Europcar Reviews

When imposed, that "small charge" approached 500 and was immediately removed from our credit card bill. When challenged in the airport, Europcar dubiously argued that the crack exceeded 1 cm and that a replacement windscreen was therefore essential (I'd love to know whether the replacement actually took place). A smaller fine was also imposed for excess petrol (we had filled up immediately before reaching the airport, but had already realized that the petrol gauge was faulty). After two months of vigorous argument the petrol money was returned but the company remain adamant regarding the replacement windscreen rip-off. AVOID!

I can assure you that I did inquire about PLPD, CDW and such, and received no clear answer from the agent. Now, I am positive that Europcar provides PLDP with the rental rate, as do most rental companies. They sell high priced CDW coverage. Europcar caused me to incur double coverage on my rental in the amount of $648 for a two week rental, which was already in place through their agent/broker Priceline.com. The charge was defended by Europcar, and they denied my dispute. I disputed this charge through BankAmericard, which was eventually turned down. The Bank's reason was that the insurance was through a 3rd party, Priceline,com, and Europcar was not responsible. Now I think this is BAD business. Europcar, if not at the counter, but at least upon dispute should have recognized this as an overcharge and honored the dispute.

I firmly believe that this was a purposeful scam, and I think Europcar purposely misrepresents the insurance product to uninformed foreign tourists for their own gain. Being over 70, I made the necessary effort to arrange for the rental and insurance prior to travel to avoid such problems. The Europcar facility is isolated from other agencies at Heathrow and other airports by a bus ride, making the customer feel helpless. After 20 hours of travel from Portland Oregon, and my 75 year old wife sitting and waiting at the Europcar desk while the agent lied to me, I feel like a victim of duress and misrepresentation.. I only hope some others may be informed of this activity and made aware.

I went inside their store to talk to the manager, I explained the situation and I asked him to call the first person that made a note of the scratches and to ask him about them. He said that he won't do that because he will most likely not remember. Then I asked him to check the cctv from the parking and he will surely see me pointing out those scratches to him. He said that he can't do that without even bothering to give me a reason why not. They also didn't bother to prove me that the scratches were over 2 CM (which I am sure they weren't). The manager just said that I have to pay the excess of 300 euros and another 85 euro as damage admin fee.

This damage admin fee was something new since nobody told me about it before collecting the car and it wasn't even in my contract. The manager also said that if I want I can make a complaint with them and that they will give me an answer. I have made a written complaint and guess what... no answer. I have also made a complaint by email and they told me that since I rented the car through Expedia, I had to make the complaint to Expedia and have them forward the complaint to them. This seemed so dodgy since my complaint had nothing to do with Expedia's services.

I have contacted Expedia and they were very helpful because they agreed to make this complaint to Europcar. And then guess what... no answer to Expedia either. I contacted them asking for an answer either to me or Expedia. They have stopped emailing me. I also asked them to send me at least a proof that the scratches were over 2 CM. Nothing. I guess it is my fault that I didn't do any due diligence before renting from them.

If I would have just checked the internet for Europcar reviews and you will find a lot of bad experiences with them. And also I should have paid more attention to the people they had at the counter complaining. There was a queue of about 5 people complaining when I got there so I guess that is my fault too for not paying attention to them. Bottom line, if you find that their service is cheaper than anywhere else, trust me it is not worth it. Because in the end they will find a way to make you pay a whole lot more. Just check the internet for Europcar reviews and you will find a lot of bad experiences with them.

We informed Europcar that the rental was now theirs (we were returning it that afternoon anyway). They said "no" that the tow truck would return our car to the intersection, unfixed, and we needed to get to a garage, somehow, get the tire fixed, and return it to the Europcar offices. We refused. They have kept our 160 euro deposit minus 30 ostensibly for oil and taxi reimbursement, but we're not sure as they have not answered our requests for a detailed explanation. The personnel were rude and unhelpful. We'll never use Europcar again.

