Car Rental Issue to Resolve Tomorrow

[Nitefly]

Hi all - have been ‘stung’ by the terrible Budget car rental service and hoping for some ‘practical / pragmatic advice’ on what I ought to do when I return my car tomorrow!

I paid in full in advance for my car rental (ticking all T&Cs in the usual way) and collected the car from an airport in Paris this morning.

I did not request any add ons.

On collecting the keys I’m told that the contract will be sent to my email. As it was easily available, my wife offers her card as the card for the deposit

I ask whether I need to sign anything as something flashes up on the screen desk for me to sign and I’m told ‘no - it’s sent to you by email’. Okaydoke, no need to sign anything I guess.

I drive off merrily on my way.

Later, I see an email asking my to sign my car rental agreement. Okaydoke, not a problem.

… the cheeky so and sos have added on a pre-paid tank of petrol and a local office surcharge (presumably to facilitate this ‘request’) at the total price of around £80. Obviously, I’m pretty outraged!

I have not signed the rental agreement as I know this will be taken as an agreement to pay these charges. However, it’s dawning on me that the faff and stress of arguing about it before getting on a plane, then subsequently dealing with it when home has its own price. I expect that it’s going to be extremely annoying to deal with the outcome of my wife using her credit card, should it come to contesting the charges.

Meanwhile, I still haven’t filled up the car. A full tank is probably £40 as it’s a small Hyundai.

So, my options…

(A) don’t refill the car to max and just let them deduct what they want - probably the £80, giving me a loss of £40 from the saved full tank. Life is too short… take the lesson on the chin to always double check stuff like this before taking the car AND never use Budget again.

(In which case… do I sign the agreement…?)

(B) Fill up the tank as originally intended and then take the issue at the point of returning the car - hoping it can be resolved there and then…. AND never use Budget again.

Any suggestions beyond that? I’m hoping you can help as I’m not sure what level of ‘computer says no’ I’m dealing with resolving disputes like this.

Thanks in advance, and apologies if I’m not actively responding to messages today / tomorrow as I’m trying to enjoy my stay in France!

(As an aside, this exact issue happened to me when using Budget in the US a few years ago - I was charged for a ‘days extra car hire’ as an add on…? Fool me twice, shame on me. Avoid them!)

Thanks team - I’ll update with what I do and how it goes.

 

[tom_e]

Honestly I'd leave it empty, have a moan at them when you drop it off but not be too fussed about really getting into it with them for the sake of £40

 

[Nasher]

For that markup, siphon out any fuel left and take it home

 

[Lopéz]

Hi all - have been ‘stung’ by the terrible Budget car rental service and hoping for some ‘practical / pragmatic advice’ on what I ought to do when I return my car tomorrow!

I paid in full in advance for my car rental (ticking all T&Cs in the usual way) and collected the car from an airport in Paris this morning.

I did not request any add ons.

On collecting the keys I’m told that the contract will be sent to my email. As it was easily available, my wife offers her card as the card for the deposit

I ask whether I need to sign anything as something flashes up on the screen desk for me to sign and I’m told ‘no - it’s sent to you by email’. Okaydoke, no need to sign anything I guess.

I drive off merrily on my way.

Later, I see an email asking my to sign my car rental agreement. Okaydoke, not a problem.

… the cheeky so and sos have added on a pre-paid tank of petrol and a local office surcharge (presumably to facilitate this ‘request’) at the total price of around £80. Obviously, I’m pretty outraged!

I have not signed the rental agreement as I know this will be taken as an agreement to pay these charges. However, it’s dawning on me that the faff and stress of arguing about it before getting on a plane, then subsequently dealing with it when home has its own price. I expect that it’s going to be extremely annoying to deal with the outcome of my wife using her credit card, should it come to contesting the charges.

Meanwhile, I still haven’t filled up the car. A full tank is probably £40 as it’s a small Hyundai.

So, my options…

(A) don’t refill the car to max and just let them deduct what they want - probably the £80, giving me a loss of £40 from the saved full tank. Life is too short… take the lesson on the chin to always double check stuff like this before taking the car AND never use Budget again.

(In which case… do I sign the agreement…?)

(B) Fill up the tank as originally intended and then take the issue at the point of returning the car - hoping it can be resolved there and then…. AND never use Budget again.

Any suggestions beyond that? I’m hoping you can help as I’m not sure what level of ‘computer says no’ I’m dealing with resolving disputes like this.

Thanks in advance, and apologies if I’m not actively responding to messages today / tomorrow as I’m trying to enjoy my stay in France!

(As an aside, this exact issue happened to me when using Budget in the US a few years ago - I was charged for a ‘days extra car hire’ as an add on…? Fool me twice, shame on me. Avoid them!)

