Beware Europcar, Melbourne Airport, Australia

[Weary traveller]

Avoid Europcar for any hire car requirements at Melbourne Airport, Australia, at all cost.

With nothing more than a wish that nobody else is stung with illegitimate claims of damage after returning their vehicle I wish to alert others to a recent occurrence of such behavior by Europcar that my wife recently experienced. My wife returned a vehicle early one morning in October after a few days hire and even managed to make human contact with a company representative at drop off to hand over the keys etc. The car was returned in exactly the same condition that it was hired. A few weeks later an abstract and absurdly nondescript letter arrived in the mail with an accusation of damage caused to the vehicle during my wife’s period of hire. This letter was sent without one shred of detail about the claimed damage my wife was accused of causing but instead simply listed, at long length, their intended procedure for recovering the costs of repair. An email was promptly written back to Europcar vehemently disputing the accusation and reminding them that the car had been handed over to a company representative at drop off with no issue raised at that time. Our objection was completely ignored by the branch manager and a second, unsigned, letter was received a few weeks later with the bill.

For your own protection, please be very careful of the unprofessional and disgraceful customer service that is provided by Europcar in Melbourne.

[RevMan2]

Not just Europcar, not just Melbourne.
Be very wary of any car rental outside the US. And be normally wary of any car rental there.
The Avis scam | You Must Be From Away (http://youmustbefromaway.com/2013/08/21/the-avis-scam/)

[Heathrow Harry]

Car rental companies are totally bent - especially in Spain & Italy

The US is best IMHo but even there.................

[esa-aardvark]

I had a similar experience with Europcar last year at Birmingham airport. I do wonder if the staff are paid a commission to discover small scratches which you did not notice
when collecting the vehicle. Never had a problem with Avis or
Hertz.

[peterc005]

Europcar have been pulling this trick for ages, you are not the first.

Lodge a complaint with Europcar, then lodge another complaint with Consumer Affairs.

It's always a good idea to walk around the car taking photos when you pick it up.

[Weary traveller]

Thanks for the tip Peterc005. I'll follow up with consumer affairs as suggested. Just hoping I can warn others in the mean time.

[Aksai Oiler]

As bent as the rest, I was cut off by an agent, whist he was insulting me, I complained via their Facebook page, was banned, along as it happens a colleague of mine, for the same reason on a different booking. Avoid AVIS as far as I am concerned.

[ExXB]

You've got a camera on your phone. Use it both when you pick up the car and when you drop it off. Make a habit of telling the staff that you do this.

[Capot]

SIXT

Just to add to the body of knowledge; my son experienced this scam from SIXT at Heathrow; ie a letter sent 3 weeks after the car was returned with an unspecified claim for "damage" found "on return" of the car.

There was no damage whatsoever.

It so happens that said son is a partner in one of London's major law firms, and dealt with this false claim with a few well-chosen words.

So that's another hire-car company to avoid. Problem is that they all do this! I, not being a partner in a law firm, get a signature on the hire form from the firm's representative, name printed out etc, date and time, that the car has been inspected with no damage found. You have to plan ahead to do that and never, ever use the dreaded key-drop as they hope you will, but it's worth it.

[Hotel Tango]

I just pay the added insurance which covers any excess. That way they can't have any claims on me, damage or not. Came in handy when some kind person damaged my hire car whilst correctly parked in a hotel car park - and did a runner.

[highflyer40]

agree with hotel tango. just make sure you have zero excess and then who cares what they say. all the major firms have this extra cover you can add or you can get a yearly policy at home that will cover all your rentals during the year if you hire often, this works out much cheaper, about £100 for a years cover.

[RevMan2]

I just pay the added insurance which covers any excess. That way they can't have any claims on me, damage or not

That's not the point.

And in NZ (and possibly AU and UK), you can only reduce the excess from $3000 (no, NOT a typo) to $300

[Hotel Tango]

I think that to a certain extent it IS the point. As for the levels of excess, yes it can vary around the world I agree, but it can also depend on the rental firm you choose to use.

[RevMan2]

The point is not to fall into the trap of letting car rental companies rip you off for non-existent damage.

[ExXB]

Hire the local 'rent-a-wreck'. You may have to take a taxi from/to the airport but these guys are generally honest.

[Smoketrails]

It's the franchises that tend to try and fiddle their clients! Mate of mine used to work for the local Europacar franchise, and all the fiddling the manager did was one of the reasons for him quitting his job with them. He now works for the same company at an airport in the south of Europe which is run via the main office, complete different way of working!

[Hipennine]

"And in NZ (and possibly AU and UK), you can only reduce the excess from $3000 (no, NOT a typo) to $300"

The annual policies mentioned above aren't from the rental companies, and do give complete cover for the excesses. They also cover damage to roof, undersides and wheels which are excluded from many rental companies excess reductions (another catch you rip off!!!)