It had a bulge in the tire, a serious defect placing me and my family in serious danger of blowing up at any moment. I contacted the USA rental people and they advised to return that car and another would be waiting. (The airport is more than an hour away.) The third car - now 40 hours later - seems to be in good condition. The cars in Florence are rented with a long list of damages already printed on the acceptance contract. I have rented cars for many years and have never encountered any agent as nasty as Laura. I did not treat her badly but she had an attitude. She deliberately searched for the keys to the first wreck of a car. The lot attendant told them they could not use that car and still they had it there to push off on someone. There were three order numbers but rental was through Auto Europe.

The guy who checked the car over asked us if we had checked the car for the aerial as apparently they're taken off sometimes and placed elsewhere in the vehicle.... To say I was annoyed was an understatement, however we eventually swapped the car over. I signed the new paperwork and we were presented with a dump of a VW Polo - which had the power of a kids toy hairdryer, however had a working radio. The i30 was deemed ok with no damage (according to the guy who checked it over) so the trip continued and we eventually dropped the VW off in Edinburgh airport, got the green light from the female attendant and went on our merry way.

So, I check my Australian credit card last night and notice an amount of $363.00 has been taken from my account on 20th August - without notification, phone call, email or anything to tell me why. I called Europcar in Australia today and I'm informed the car was reported to have had a puncture when I changed over in Brighton! There was NO MENTION, discussion or any such communication when swapping vehicles over in Brighton that there was any damage (other than the aerial not working) and the cheeky swines have now helped themselves to my money without so much as a discussion.

I just wonder how many times this happens without people checking their account balances? Now I'm in limbo as to a response from the useless staff at Brighton who will no doubt have a text book of common phrases to throw at me to question my sanity, driving ability and understanding of flat/punctured tyres against a perfect healthy, inflated tyre. Let the drama commence.

We used two more cars from Europcar Lisbon Airport during our vacation where we were treated fair and the utmost respect, unfortunately these disrespectful employees at the Faro branch for an ''extra buck'' forgot that they were the face of a reputable company at that point. I do not know if Europcar checks reviews, but at this point some bad apples lost me and my family as future customers, unless they reverse charges.

On the 2nd of July, the deposit of €433 that was pending on my account was debited. Also, an additional €504.83 was pending. I immediately thought my debit card was used fraudulently and contact my bank. They advised me to contact Europcar and keep a record of all correspondence. On the 3rd of July, I made several calls to Europcar because they were taking the money from my account and got nowhere. I had to go back to the initial broker I was dealing with, Rental.com started investigating my complaint.

On the 9th of July, another €70.86 is debited from my account to Europcar. I was furious. To date monies taken from my account to Europcar and Rental.com are as follows: 9th July - €70.86 (debited from my account), 2nd July - €433 (debited from my account), 2nd July - €504.86 - (pending). These are all charges from Europcar. Prepaid Car hire €108.49 to Rental.com.

I sent a strongly worded email to Rental.com and got the following response: "I have contacted Interrent/Europcar today regarding the additional charge applied. They have confirmed that due to an issue with their automated system, you were charged a One Way Fee as the car was collected / dropped at a different station code. The total charges were applied as follows: Customer choice / upgrade – £47.49, One Way Fee – £250.00, VAT – £59.50. Europcar have confirmed that the case you have logged with them shows that they have approved a refund of this one way fee and that will be processed in the next few days. There does seem to have been an adjustment to the invoice, so you may see this as a charge followed by a refund and then a subsequent replacement charge."

On the 13th of July I sent an email to Rental.com asking them to clarify the upgrade charge and a copy of the supporting documents as I did not agree to any upgrade. I got no response. By the 27th of July, I had got back the €504.86 that was pending but nothing else. I emailed Rental.com and yet again got no response. On the 29th July I made a formal complaint to the BVRLA who immediately came back to me to say they have contacted Europcar.

