Car hire scams

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  • LHRSENflyer
    Participant

    Even in pandemic times it seems that the car hire companies are keen to keep up their reputation for scamming customers with excess charges.
    Two recent experiences with Avis:
    Lisbon – tank returned brimming but the gauge failed to operate correctly. Charge for 19 litres of fuel, enough range for 300km of driving when multiple receipts provided
    Malpensa – Preferred customer who has never taken additional insurances. Advertised as touch-free SARS Cov-2 reduced paperwork location. Opportunity to add EUR76 for 3 days of unrequested windscreen damage and other insurance covers.
    Further experience at Frankfurt where the rental could only be commenced using the app, which provided no instructions on car pick-up, turns out you still need human contact at the rental desk and the app serves no purpose.
    Seems systemic problems at Avis. Customer services unresponsive.

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    SimonS1
    Participant

    Avis seem to focus on here quite regularly.

    Had a strange experience with them in US – tried to do a hard sell on $7 a day for a satnav, refused, and then found car had satnav as standard. Also a big sign up behind their desk with the ‘local price’ of fuel if you took the car full, but at least 20c a litre cheaper only 2 miles down the road.

    Personally I would rather have a red hot poker stuck up my backside than deal with Avis again. Seems like in these tough times they need these shabby tactics to generate income.

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    JDTraveller
    Participant

    There seems to be a love/hate relationship with Avis. I have nothing but good things to say about them from recent rentals.

    Most recently in FNC last month they were spot on. Price was almost as good as the local providers, easy check in – no additional upselling, upgraded car with SatNav and Android Auto – which was spotlessly clean inside and out. No fuss on return either, no question over fuel (they didn’t want the receipt), simple check in on the app and dropping off the keys.

    I know that it differs from franchise to franchise, but couldn’t have asked for more.


    LuganoPirate
    Participant

    Here’s my gripe, but with Hertz. I rent locally and am at their top tier. Local service is fantastic, helpful and no complaints at all.

    What I detest is the App. It hardly ever works and when it does and I use it to book with my saved details I’m given a (much) higher price than if I go on the website and book as a guest. Even my local branch acknowledges this as did Zurich Airport when I picked up the car there. I put my tier level and number in the comments section when booking as a guest and got all the discounts, upgrades etc. Despite the branches complaining as it upsets their loyal customers, Hertz has done nothing to fix the situation!

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    K1ngston
    Participant

    I have just used Avis for our drive from Phuket to Bangkok, picking up at the airport in Phuket and dropping back at the office at BKK. The car had a number of dents and scratches and we went around twice to look and get the agent to make notes etc.

    The journey is about 850Kms so we put on some mileage and the car performed amazingly with all the mod cons like Apple Play and absolute must when you are not sure where you are going and we just delivered the car back to the Avis office, they checked the car they agreed there were no issues and we were on our way!

    I have to say I have yet to have a bad experience with Avis, I know one day I will but in the meantime another great trip and no issues whatsoever … well done Avis

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    FormerBA
    Participant

    And even cheaper to book on the Hertz.com/au site


    Greg
    Participant

    I have taken out an annual Hire Car Insurance through MoneyMaxim.com but every time I book a car hire, the company tries to sell me their insurance. In Italy, they almost refused to let me have the car without doing so. Seems they make more money through insurance than they do renting cars.


    MartynSinclair
    Participant

    [quote quote=1019106]I have taken out an annual Hire Car Insurance through MoneyMaxim.com but every time I book a car hire, the company tries to sell me their insurance. In Italy, they almost refused to let me have the car without doing so. Seems they make more money through insurance than they do renting cars.[/quote]

    Always understood this to mean:

    Own car hire insurance – usually cheaper but you still have to leave a deposit with the car hire firm and make the claim personally for any damage.

    Car hire’s own insurance – usually more expensive, but generally, in the event of damage, you just walk away and let the hire firm make the claim

    Hirers choice….

    2 users thanked author for this post.

    Polly
    Participant

    Hi K1ngston, And how did quarantine go, presume you survived it..hope the hotel was acceptable! P
    BA messing with our Feb flights already, but who knows, may be staying in U.K. again. But worth changing the flights anyway from Nov. We should have been landing yesterday atLHR after our month away.. distant dreams….


    ASK1945
    Participant

    How is this relevant to “Car Hire Scams” Polly?

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    K1ngston
    Participant

    [postquote quote=1019145][/postquote]

    Did the cat steal your cream ASK1945? It certainly seems so……


    K1ngston
    Participant

    [postquote quote=1019139][/postquote]

    Hi Polly, thank you for thinking about me and to really annoy ASK1945 let me respond! Yes quarantine has been and gone, we were hoarded off to the Shangri-La Sentosa for 2 weeks where we were not allowed to leave the room, where the food was diabolical and the 6 calls a day annoying, however we are now out and enjoying relative freedom in Singapore.

    However to go back to the OPs question and having responded earlier, Avis in Thailand were excellent (just in case anyone ASKs)


    ASK1945
    Participant

    No, K1ngston – I was just pointing out that this was posted in a thread relevant to car hire. Your attacks on me for doing so are just plain silly.

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    K1ngston
    Participant

    [postquote quote=1019290][/postquote]

    Well clearly meant something to you…. And now I will move on!


    Tom Otley
    Keymaster

    It’s a very easy thing to happen at the moment because the forum threads keep jumping around because of the spam attacks.

    Having said that, I think we have sorted out the problem and normal service should soon be restored.

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