Thanks team - I’ll update with what I do and how it goes.

What makes you think a full tank is £40? My Lancia Y is tiny and a full tank (47l - not big) is currently around €80 in Austria. I think France has higher fuel prices than here.

 

[Nitefly]

What makes you think a full tank is £40? My Lancia Y is tiny and a full tank (47l - not big) is currently around €80 in Austria. I think France has higher fuel prices than here.

The ‘upfront fuel price’ on the ‘agreement to be signed’ is €73.25 gross (at €1.53 per litre plus tax).

I’m not exactly sure of what the cost to fill up the tank would be… but it wouldn’t make sense for it to cost them money and be more than this.

 

[Nitefly]

Looking again at the doc, they seemed to add all the waiver and roadside assistance stuff too. I specifically said no to this when asked. So ridiculous…

I’ve decided that I’m just going to sign it and pay up for piece of mind. I’d rather sign now than start getting notifications and hassle later further to a computer says no automated system…

What I also don’t want is to get into a situation of is not signing the handover doc when I return the car, as then they will probably have me for not handing over the car (late fees) or may be inclined to inflict more misery - I’m going to bringing the ‘handover guy’ a problem not of his making…

Also, it’s a gamble to fill up the tank and think I’m going to argue these fees away.

It’s annoying but on the positive the £40ish lost can buy me the knowledge of hopefully educating someone here to always clarify stuff before you leave the airport… and also never to use Budget rentals…!

Thanks team.

 

[Lopéz]

The ‘upfront fuel price’ on the ‘agreement to be signed’ is €73.25 gross (at €1.53 per litre plus tax).

I’m not exactly sure of what the cost to fill up the tank would be… but it wouldn’t make sense for it to cost them money and be more than this.

Might be worth finding out how much fuel it holds and what a full tank costs before going into autorage

 

[Nitefly]

Might be worth finding out how much fuel it holds and what a full tank costs before going into autorage

The greatest scope for loss is going to be caused by filling up the tank AND paying the prepay amount. The exact cost is therefore not the most relevant issue.

The point of contention / ‘autorage’ is being asked to pay for something that I didn’t specifically didn’t ask to pay for… not the cost of the petrol.

 

[lordrobs]

Sounds like pretty standard car hire stuff unfortunately. I got swindled years ago when I booked through a third party, paid for all the collision waiver stuff up front then got strong armed when I went to pick the car up by them saying it didn't cover this, that and the other. I checked when we got home, we were already covered.

I since learned about buying excess cover separately and just give a solid 'nope' to the hard sell.

I've only dealt with two hire companies abroad that were any good. One in Rhodes which was a one man band operation I booked direct. We were half expecting the place not to exist when we got there but the lovely old boy couldn't have been nicer.

The other is AutoReisen who I've used several times who just operate in such an open way. Bring it back with the same fuel you pick it up with and don't worry about massive excesses because that's why we've got insurance. Ironically we found that their rather relaxed approach had no impact on the condition of their cars. If anything they actually had less damage than most on the islands we visited. Shame they only operate in the Canary Islands.

 

[Nitefly]

An exciting ‘resolution’…

Upon returning the car, there was nobody around. Hmm.

The same gentleman was there though, in the terminal.

I asked whether there was anything left to pay:

“I will send you the contract.”
“… no, I wanted to clarify whether there was anything outstanding to pay, beyond what I had already paid.”
“Oh… there should be somebody outside you can talk to…”

He then proceeds to call someone as I head outside.

Somebody eventually shows up and checks the car in the usual way.

“Ok, you just need to pay €75 for petrol - you will get the rest of your deposit back” showing me a screen on an app that says exactly this.

Okay. Done. Peace of mind achieved…

… with that out of the way, what an obvious scam this whole set up is. It’s actually worse than I thought.

I paid €75 up from for the rental. However The contract splits up the price as:

€25 for the rental (?!) - including add ons which I didn’t add.
€70 petrol
€55 local admin fees

Total of €150. They have then deducted a prepaid amount of €75, with the balance being €75.

Aside from the obvious skimming, this seems pretty dubious ruse with the reallocation of the amounts. I was verbally told that the additional amount was for petrol. I was shown that on the official rental app. But it doesn’t accord with the dodgy contract.

Really quite troubling…

Anywho, I hope some of you have learned a lesson from this ‘adventure’ - I have. Thanks for all the contributions.