On the 4th August another €83.78 is taken by Europcar. I immediately contacted BVRLA to advise them of this. I got this response. "We understand you were charged a one-way fee, which Europcar agreed to refund. Europcar has confirmed that on the 10th July 2015 their Customer Services agent contacted you to advise that the one-way fee was to be refunded. Regrettably this was not processed and therefore you did not receive the refund. Europcar would like to offer their sincere apologies for this error and will ensure this is raised internally to prevent a reoccurrence. In reference to the upgrade fee, Europcar has advised that the Rental Agreement has been signed, however the Additional Optional Services document has not been clearly marked to show your acceptance. They have therefore also refunded this amount. The two refunds of £300 and £56.99 have been processed today and will be cleared in the next 3-10 working days."

On the 13 of August, all monies due were refunded back to my account. I immediately contacted my bank, cancelled my debit card and ordered a new one. NIGHTMARE OVER!! I want to finish by saying that Europcar never tried to contact me directly to sort the matter out or apologise to me directly for the problem and the broker I was dealing with also walked away from the problem knowing that it was not resolved. Only that I was so persistent and through my own research was I able to get the matter resolved. How many people give up and walk away?

If you ever find yourself in a nightmare situation like I was in, try to get the matter resolved through the car rental/ car broker first, keep a record of all correspondence. If it is not resolved, send your complaint to the BVRLA. They are excellent and car rental companies seem to bow to their power. Finally, NEVER RENT A CAR WITH EUROPCAR!!!

I would go with another rental car provider. It might be more expensive but the amount of hassle and quality of customer service would be worth it.

A few weeks later I received my bank statement. Upon checking that I noticed that I was charged another extra £100 on top of what I had to pay. I rang them up, told them I've been overcharged so after looking into my agreement I was then told that I was charged for an extra day for being late by 1 hour 22 min. I was shocked because I knew that I gave the car back on time, exactly 11.07 am as I kept the ticket from the barrier on entrance to the yard. Now I realise that I'm not the only one who has been cheated. A lot of others have gone through the same problem of being overcharged. I'm still waiting for them to get back to me. On the other hand I would never recommend anyone to them. No customer service and they just rob you.

Arrived in Rouen and found the Europcar office which was closed again for lunch at 11:50 am and would not reopen until 14:00. I had to search again for another Europcar location which had a service garage and was finally able to take the car in for oil to be added. The technician ended up adding over 2 liters of oil and had to use a pair of vice grips to remove the oil cap. I ended up wasting over 2 hours taking care of this problem which is something I don't want to have to do on holiday. I understand that nothing is perfect but this was a preventable problem. Additionally, the windscreen wipers were badly worn and made the windscreen a mess (very poor visibility) when it rained. The car was not stable and "floated" when at autoroute (motorway) speeds. The car should have either been serviced properly or retired.

What the Europcar staff did for give me some support? NOTHING!!! I asked them to call the police (they did) but in any moment they were worried with this serious event. Complete indifference with the fact, with me and my wife. Without one single word to help us. Why they left the car 30 meters away from the office with open windows? They should know the city and the neighborhood where they work and if it is dangerous for their customers they should take care of us. Europcar Milano at Via Luigi Galvani is a dangerous company with lack of any responsibility with his customers and a terrible staff.

When we got to Aix and were given not the Mercedes 7 seat van that we requested but a different car that I had never heard of which only sat 5 people. When we asked where the other 2 seats were we were told they were in the trunk and of course if you opened those seats there would be no trunk space! We were told there was an extra fee of over $100 because we were returning the car to a different location from where we picked it up and it was a premium location. Of course there was no mention of this when I originally rented it and prepaid. The car was new and was automatic and had a new type of gear to change it from park to drive etc and was difficult to figure out. No one took us to the car to explain the features on the car. I would never rent from RENTALCARS.COM or EUROPCAR again and would not recommend them.

