Europcar - WTF? Damage?

[Pushka]

I don't trust any rental car company to make a decision in my favour and so I am particularly cough when collecting and delivering a car. And I always mention to the counter person, if an inspection person is not on site, that I have taken photos/video of the car. One time when we hired a car at Noosa, the owners son drove the car with us, and our luggage in it, back to the depot. (I know, it was weird). As we left the airport he was driving too fast and clunked the speed hump. A few weeks later we noticed a $300 charge to our credit card without notice. I contacted the hire car people and they stated it was for damage to the undercarriage. Needless to say they got a rant from me and agreed to drop the charge.

I get confused with all the insurance premiums involved though and usually end up doubling the cost of the hire charge because I get the lot as the thought of a $3000 bill for slight damage freaks me. We have the platinum credit cards etc, and the annual insurance travel policy, but I know when we get to France in July I will cough up the money for the full package again, especially as we are going with europcar! But at least it will be daylight when we collect and return the vehicle.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

I get confused with all the insurance premiums involved though and usually end up doubling the cost of the hire charge because I get the lot as the thought of a $3000 bill for slight damage freaks me. We have the platinum credit cards etc, and the annual insurance travel policy, but I know when we get to France in July I will cough up the money for the full package again, especially as we are going with europcar! But at least it will be daylight when we collect and return the vehicle.

Does the Amex Plat charge card cover you for CDW so you can decline the $20.00 per day insurance offered when yo pick the car up in both Australia and overseas countries have have CDW ie not the USA?

 

[juddles]

Never had an issue wih Europcar.

 

[AdMEL]

Does the Amex Plat charge card cover you for CDW so you can decline the $20.00 per day insurance offered when yo pick the car up in both Australia and overseas countries have have CDW ie not the USA?

Amex Plat Charge card covers LDW/CDW in the US, provided the car is worth less than either AUD50K or 70K (can't remember which). Card does not cover Third Party Liability for rental cars though (only an issue in US). Not sure it covers Excess Reduction (as distinct from CDW) in Australia though. Also, excess reduction in Australia is now $30 - 60 per day, not $20!

Never had an issue wih Europcar.

I haven't had an issue with them accusing me of, or charging for, damage I didn't cause, yet. I have had billing issues with almost every rental, plus issues with crediting points to Velocity, plus woeful customer service and website not great.

 

[mtbsafari]

Hi guys,

I'd like to keep this thread live so that other frequent flyers don't fall into the same trap.

Last weekend I rented a VW Golf from Europcar MEL. The car was reasonably new with only about 2000 Kms on the clock. I was told the car had no damage, and a quick look over the car, mostly looking for scrapes on the bumpers and dents in the door, seemed to confirm that. So, happily, I headed off to a couple of days in the country ... away from traffic, obstacles and kerbs.

On return, the returns person asked "Any problems?". "No", the car had been a dream. She then said "I see a problem already" and made a bee line for the rear passenger wheel. There was a small scrape on the alloy. Tiny. I had to bend down to take a closer look. Even if I had spotted it at the time of rental I would have disregarded it as normal wear and tear. So off to the office where I was told that I would be paying $180 plus GST.

Anyways, I have no objection to paying for damage that I cause ... or even damage that happened during the rental period ... but my passenger and I went back through every stop made ... there was not a kerb in sight. We had no need to back into any parking spot, and often just parked off to the side of country roads to admire a Koala.

I suspect that the damage happened before I picked up the car, caused by a previous renter or by Europcar staff (God forbid that they might be responsible).

So it's turned into a big fight. The customer service at the rental location and since has been woeful and downright rude.

Be careful renting with these guys. A much better experience with Hertz or Avis.

 

[Simo]

Yep I don't rent from Europcar due to the bad press they seem to get.

 

[markis10]

Photograph the car on pickup and on return, it's saved me charges twice now, for the twenty percent discount I get with Europcar it's been worth the effort, and I do it with other rentals as well.

