youngest (then nearly one) was hungry and tired and good old BA had lost our pushchair. Getting the rental form, they highlight the damage on the outside of the car. Arriving at the car and getting the car seats installed and the bags stored, I manange to locate the damage by the car park sodium lights. Nothing else is apparent, so in we get and off we go.

The car is fine, smells of cleaning solution, smaller than my normal Volvo, runs fine and goes faster when you push the pedal that makes the car louder. Does everything I want - get's me and the family from the airport to Elgin, safe, sound, dry and comfortable. My youngest son has demolished a pack of cheese biscuits and is now content too.

At the destination we pile out of the car, unload the bags and go inside. The car is locked and forgotten until we return to the airport two days later, also in the afternoon. By now, BA have found our pushchair - just in time to check it back in again!

At the airport, there are no Europcar staff to check the car, so we unload in the rain and the dark, walk to the terminal and return the keys. The car has been filled with petrol and has driven about 140 miles without incident. Expecting an invoice there and then, I am told I will receive th bill through the post. Nothing needs signing, so off I go - nightmare flights, hyper children etc - usual journey home!

Sure enough, a couple of days later a bill from Europcar. Happy and secure in the kn
owledge that the bill will be £78.37 I open he envelope - and stare at the bill for £172.37. You know what's coming don't you? A charge of £80 + VAT (£94) for the damage to the interior of the car. On phoning up to enquire about the alleged damage, I am told tht I put a big cigarette burn in the carpet!

If you dispute an item, there are two ways to go with Europcar. They can investigate (which means you pay them all the dosh, they think about it and keep your money) or you can dispute with your credit card company (they freeze the item and get Europcar's attention) If you go with the latter, Europcar refuse to talk to you anymore - guess what I did!!!

Lots of letters, insurance claims forms and documents later, Europcar are still pressing for the additional money. After many calls to the credit card company, it turns out that Europcar are breaking the credit cards rules by charging both damage and rental together and are given a chance to drop the charge - they refuse. They go to arbitration with Mastercard and they lose, are forced to refund the £94 AND fined 500 Euros. Yeehaaaa! I pay the £78.37 (which I never had a problem paying since the car was fine) and the matter is closed after 6 months of wrangling...

How wrong I was. 14 months after the rental, a lovely letter from Europcar, demanding the £172.37 AGAIN. Talk to the credit card company and they refer to the arbitration, documentation, proof etc. Europcar are demanding a cheque or credit card number and refute all mention of the case. They also refuse to talk to their own bank who have copies and proof of payment of the rental charge. After playing piggy-in-the-middle for a couple of days, the two sides are finally talking, hopefully putting the matter to rest. Either that, or I now have an annual
appointment with Europcar and their solicitors!

Summary - Europcar car's are fine, the staff were fine, the rental was fine. If you have a dispute with them, or miss any damage, expect to be in for a really long and frustrating fight with faceless, unhelpful people who all have a "jobs-worth" attitude. Make sure you have a good credit card company behind you. Given the number of rental agencies around, there are better ones than Europcar around!

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