 

[jpaul]

..since I read it - this was The genuine company called Budget, then ?

must be easy to see online what the pre-paid refuel rules should be - you are sure they hadn't just blocked a deposit for a complete tank but were actually just going to charge the shortfall at the per litre price,
like you can pre-configure in the USA. - there was no language issue presumably where they exploited you for the full tank, but should have just pro-ratad it.

apart from the petrol the e25rental&e55admin are close to e75 you had payed up front (taxes make the difference ?)

PaiementAu départ de la location, vous devez présenter à Budget unecarte bancaire ou de crédit ou de débit. La carte présentée àtitre de garantie doit être celle du conducteur principal.Vous payez le montant de la location au départ du Véhicule.Budget vérifie auprès de votre banque que votre compte estapprovisionné à hauteur du plein de carburant du Véhicule

e: added link

 

[snowdog]

Rental agency's in south-western Europe apprear to be total ******** imho.

Tenerife: (Thrifty/Herz, but a franchise under Canary management)
They tried to **** me with damage that was already on a 2nd replacement car:
First there were many more damages on the primary car we got than on the form (many damages all around), even though it was very busy I waited in line for another hour to get them to photograph everything to not **** me. But there was one thing we did not notice at the airport, there was a screw in the tyre.
I drove off from the airport with a screw in the tyre probably immediately, We were hungry so after dropping off our baggage we immediately drove up a mountain to a nice restaurant I pre-researched.
When we got back all looked ok, I just moved the steering wheel when moving our of the parking spot and started hearing a noisy hissing sound. ******* screw in the Tyre which probably moved when I turned the wheel in place and was there longer. Rather than just going with my gut and finding a place to plug it for 1-2 tenners which is what they always do here in NL, I called them honestly. So a tow car came, which cost 120 euro's, then another 150 for a new typre, as they refused to repair it/plug it, even though it was right in the middle of the thread and perfectly repairable, and finally the Spanish **** was looking to additionally charge me for not returning a full tank (but luckily the tank said it's still full as only 30 km driven). Herz ******* (Booked at thrifty but they shared a service point at the airport).

Got a replacement car, mind after all this is was past 23.00 hours and dark. Apparently there was a scratch, barely visible under daylight, on an illogical spot,




But the ******* walked directly to that thing when returning the car, they knew it was there and were trying to frame us for it.
Only because the girl I was with took a picture of the back when we picked it up we were saved (but it was barely visible), I started arguining and finally after 30 minutes of arguining they released my desposit, and one young honest Spaniard told me this is normal and advised me to always take additional insurance there in the future (to which I replied next time I'll reverse the car into their office so I at least get my money's worth for the insurance excess....). Which made me to believe they **** people on purpose. Espeially since I've seen their employees actually ding another car in the airport parking lot because of incompetence.

This disgruntled me, I asked around, and a lot of people have had the same problems on the Canary islands or Spain.


Another Holiday:
In mainland Spain we had some door damage from opening the door against a rock, because of our past experience we just bought a rattle can and manually polished it before returning, never heard from it since.


In some countries they are honest:

In Indonesia I've rented various scooters and motorbikes, even a Kawa Ninja, bigger engined (200+cc) motor/scooters , they really did not care at all for deposits or damages.
In Thailand I dropped a motorbike when parking on an incline ( 300CC Honda relatively new) and broke the end of the clutch handle, when returning it and showing them honestly they just laughed, showed me a handle cost a tenner online, and asked me to pay that, no extra charges,
In Greece on Zante (did not even take a proper deposit, leaving my license with them was enough, but a new license is only 3 tenners when lost so no biggy imho, after retuning the car they did not even properly look at it (even though one of the girls I was in accidentally backed it it into a ditch and we had to pull it out, but aside from some grass on the edghe of the rear wheel arch no visible dmg), when returning it I was a bit stressed as I've never rented cars a lot back then, but they just looked at it from afar, said ah it's in one piece, here's your license back, admittedly it was a slightly older Fiesta). Second time in mainland Greece I rented a Merc A class from Atthens to do a roadtrip, which had some damages that were not shown on the form, but they never charged me for it. I've visited 2 other islands in Greece later and rented cars and they were also extremely ''don't care'' attitute.
In Ireland we rented a car for a day that had a lot of damages already and they never ****** us.
Iceland (we damaged a protective plate under the car (which was new new, less than 800 km's on it, a 4wd Tiguan) that rubbed against the driveshaft after hitting a too large rock when offroading, but only when reversing it made an odd scraping sound, we honestly told them what happened) and they were flexible (and only charged the damage 1:1 for only 50 euro's while attaching the repair invoice, no extra serice fee crap, they just disattached the plate, reattached it and charged for 30 mins of labor).

Other cars (10+) I've rented in various other countries (mostly Europe) had no non pre-documented damages and no people trying to screw me.

