Quick Links
Fraudulent Damage Charges | Unbelievably Cheap Car Hire | Misleading Booking Processes | Hidden Security Deposits | Hard Sells
It’s a new year, a new decade and time for the worst practices in car hire to be left in the rear view mirror. We wanted to talk about some of these practices, how you can avoid them moving forward and the steps we take to make sure you never encounter them when booking with us.
Hidden security deposits
This is a big one. Hiding the security deposit during the booking process means nothing but trouble for the customer. This is for a few reasons, firstly, it deceives customers into believing that they need far less on arrival than they actually do. Any customers new to car hire may not know at all that they need a credit card at all until they arrive. It just happens to be convenient to the car hire company that this means they can then pile on extra expensive insurance to waiver the deposit.
Secondly, it makes the entire car hire package look like a better deal than it is. If two car hire companies offer the same price deal with the same security deposit, but one company is hiding the security deposit, it appears that the company hiding the deposit is offering a better deal. In reality though, it’s the same deal but one company is misleading you.
We’ve always believed that being upfront and clear before booking process is best for everyone. We display our security deposits really clearly on every search result and throughout the process. This means there’s no confusion and no surprises when you arrive to collect your car.
Fraudulent damage charges
The familiar car hire horror story. This is when a customer returns the car with no damage, only to then be told they’re being charged for causing damage. Obviously not very fair on the customer. This can happen for a few reasons, some malicious and some not so much. The first is that the car hire provider genuinely believes there is new damage on the vehicle. Perhaps previous damage wasn’t noted or was noted incorrectly and so the old damage is believed to be new.
The second potential cause is more malicious and is something more often seen with unscrupulous or unfeasibly cheap car hire providers. This is when the provider may know full well that the damage is pre-existing and often involves stone chips on the windscreen, tiny dents on the bodywork or damage to locks. This is terrible for obvious reasons, it’s not fair on the customer who is being charged for something they didn’t do.
This issue is common with the low-priced cheap car hire operators but unfortunately this can even be seen with some more reputable companies. We’ve written a few times about how you can take steps to protect yourself from this sort of charge, read more here.
We avoid this issue by taking a zero-tolerance approach with our providers. All our providers are monitored constantly and if we ever receive feedback from customers about this type of issue, we investigate the issue and take any necessary steps to prevent further issues from happening in the future (this can include stopping working with the provider altogether).
Misleading booking processes
A misleading or unclear booking process, whether by accident or on purpose, spells huge trouble for customers. It leaves vital information out that the customer may need, misleads the customer into thinking they’re getting something they aren’t, and overall causes confusion about how it all works.
There are a few ways car hire companies can mislead you with their booking process. It can be anything from hiding or making valuable information hard to find, to misleading wording when it comes to the protection that’s included in the package. If you’ve ever seen CDW labelled as “Full Insurance”, then you know what we’re talking about. For more information on what Collision Damage Waiver actually means for you, check out this.
Our advice when it comes to these practices is to either book with someone you trust, or really take the time to read and click around during the booking process. Sometimes valuable information like the details of the security deposit are hidden behind several clicks for “Booking terms” or “More information”.
We take great care and give our booking process a lot of attention to really make sure that customers have everything they need to know. This is evident from how clearly we display security deposit information, to the clear and upfront way we display any extra charges so you always know exactly what you’re getting.
Unbelievably cheap car hire
Everyone wants to get the best value car hire at the lowest price and everyone loves a bargain. The issue with the cheap prices you sometimes see with car hire, is that you’ll most likely never pay that price. Car hire that promises you full insurance and every perk imaginable for a 7 day rental but only costs 3 Euros, isn’t real.
Unscrupulous car hire companies are in this race to the bottom for a few reasons. Being able to claim the title of “cheapest car hire” draws in customers and is a huge selling point. Secondly, it opens the door to really turn the screw when it comes to charging extra for everything else during the rental, driving the price far higher than it first appeared. A good example of this is extra insurance, a customer books the cheapest car hire around, then gets to the desk to pick up the car and suddenly, they can’t drive the car away until they’ve bought overpriced insurance right there and then. That cheap car hire turns out to be a bit of a rip-off. The list of ways that companies can do this goes on an on, from fraudulent damage charges to suddenly the car you’ve booked is too small. We’ve called it the budget airline effect before.