 

[munitalP]

I think all the rental places are as bad as one and another, I was particularly vigilant yesterday in ADL at Avis, the damage sheet showed 100% good condition, I returned back to the counter with no less than 6 items noted! One scratch was 300mm long. How many newbies get punished by these thieves because of issues not seen and noted beforehand due to inexperience?

 

[eastwest101]

Photograph the car on pickup and on return, it's saved me charges twice now, for the twenty percent discount I get with Europcar it's been worth the effort, and I do it with other rentals as well.

Second that - but good point about the alloy wheels as well - they can damage easily and can be quite expensive - I photo every panel but had not thought about the wheels up until now - good tip.

 

[mtbsafari]

I think all the rental places are as bad as one and another...

I disagree, munitalIP. I have rented cars from Avis and Hertz recently where minor damage like this didn't show on the damage report and when I returned the car there was no problem. In one case I was particularly worried and pointed out a problem at time of rental ... and they said no worries ... no need to mark it down. I guess it is a matter of degree, and the recommended solution appears to be photos, photos, photos. Better safe than sorry.

... at Avis, the damage sheet showed 100% good condition, I returned back to the counter with no less than 6 items noted! One scratch was 300mm long.

Having said that, a 3m long scratch is one I'd be worried about. Glad your rental turned out hassle free in the end ... Just like all the rentals I have made in the past 30 years of renting cars.

BTW, last time I rented a car in Rome it had so many scratches it looked like it had been parked in the middle of an intersection for a month ... and it was unwashed. They told this was normal in Rome. I was a bit worried when I dropped it off in Geneva, and pulled in between pristine Swiss rentals. The guy receiving the cars said nothing ... only that it was the normal state of cars originating in Italy.

 

[nlagalle]

Having said that, a 3m long scratch is one I'd be worried about. Glad your rental turned out hassle free in the end ... Just like all the rentals I have made in the past 30 years of renting cars.

3 metres long I'd be concerned, but I think your math is off, more like 30cm!!

 

[mtbsafari]

3 metres long I'd be concerned, but I think your math is off, more like 30cm!!

Oh, yeah. Mea culpa, or as the young folks say "My bad". I'd be concerned with a 30cm scratch too.

 

[serfty]

I disagree, munitalIP. I have rented cars from Avis and Hertz recently where minor damage like this didn't show on the damage report and when I returned the car there was no problem. In one case I was particularly worried and pointed out a problem at time of rental ... and they said no worries ... no need to mark it down. ...

Having had 100's of car rentals over the years I have had issues with Hertz, Thrifty, Avis and Budget - it can vary from site to site, agency to agency, rental to renatal and maybe even phases of the moon.

It is not brand specific where problems can occur.

... I guess it is a matter of degree, and the recommended solution appears to be photos, photos, photos. Better safe than sorry. ...

Indeed, also fuel tank, spare tyre, time of collection, cleanliness and anything else one can think of.

 

[chrisb]

A few weeks back I got a 2010 XR6 from hertz. It had existing damage marked on every panel on the form. It actually made me feel happy that they would have difficulties pinning stuff on me. the car looked fine unless you really had a close look.


So what level of damage do you point out? My rental last week had a few minor scratches that weren't noted and I didn't bother raising. I didn't hear anything about it.

 

[ozmille]

It is not brand specific where problems can occur.
Indeed, also fuel tank, spare tyre, time of collection, cleanliness and anything else one can think of.

Had an interesting one in FRA last month with the spare tire, when returning the car they went "where is the spare tire" I was like I don't know. They just let it go but could have been an issue. For my next rentals I am definitely going to check and double check everything on top of my usual damage checks.

 

[markis10]

So what level of damage do you point out? My rental last week had a few minor scratches that weren't noted and I didn't bother raising. I didn't hear anything about it.

You point out the damage that is damage, not fair wear and tear, and the definition does vary by company of what falls into what category. Europcar class anything above the window as damage for instance.