Now in the Netherlands, I see lease companies also ******* people over, they do not take any effort to try to get the best price, and overcharge for simple things like a tyre (sidewall damage). They (some expensive official repair partner of them) charged 285 euros for a tyre than can be had for 140 euro's online (inc vat; so cheaper for them: Goodyear Eagle F1 Asym), and I know fitting and balancing only costs 25ish. At the end they rounded it upwards and charged 300 in damages and added some extra service fee, **** you, I'll always advise people to just try the repair themselves to save some money as the bigger the companyt the less effort they do to not overcharge people. And In Tenerife Sud (south) airport, Herz/Thrifty franchise owner is nothing more than a thief.


These days any rental/temp/repalcement car I extensively photograph every dingle ding and scratch I can find, I al actually walking around for 15-30 mins with a light to see if I missed anything, even on the ****** roof. Because of the Spanish experience...

It's annoying how you can not rent a cheap old banger cheaply in many convinient places, on islands (well, Idnonesian Islands or Greek islands anyhow, not Spanish Ones I guess) it's often much easier to find a local comapny offering a cheap car that you don't have to worry about. But Big rental and lease companies somehow only try to rent out expensive newish cars, I find that quite annoying. I'd rather rent an old banger these days.

 

[SeatIbiza]

Why not just get excess cover? It's so cheap...

 

[HangTime]

one of the girls I was in accidentally backed it it into a ditch and we had to pull it out

TMI. What happens in Zante, stays in Zante

 

[dlockers]

Only because the girl I was with took a picture

My lesson learned has been to take a video. Photos can miss out the crucial second. I had a PUG that totally "skipped my mind" that the parcel shelf was missing but luckily the video caught it.

On the flip side I drove a rental to Montenegro and it got dinged; I coloured it in with a sharpee and did my best dell boy at drop off to make sure the guy missed the damage. Also C3 Cactus fuel guage never sits on "full".

Also, video when you hand back. And keep the receipt from the final fill up.

 

[Nitefly]

..since I read it - this was The genuine company called Budget, then ?

must be easy to see online what the pre-paid refuel rules should be - you are sure they hadn't just blocked a deposit for a complete tank but were actually just going to charge the shortfall at the per litre price,
like you can pre-configure in the USA. - there was no language issue presumably where they exploited you for the full tank, but should have just pro-ratad it.

apart from the petrol the e25rental&e55admin are close to e75 you had payed up front (taxes make the difference ?)


e: added link

Thanks for asking - good idea, but the amount they charged is explicitly stated as an requested ‘fuel up front option’ rather than a ‘pay what you used’ option (which is what Budget advertises for the sort of arrangement you’ve described).

Going to make the same booking again, the local terms make it very clear that this option should only apply if specifically requested. Otherwise it would be payable at the ‘pay what you use’ rates, exactly as you mention.

In any case, I did not return the car with a totally empty tank, and the amount charged has not differed from what they quoted for a ‘full tank’ before I drove anywhere (as per the email they sent at key collection). Upon return, there no point was there any mention of paying anything other than ‘a full tank’.

 

[Sirrel Squirrel]

Reading this got me thinking about my upcoming rental in Barcelona. I've hired through Recordgo via discovercars and taken out discovercars own insurance policy, which says it covers everything however you have to let the hire car company charge you first from the excess deposit of 1100 EUR and then claim it back through them.

I'm thinking I should cancel and just hire direct with Recordgo and pay for their insurance so I don't have to leave the 1100 EUR deposit.

Anyone used either company before?

 

[dlockers]

Reading this got me thinking about my upcoming rental in Barcelona. I've hired through Recordgo via discovercars and taken out discovercars own insurance policy, which says it covers everything however you have to let the hire car company charge you first from the excess deposit of 1100 EUR and then claim it back through them.

I'm thinking I should cancel and just hire direct with Recordgo and pay for their insurance so I don't have to leave the 1100 EUR deposit.

Anyone used either company before?

OK a few things - DEFINITELY cancel your booking with RecordGo. They are probably the worst car hire company in existence.

Secondly - do not take out insurance from the car hire company. Pay the deposit on a credit card (it isn't a deposit, just a holding auth).

Thirdly - take out very cheap car hire excess cover from here: carhireexcess.com

 

[Sirrel Squirrel]

OK a few things - DEFINITELY cancel your booking with RecordGo. They are probably the worst car hire company in existence.

Secondly - do not take out insurance from the car hire company. Pay the deposit on a credit card (it isn't a deposit, just a holding auth).

Thirdly - take out very cheap car hire excess cover from here: carhireexcess.com

Thank you, I will do all these things.

I only went with Recordgo as they had a high rating on discovercars but looking into and it and yeah...