A good way to avoid this is to think critically when booking, “does this deal seem too good to be true?”. Companies need to make money and no company makes money off 7 day rentals for 3 Euros so they’ll make up the difference by charging absurd amounts for everything else and coming up with creative ways to make you pay more.
Our answer to this is to offer you a fantastic value package. Everything you need under one price, not always the lowest on the market, but always really competitive and without the worry and hassle of thinking you’ll be charged extra.
Hard sells
This often comes hand in hand in a few of other tactics we’ve mentioned here, absurdly cheap car hire and a misleading booking process are prime indicators you’re in for a hard sell when collecting the car.
A hard sell means simply means being made to feel like you’re being forced to buy something extra while at the car hire desk. This can be anything from extra insurance to an upgrade that you feel pressured to take and it’s a thoroughly unpleasant experience. This often comes up most with lesser reputable car hire providers who’re luring people in with the cheapest car hire around and need to make up that money at the desk. We’ve talked before about to avoid the hard sell here.
The best way in general to avoid these hard sells is to book with trusted providers who don’t need to make up the money at the desk. We do this by constantly monitoring our providers for their customer service levels and by including everything you need in one package. This means when you get to the desk you can have confidence that you won’t be pressured to buy anything you don’t need, and even if you’re asked to buy something, you can say no.
Book your next car hire with none of these worries.
Luke,
You hit the nail on the head right here. I have used you folks going back to Economy car hire without a problem. For a few years, I used Eurocar as they were in the Airport building and the cars were always in good condition, the process was trouble-free. The only snag was they didn’t like your insurance and I ended up paying more for this than the car hire.
Last September there seemed to have been a purge on hire Companies in the airport and booked Centauro only to find out this was also outside the Airport.
I had to wait for 90 minutes to get the car which when it turned up was a mass of dents, many of which were not on the sheet. I corrected this as they said another car wasn’t available. There was a lot of Kerb rash which i pointed out but they said that was not important. I didn’t cover many miles bu at my holiday stay and the local mall there were no kerbs. On return, they tried to zero in on several dents, not on the original sheet but marked and signed off on my copy. The inspector then went around the car four times and suddenly pointed to one of a mass of Kerb rashes. His English disappeared and although my Spanish is reasonable he was incoherent. I went to the Office to get help but it was swamped with customers, many of whom seemed to be having a similar problem.I didn’t get anything from this and had a flight to catch. one of the Employees said you had better check your account soon.
Next morning I spoke to your office and found they had deducted Euros 300 for a new wheel. Eventually i got E 211, the 300 minus my fuel deposit which wasn’t returned, The problem, as I told you Folks and the Insurers many times was this was one of the most blatant Scams I had ever seen. I will be organising a Car with you shortly using only Eurocar can we please be clear on the insurance.
Very Sincerely,
Andrew O’Leary
Hi Luke,
I have read your article above with great interest.
I have been renting cars in Spain for the past 25 years and the difference from then to now is phenomenal.
In the early days the car was left for us to pick up in the airport car park with the keys left in the boot and whatever petrol was in the car if you refilled to that level they were happy.You would leave it back in the car park after your holiday. You would also call into the car rental office and signed the contract at your leisure.
I am aware of the problems renting now a days and what should be a relaxing and enjoyable experience is far from it. I have always used Centaura at Malaga through yourselves and up until recently been satisfied with them. Unfortunately recent experiences have not been so good.To start your holiday inspecting the hire car for damage particularly at night time is not a good beginning.
As I arrive to return our car last night (29th Jan ) there was an argument going on about a problem with a car which had been returned with the key working on the remote but would not open the doors manually.
The Centauro girl ONLY checked the keys manually in the doors and they would not work apart from seeing if he had returned the petrol at the same level. Well that seems to me that they already know there was a problem but did not list it on his contract. He had to pay 300 euros for something which was not his fault.
We have heard tales of checking the underside of the returning cars with mirrors admittedly not Centauro but a company called Del Passo at Malaga.
