Hire car 'downgrade'

[HangTime]

My wife just rented a car from Europcar for 10 days. Booked an Octavia or similar ("Intermediate" category) because it is decent, big boot and didn't cost that much more than cheaper classes like Compact, Mini, Economy etc.

What turned up was an MG ZS Excite manual petrol. To me this is a downgrade since:

• It has a list price of £15,995 compared to £21,700 for the cheapest Octavia. In other words we paid for a car at least 35% more expensive than what we received
• The boot is smaller
• It's over a foot shorter in length
• It is a crossover rather than a family saloon (not a huge problem in itself but not what we expected)

Because it was delivered rather than collected and she needed a car, sending it back there and then wasn't an option (plus she doesn't know much at all about cars so had no idea really if it was better or worse than an Octavia other than the fact it was the wrong type). They told her because they had no saloons available she'd got an upgrade to the next level up but I can't see how a base spec ZS can be considered an upgrade given my points above. I think they are trying to pull a fast one by fobbing her off with a cheap car rather than having to hand over the keys to something genuinely better. Had they turned up with the keys to one of the SUVs they have listed as Intermediate range:

• VAUXHALL GRANDLAND X
• HYUNDAI TUCSON
• PEUGEOT 3008
• NISSAN QASHQAI

This would have been ok.

I know that hire car companies don't guarantee a specific model as it depends on availability but to me that's not an excuse just to hand over cheap tat when the customer has deliberately paid more than the entry level prices. Has anyone had any luck getting hire cars exchanged mid-hire and/or getting refunded the difference for what is effectively a rip off in my eyes?

 

[Basher]

They probably class 'SUV' as a higher category than 'Saloon'.

What was their response when you complained?

 

[Rroff]

Good luck with getting any resolution any time soon - in my experience hire car companies will uh give you the run around as long as possible.

Reminds me of the time my dad had a hire car arranged for work - supposed to be a businesses like roomy saloon as he was picking up a couple of exec types from the airport... what they delivered was https://imgur.com/8KA2oWb

 

[dlockers]

Does your wife care? I wager not.

 

[200sols]

Is the MG the same price to hire? Do people really hire cars based on list price?

 

[turbot1984]

Seems to work both ways though? I hired a Fiesta sized runabout in Sardinia a few years back and got a brand new Alfa Giuletta, it made my day.

 

[[TW]Fox]

Seems to work both ways though?

It should only work one way, and usually does - nothing in booked class, free upgrade to next available class.

It gets difficult with SUV's because half the car rental industry seems to think an SUV is always an upgrade, so we get situations like this. The actual answer is to look at the ACRISS code allocated to both your reserved class and your received class - from here you can tell whether it really was an 'upgrade' or not. Your paperwork probably lists both booked and driven class on it. The keys will show the class of the car you have, too, I'd imagine.

I think what will transpire is that the ZS, rubbish as it is, is in the Intermediate Category along with the Grandland X etc, which looks more expensive than the class you'd booked. I don't think you're going to get anywhere with this but I understand how annoyed you are, I'd have been annoyed with this too. If I wanted an SUV I'd book one, if I didn't book one I didn't want one.

There seem to be a lot of ZS in the UK rental market at the moment....

 

[HangTime]

What was their response when you complained?

Pending.

Does your wife care? I wager not.

Yes, she doesn't like it.

Is the MG the same price to hire? Do people really hire cars based on list price?

No idea as the MG isn't listed anywhere on their website for hire that I can see. We didn't hire based on list price, we hired based on the right car for the job. Instead we've been sent the wrong car for the job, which happens to have a much lower list price than the right car for the job. I'm using list price as a proxy to illustrate the relative value of the vehicle ordered versus vehicle provided.

Seems to work both ways though? I hired a Fiesta sized runabout in Sardinia a few years back and got a brand new Alfa Giuletta, it made my day.

"works both ways" isn't acceptable. It should work one way - the customer gets an upgrade if their chosen vehicle isn't available. Not a downgrade. Imagine you ordered an 8oz steak in a restaurant and they had run out but didn't bother telling you when you ordered. The waiter turns up with a 6oz steak and you still get charged the price of an 8oz steak. Would you be happy? I wouldn't.

The actual answer is to look at the ACRISS code allocated to both your reserved class and your received class - from here you can tell whether it really was an 'upgrade' or not. Your paperwork probably lists both booked and driven class on it.

Thanks, unfortunately the paper work says it is IDMR/IFMR. Seems a bit of a cheeky bait-and-switch on their part, advertise a given class with car X and then give the customer a much cheaper car Y that you've arbitrarily deemed to be the same classification. Moreover I don't see why a customer who has ordered a "D" (4-5 door") has to accept an "F" (SUV) if there are no IDMR available, surely they could get an SDMR (upgrade to Standard 4-5 door) instead.

 

[EH75]

Car hire industry has serious problems with supply at the moment due to lack of new cars as a result of the international semi-conductor shortage. I regularly hire cars through work and we have recently been told that we will be unable to hire any cars for the foreseeable future and will have to take alternative transport due to unprecedented industry wide shortages. Just had an upcoming hire which had been booked for weeks cancelled by the supplier at short notice. Incredibly frustrating. Doesn't really help you out other than to say it could be worse I guess?