Biggest problem was receiving invoices that are confusing and misleading. Europcar had charged us four additional days which we did not use at a cost of 60 euro. Rang Europcar customer service. Spent 30 mins on phone, none the wiser - still confused. Spoke to a rep called Jas, refused to give me surname. He told me they would investigate and email me within 3 to 10 days. No email, no explanation, just another very confusing invoice received by post on 7th August now stating administration fines of 30 euro instead of additional days car hire. No refund on visa. Get another email on 11th August asking again for same info and invoice numbers, 6 in total. Gave info again. Took 45 mins to type it. As yet, 14th August, no contact by email or phone. My advice - do not use Europcar.

Updated on 10/05/2015: Still waiting to be refunded the overcharging of 60 euro for car hire of 4 days additional hire which we never had!!! Latest correspondence from Europcar on the 2nd October is that they refunded me 42 euro on the 13th July, and that I should check with my banking institution!!! I have done this at great expense over the phone as I could not find the refund on my visa statement either online or in our written statements. I was refunded 21 euro according to the credit note I received in the post on the 1st October. Again two letters one in French one in English. Again very confusing, caused me great stress, could not work out the details even though I am a highly qualified individual.

Again another anxious call to my Visa card company to ensure that Europcar had not deducted any more money. I was advised to close down my Visa card account to ensure Europcar did not look for any more money and automatically deduct from our account. This is what I have done due to the stress in dealing with Europcar. My last correspondence with Europcar was earlier this evening stating that my Visa Card Company is now dealing with Europcar to get our refund of 42 euro and I have also forwarded email from Europcar stating that they had reimbursed me. AGAIN I SAY AVOID AVOID AVOID!!!

We were already disappointed for the extra insurance we needed of £53 so we did not want to buy any more...but little did we know, stressed out after an hour in line, thirsty after being cheated out of the vendo machine. When we arrived home they had charged us £50/day so £250 (yes they also forgot to mention that there was an additional 25% VAT) in contradiction with their own regulations that clearly states all prices are including VAT if otherwise not mentioned.

So the original price of £120 plus agreed insurance £53 ended up in a total amount of £423. I have called and mailed complaints for one month to get some or all money back but no this did not work. YEAH that was a great deal and a very special offer. Europcar, no thanks or any other car rental for that matter.

I then asked the Senior Customer Service Host to provide me with the calculations based on the mileage we did that would indicate we had recouped the additional cost of the larger diesel car. She couldn't of course and agreed then that we hadn't recouped the cost but that we had had the benefits of the larger car. These were actually of no benefit to us at all as we neither needed nor wanted a larger car. We had originally selected a smaller car for ease of use on the narrow, single track roads in the northern remote areas of Scotland where we were going. I had requested a full refund for the cost of the upgrade but they only offered a goodwill gesture of 30.00. We will never use Europcar again and warn others to be really careful of the tactics the agents use to persuade customers into upgrades.

My story: I found a good deal through BookingBuddy (compact car w/ unlimited mileage to/from Paris Charles De Gaulle for 17 days for only $280) and prepaid that amount. Upon arrival, I was asked (as usual) to leave a credit card number for other possible charges - except that the agent couldn't deal with my perfectly normal magnetic strip card, though it worked everywhere else in France (It has to have raised numbers - ?!). So I had to produce a second card (with raised numbers) that I do not use overseas - because it carries a foreign currency exchange fee - and then allow Europcar to charge it basically as they pleased. The agent then spent an inordinate amount of time suggesting (in that we needed more insurance or that this or that thing was not in order before we managed to escape with the key after 20-25 minutes.

The car was fine, our tour of France delightful, and there were no problems when we returned the car. After returning home, however, I found a number of additional charges on my credit card bill. One was for $154., including $54. for a second driver (which I understood), but the remaining $100., for licenses and fees, premium station surcharge, and a VAT of 20%(!), came as a surprise - and increased the price of the pre-paid rental by 55%. Equally surprising, and even more objectionable, were the four additional charges of 30 Euro each for administrative fees. When I wrote and asked for an explanation, I was told that these were for traffic tickets - which I was unaware of having received, and the details of which French data privacy law forbade Europcar to share with me! (I would hear from the authorities.)