Lets try to find some companies that are genuine and charge the right price for their rentals so they do not try to rip us off to make up the money.
Sorry about the rant.
Kind regards Anthony Harrison ( A Zest car rental customer).
I book with Zest and have always been satisfied. I like to have the car delivered to my hotel and everything works well. A combination of Zest and Kings rentals suits me fine. Ihave recommended Zest to my son David Arnold for a rental in Portugal in May.
I find zest is the best I use 4 to 6 times a year never had any problems
I have used Zest as my main provider for car rentals several times now. Most lately with the rental provider of Firefly with pick up from their facility at Nice airport.
Very clear instructions on how to find them. Short five minute stroll from airport terminal. Very helpful staff with no hard sells. Clear instructions. I will be a returning customer.
On Radio 4 yesterday there was a report of a man who was charged £2000 for a clutch which had broken on a hire car. This was obviously not his fault but a mechanical failure. Are you normally covered for this sort of breakdown as there is no way to be able to check for this sort of problem when you pick up a car.
Hi Jackie,
This type of incident would be dealt with on a case by case basis. If a clutch goes and it’s due to general wear and tear, you would not be charged for this.
However, if the clutch has been burnt out in a short space of time due to misuse of the vehicle, then you may be charged. When the clutch is examined, it’s easy for a mechanic to see the difference between a “worn clutch” (general wear and tear) and a “burnt out clutch”. There have been cases where the clutch has been burnt out in a short space of time, in brand new cars – normally these situations occur on steep hills or entrances to car parks, where a client is unfamiliar with the vehicle and setting off repeatedly on a steep gradient.
I hope this helps.
Goldcar avoid at all costs . Will charge you for damage that is not there and should not be allowed to trade in business .
They are committing fraud
Thanks Luke, This sums up most of the sharp practises made by some so-called cheap car hire firms. – having hired cars all over Europe I have met many of those. If you say no then more pressure is put on you. After a flight one is often desperate to get to his destination and will agree to almost anything – and the unscrupulous car hirers know this. Best thing is to pay a little more to get peace of mind.
One scam which may only apply in Portugal is the loan of a transponder in case the driver uses the toll roads. This can be costly and does not apply only to toll roads. The deposit is often 25 euros – which will be refunded if you do not use a toll road so they say. In reality they tell you to use the green button (Via Verde) to exit the car park as it is free. This is totally untrue as using this green button incurs car parking charges on your transponder – which, in turn, they keep your 25 euros even if the car parking charges are minimal. Effectively you are paying 25 euros for a small car parking time. If you create enough fuss you will get some of your money returned – I had to threaten county court action – but still only got 15 euros back as the car hire firm kept 5 euros for the hire of a transponder – which I did not want.
Hello Luke, a great piece on the pitfalls of car hire.
When I first used a hire car on holiday I was taken to the cleaners on insurance and vehicle size. The holiday company boasted “free car hire” which was true but a VW UP is not big enough as a hire car for a villa sleeping 6 (or did I miss something?).
The “free hire car” had to be updated at a cost of 30 euro per day plus 200 euro insurance. The third scam is on pick up when one person checks the vehicle out at high speed, but on return a team of 4 spend 40 minutes checking every part of the vehicle inside and out.
My 3 holidays since then I have booked via ZEST without problem!
Oh yes I nearly forgot- the first hire company? Europcar at Faro.
Until I first used Zest about 6 years ago , I had not hired a car since Florida 20 years before when everything and everybody were just as they seemed and honest . I wanted a hire car in Portugal but was frightened by the horror stories , including some from close friends . I spent hours searching the web and the name of Zest kept coming up with almost no negatives .
One I remember was a person who complained about an extra charge and Zest investigated and found that he had used the motorway tag . I kept looking and eventually booked with Zest .
Since my first booking with Zest and Masterkings at Faro , I have never found any fault with any part of the process , I have never even been asked to show evidence of my extra insurance ,provided by Zest , and a young lady from Masterkings said “we are not looking to get any extra money from you ” When I need car hire I go straight to Zest
Very informative thank you. We like the way you are always up front with your product.