[Metro man]

Get your own excess reduction policy, they are available for a couple of days to a year. I've found it is always cheaper than taking the hire company's overpriced insurance. Beware of some of the smaller car hire companies, they can be even worse than the majors.

This is becoming like the Thai jet ski scam.

CAUGHT ON VIDEO: Thailand jet ski scam exposed!!! - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsPuoaktoAw&gl=SG&hl=en-GB)

[Weary traveller]

I heartily agree with RevMan2 above. I'd hope that people (myself included for all future hire car encounters!) can avoid the unscrupulous behaviour that Europcar provided us with by simply being forewarned. The option of paying their exorbitant added insurance is almost as corrupt as being accused of causing damage that never incurred. After reading the responses above, the answer is simple… Use a camera to record all major panels prior to departure and get a company representative to sign the paperwork at drop off acknowledging that it has been returned in the same condition that it was hired in.

[John Eacott]

Weary traveller,

I've shown your tale of woe to the GM of Europcar here in Australia, and if you contact their Customer Relations Manager (Matthew Burns) on [email protected] and request a review of your problem he will look after you.

Whenever you hire a car make sure that the inspection form is accurate before you sign it: that applies whoever you hire from and if there is a ding that you don't have listed it can come back to bite you.

I've had excellent service from Europcar such that they get all of my business these days, but I would point out that all hire car companies can slip up now and again. I'm a President's Club member with Avis, but that hasn't prevented odd errors happening: I find a polite but firm contact with the company reaps far more reward than having a moan on an internet forum!

Mind you, it may have been to your benefit in this case ;)

[PAXboy]

With the photographs - before and after - set the Time/Date function to ON. Take a first wide angle shot, showing the car in the desptach and then arrival bay.

This makes it difficult for them to allege the pictures were taken at another time or place.

[Capot]

I just pay the added insurance which covers any excess. That way they can't have any claims on meThat's like having a cash tin to pay off burglars before they rob you.

The whole point is that you should NOT have to insure against trumped up charges for non-existent damage.

[RevMan2]

I contacted Avis's UK CEO in a recent case of blatant gouging. Her retrieval was excellent, her staff only slightly less so. Her people at an operational level continue their venal ways unperturbed.

[SawMan]

Pics before and after- close-in shots of any existing damage being sure it's listed. If much damage is seen, ask for another car- they will usually give you one. That way any damage is better documented.

Date-stamping is good, having today's newspaper in one pic on return is better- they can't dispute that. And take the return pics at the return point with it in the background. More than one has dropped into a store for a moment headed to return not knowing someone hit the car in the parking lot.

Extra insurance always- but before you spend, your personal car policy may have this coverage built-in; mine does. Best of both worlds there- insured and not spending extra for it!

[Hipennine]

I emphasise again that nearly all of the standard conditions, excess waivers, additional insurance, etc that the car hire companies offer, all specifically exclude any damage to roof or underside, for which the hirer is fully liable. The good independent car hire insurance offers are fully comprehensive, and provide good value cover even if its only to provide that protection for roof and underside, and the car hire co covers everything else

[ExXB]

Can you recommend any 'third-party' insurers, that provide full coverage at a reasonable cost?

Thanks

[India Four Two]

My gold Visa card (from a Canadian bank) has world-wide car rental insurance coverage. I never pay the outrageous extra insurance cover offered by the rental companies.

[highflyer40]

I use icarhireinsurance.com and they are very good. zero excess an covers undercarriage, wheels, etc.. euro annual cover for £39 or more for worldwide. never had any problems with them.

[Hipennine]

ExXB, I use Insurance4carhire.com, same price as the one Highflyer40 uses.

[Abonae]

I too use icarhireinsurance and, on my one claim with them (for a cracked windscreen), had no problems at all.

Their coverage has fewer exclusions and is much cheaper than the insurance offered by the hire company.

[tomahawk_pa38]

I wonder how often some of these hire companies charge customers for the same damage that never gets put right. You get a string of customers who all take out the extra insurance so you can't make them pay for the damage. The next poor Joe who comes along who can't afford the extra cover then gets charged for the damage caused when the others have been driving the vehicle before him. Don't bother getting the damage repaired then you can also charge the next customer with no cover. Simples ! I've had hire cars (through work luckily- so there's never really a problem) and have been given the same car with odd weeks in between and those minor scratches and dents that were there some weeks ago are still there !

[RevMan2]

I once came across a copy of the damage report from a previous rental, documenting precisely the damage to the vehicle that I'd identified on my walkround. Following the usual "There's absolutely NO damage to the vehicle, sir".

I'd smell a class action suit here if we were in the US, but over there, they're unconcerned about anything less than a missing door or wing ..er... fender.
(They just try and rip you off with the credit card exchange rate...)

[PAXboy]

You will be as amused as me to note that, on visiting this thread, the dynamic advertising banners have placed an advert for an internationally known car hire company that begins with A. :hmm:

[RevMan2]

i'm getting Deutsche Bahn....