Though skeptical that I had incurred more traffic tickets during 17 days in France than in the previous 30-plus years of driving, but knowing that European police sometimes take a photo of an offenders car and send the ticket by mail, I agreed to be patient. Well, two months have now passed since I returned the car and I have received just one such ticket (for racing 57 kph in a 50 kph zone). Charging customers 30 Euro merely to provide an address to traffic authorities is bad enough; doing so for imaginary violations is clearly a rip-off, and tells me that Europcar, at least its French representation, is not a company that I or others should be doing business with.

I was unable to get through the phone tree to speak with a representative so my wife and I got on the Europcar shuttle. At the Europcar facility we took a number and waited over half an hour for our number to be called. At the desk the gentleman could not find a reservation number on the Expedia document that corresponded to their system. He said that Europcar did some business with Advantage, a US company, and tried to call them and to call Expedia to get a number that would correspond with their reservation system. He did not say that Advantage and Europcar are in fact worldwide partners. No representative at Advantage or Expedia could help. I was desperate and feeling that our vacation would be ruined. The agent said that he could get a car for me and did so. I understood him to say that a large part (250 BPS) was a deposit.

The rate of the package 394 pounds per week was far more that the $34.00 daily rate quoted on the Expedia order and far more than the online rates for both Advantage and Europcar which I had seen. Generally the rate was 50 pounds or $120 per week. The rental agent at Europcar also stated that insurance was not optional as it is in the U.S. He added on a Premium protection package that cost 133 pounds and roadside assistance that cost 23 pounds. I am disputing the charges because I feel I was totally misled by the agent at the desk and was grossly overcharged.

I feel that I was also misled into purchasing the Premium Protection and Roadside Assistance. Seeing that I was in such distress I believe he went for the kill and charged the highest rates he could. He acted as though there was no direct relationship between Advantage Car Rental and Europcar, which I subsequently found not to be true. He should have at least honored the daily rate of $22 or better, the Europcar advertised rate of $128.

On return of the car the Europcar representative checked the car in and informed me that I owed a £1000. I advised that I had already paid for hire through easycar but was informed that I had £500 outstanding for fuel, tyre/windscreen cover and extra day hire. On reflection I should have queried the amount but the Europcar rep was a little abrupt, I was pre-occupied after a busy drive to the airport, glad to have returned the car safely and pre-occupied with the prospect of a long haul flight to Australia.

Not until I was in flight did I realise that the receipt stated £713.46 for an extra day car hire along with £169.61 VAT. Two credit card charges of £445.30 and £572.37 have been debited although I had only entered my card and pin into the card reader once. On my credit card statement I was debited AU$1277.95 and AU$1010.49 for the extra days car hire, fuel and tyre/windscreen cover totaling $2288.44. This is on top of the $586.33 I had already paid for 16 day car hire.

Part of the extra charge is for tyre & windscreen cover at £7.50 a day for 17 days totaling £127.50 and £47 for empty tank refill, both of which I agreed to and not disputing. Although £169.61 VAT is a little high as well. I was aware I would not be able to return the car on time prior to 09:00 on 30/7/15 and contacted Europcar by phone on Wednesday 29/7/15 to seek advice on returning after agreed time. I was advised of a grace period of 30 minutes before the hire goes into another day and I will then be charged an extra day. I decided on the latter option and return late as I had to say goodbye to my daughter and I did not fly until the late afternoon.

During my hire period I had no mechanical issues or collision issues and returned the car as agreed with an empty tank. I agree to paying for an extra day after returning 4 hours late but feel that the charge for the extra day is a little excessive. I am writing to confirm if this is normal practice to charge an excess amount for late return and request a refund of the excessive amount. I can provide a copy of my Europcar receipt, credit card statement and easycar booking email to assist in this correspondence.

After seeking legal advice I am in the process of contacting the Metropolitan police and my card issuer Westpac. With so many international travellers passing through Heathrow and hiring cars this may not be an isolated incident. Reviewing TripAdvisor and Yelp I've observed numerous complaints with Europcar's Heathrow Branch.