 

[[TW]Fox]

Thanks, unfortunately the paper work says it is IDMR/IFMR. Seems a bit of a cheeky bait-and-switch on their part, advertise a given class with car X and then give the customer a much cheaper car Y that you've arbitrarily deemed to be the same classification. Moreover I don't see why a customer who has ordered a "D" (4-5 door") has to accept an "F" (SUV) if there are no IDMR available, surely they could get an SDMR (upgrade to Standard 4-5 door) instead.

Unfortunately, as far as they are concerned that is that - IDMR to IFMR is either going to be considered as fulfilment of booked class or an upgrade (F is almost always more expensive to book than D as well further adding to this point). It absolutely won't be considered a downgrade. Personally I am absolutely with you on this, I'd be just as frustrated and it annoys me that it works like this with SUV's. The list price isn't relevant either (although it absolutely does further highlight your point as to why this is so annoying) to them, the class is the class and that's that.

It seems the bigger issue here is how a car like the ZS is grouped in with the Qashqai etc, but I doubt you'll get anywhere with this either as the staff will only see it in terms of the ACRISS code and not the make/model of the car.

 

[[TW]Fox]

Do people really hire cars based on list price?

They don't but it's a generally very good indicator of a 'similar' car. People can and do pay more for better cars - otherwise nobody would ever book a higher category of car! Generally, it is reasonable to expect each category to contain a bunch of similar cars of similar value.

 

[turbot1984]

"works both ways" isn't acceptable. It should work one way - the customer gets an upgrade if their chosen vehicle isn't available. Not a downgrade. Imagine you ordered an 8oz steak in a restaurant and they had run out but didn't bother telling you when you ordered. The waiter turns up with a 6oz steak and you still get charged the price of an 8oz steak. Would you be happy? I wouldn't.

Not sure about your beefy analogy, but i found a picture of the Alfa hire car. Given I was expecting a Fiat Panda or worse, it was like getting a free T bone and a bottle of Chianti

 

[Steeps]

AVIS only had a direct comparison with the auto models, not the manual. They consider the Octavia an upgrade over the MG ZS, but the ZS auto was offered over the Octavia manual as the alternative.

 

[HangTime]

They don't but it's a generally very good indicator of a 'similar' car. People can and do pay more for better cars - otherwise nobody would ever book a higher category of car! Generally, it is reasonable to expect each category to contain a bunch of similar cars of similar value.

Exactly. If we wanted a poxy crossover we could have paid less for their "compact" class which includes Vauxhall Crossland X (list price still about £3k higher than the MG ZS). MG ZS just seems like an anomaly randomly thrown in to a higher class so they can get away with charging you more for it by swapping it in for the actual car you wanted.

 

[turbot1984]

AVIS only had a direct comparison with the auto models, not the manual. They consider the Octavia an upgrade over the MG ZS, but the ZS auto was offered over the Octavia manual as the alternative.

That is for a week right? Been pricing up a car for Spain at end of week, this seems ok but Goldcar who I think i had problems with in the past? Might give it a swerve tbh, any thoughts?

 

[HangTime]

Just spoke to them on the phone, pretty argumentative lady telling us the car was the next category up (why is it listed as an I (Intermediate) on the document then? At best it is equivalent, not a category up) and is "bigger" than what we ordered (no, an Octavia is about 35cm longer and has about 150L more boot space). She said there was nothing they could do.

Don't see how they can get away with this, just ignoring the facts because their system categorises things badly. I appreciate you have to draw the line somewhere in terms of what category a vehicle sits in, and that is a bit arbitrary, but I don't think they should have carte blanche to just fob you off which tat as it makes a mockery of the concept of ordering different types of car, they may as well just have one price and send you anything. Wish we'd gone for a cheaper option and just ordered a compact or economy now.

Won't be using this lot again.

 

[mjt]

I booked a Merc C-Class or similar and was given a Mokka, to drive 800km across Germany. I was not impressed

I was given a refund of the class difference, but this was during COVID last year, just after the rental companies had returned their fleets expecting replacements, only to discover the factories had shut and no new stock was coming in..
Even Hamburg airport was completely decimated. They had a single Panamera in the car park and that was it.

 

[gc123]

ok dont want to be argumentative but if you genuinely feel so annoyed about it why not cancel and get a refund? its because so many people just accept it that they get away with it.
i guess it may play havoc with your personal plans but surely there is someware else to rent from?

 

[[TW]Fox]

ok dont want to be argumentative but if you genuinely feel so annoyed about it why not cancel and get a refund?

Because the rental has already started?

 

[HangTime]

ok dont want to be argumentative but if you genuinely feel so annoyed about it why not cancel and get a refund? its because so many people just accept it that they get away with it.
i guess it may play havoc with your personal plans but surely there is someware else to rent from?

They don't refund unused days if you return the car early, so no refund is available. This would mean they would 'get away with it' even more because they would get paid a fortune for a day's hire.
They were one of the cheaper providers when I looked, Hertz/Enterprise/Avis/Sixt all considerably more expensive. I'm starting to see why.