We were then informed that the only car available was a Fiat 500, not what we had ordered several weeks earlier, and it was take it or leave it, they couldn't have cared less. We took the car because we were already two hours behind schedule and we didn't know where we could hire another car. It caused us real problems because we were supposed to be collecting friends and going out for the day later in the trip to Normandy and now we would have to make other arrangements i.e. take a taxi. It added considerably to the cost of our holiday and we certainly would not recommend Europcar or use them again.

After multiple calls to Europcar the car finally showed up three hours late and it was completely different from what we booked or what they told us they would send as replacement. It was much smaller and our luggage barely fit. So everything else went without a hitch until the second to the last day when the car got broken into and our luggage was stolen. The thieves broke a window and left some scratches on the door and mirror. We returned the car, the guy wrote up a report and said that since it was not our fault then we should not have to pay for the damage. Well when we got home I checked my credit card statement and there were two charges from Europcar. One for the rental and one for the damage. Both charges were made on the same day right after we returned the car, so I doubt they had time to assess the damage.

I got a hold of Europcar and they said that they charged us because the damage was not covered under their basic warranty. I declined the extra warranty because my credit card covered that. I called my credit card company and filed a claim. In order for my credit card to approve the claim I have to provide an itemized list of repairs. Europcar is refusing to provide any additional documents. I told them that if they do not provide me with the documents I am entitled to have then I will dispute the charge. I have yet to hear from them. The customer service sucks. That's if you can even call it customer service; they would have to actually provide some service.

Are you kidding me? I immediately went back to the drawing board and booked another car online through Hertz, which was great (and also cheaper), and then cancelled the Europcar reservation after I called Hertz to double-check that it would have a car large enough for our family. I was so glad I made the switch because when we arrived at the Venice airport, Europcar had a tiny presence with no one at its counter vs. Hertz which had several people available to help with car check-ins. If at all possible, I will never book a car rental overseas with a company that does not have a strong presence in the U.S. Europcar's customer service was horrendous.

The agent gave us instructions to leave the car at the airport parking lot upon our return, due to the fact that we would be returning it 30 minutes before their opening hour (6am). The instructions were to leave the car keys and the parking ticket on the car's floor, near the driver's seat, and lock the car from the outside. Weeks after our return we received a charge on our credit card for $81. Their explanation: they could not locate the car key nor the parking ticket. The replacement car keys are $60 and the fine for losing the parking ticket: $19. Unbelievably poor service. We will NEVER rent from Europcar again.

My only option was to return to the airport, lose the money I had already paid and further delay our vacation. As I had written proof the attendant could not show where the charges were due. I decided to pay, get on with our vacation and to address later with Expedia and Europcar. Upon my return I contacted Expedia and was directed to Europcar. They would not do anything. I average up to 75 rental days a year and will never use Europcar at any location. Their practices are deceptive and they charge you just enough that you pay to avoid further frustrations.

Original Review: July 20, 2015

At first it seemed like an average company to give a opportunity on a different rental company. They gave me a Smart Car. 4 days into the rental at 4 am to have a private excursion for my partner, we get a flat tire. I have changed many, so I thought no big problem since "if" there is a spare, it's a quick change and go. Keep in mind that at this point I'm in the middle of Sardinia, Italy. As I'm scrambling to change the tire in the Smart Car Passion I figure out, the car has no spare. I thought to myself, "well they did tell me the numbers were 24/7." Apparently that was another lie. I called every single number I could find and nobody came at all. Not even a Mercedes-benz monitoring system for safety for rental customers. NOTHING!

Now I had to drive 2 hours with a flat back to the house and because of the tire blowing out, from the billing information I have, they want to charge me 300 euros extra. I have spent hours with their customer service with no result. Exhausted and disappointed with my decision, I should have gone and rented from Enterprise, Avis, Hertz, or any other worthwhile company for your travel needs and customer service. Be safe everyone, they want your money.

Next issue the car - scratches on all panels, damage above wheel trim - some noted some not. Nobody would come to the car park to witness it as it was 8pm at night and the car was covered in dried in bird droppings and flowers (no trees or bushes about), clearly not washed. The mileage was almost 30000 miles. I felt like I had be given a dud. I rang their office explained my concerns. They just said they would note the additional damage and that was it. They saw no issue with my concern.

So on reviewing my bill a week later after car handed back my card had been credited almost 120 pounds. I emailed the customer service address with my issues about the quality of the car and the overcharging. Several days later their response was "your bill is correct" and follow up with the people I booked with Cartrawler. No apology or comment on any of my quality issues. I responded "who is Cartrawler my booking was with Holiday Autos and why no response to my other issues."

A week later no response. I do not normally use Europcar and will never use them again. I believe I was mislead, twice, overcharged and given a dud but worst of all their complete lack of customer service or care for my concerns is appalling. I accept that due to my location at the time of booking I didn't understand the rules regarding insurance but then nowhere did it indicate that full insurance did not mean full insurance on my booking. I was prepared to suck up the 10 pounds per day extra charge but not the rest of it.

I was given a perfunctory view of the vehicle and saw that the paintwork on its offside rear was scuffed. The Europcar representative noted this, not having previously been aware of any damage. Since the Europcar office is a few metres from the airport Arrivals it was unnecessary for me to drive it anywhere or even go inside the vehicle. I did not check its windows, having been told that it was a virtually new car. I then waited in my own vehicle.

When the aircraft arrived, I passed over the keys to the named driver and left. No information other than a single sheet of paper was contained within the Europcar envelope which I handed over or any details with respect to damage. However, when the French party entered the vehicle, they immediately noticed two chips in the windscreen but assumed that they were pre-existing damage. Since the Europcar office was closed, he couldn't check with them.

However, on returning the vehicle to the Europort Bournemouth office on June 20th, prior to their return flight, they claimed that the damage was not pre-existing and that they had to pay for a new windscreen. Europcar automatically took this off the Visa card details, which they held, totalling £332 -00. They also charged £2-34 for each litre of diesel to top up the tank, double the local price of £1-16 per litre. If you really have to use Europcar, which I would suggest you don't, check every inch of both interior and exterior of the vehicle and have the Europcar rep with you during this time. Make sure also that your quote includes VAT. Ours didn't.

After having recovered from travel and time change, I began to research. The agents are paid a commission to upsell. There are companies out there that one can purchase additional insurance for a fraction of the cost. I attempted to cancel the insurance through Europcar, but was told that it was not possible without cancelling the entire rental and rerenting, which would have cost even more! They have no way cancel just the insurance. Needless to say, we are not happy with Europcar and will not be renting there again.

Europcar was located next to Enterprise which had at least 6 or 7 smiling young men helping out their customers. When the employee from Europcar finally showed up, he was sullen and rude and not of much help. He refused to help us with the GPS. Due to the lack of employees and all the mistakes, we spent almost 4 hours in the hot garage in Nice and arrived at our destination after dark. We were also very specific with the agent that although there were 2 of us, only one would be driving. And she only asked for one driver's license, but we were charged for an additional driver. Returning the car we again met with a lot of rudeness and lack of help, and the agent forgot to give us our receipt.

The latter engineer found that when he drove the car it performed satisfactorily. Hence we were sent on our way. We did not agree that the performance of the car had improved. Moreover, it became evident when we joined motorway traffic, that even at fast cruising speeds there was a tendency for the stalling behavior to return when the revolutions dropped below 30 (Possibly 30 on the dashboard dial equals 3 thousand revs p/m?). On re-entering small roads the stalling pattern returned. When we attempted the entry gradient to our parking site, the car barely made it and we noticed a smell of burning rubber. Later that day the car could not make the entry gradient and a more accessible parking area was chosen: but this time the engine failed halfway up the short slope. High speed passing traffic and turning angles did not allow backing up in order to develop momentum.

Struggling to get the rear end clear of high-speed traffic, we tried to accelerate to no effect, but the engine emitted thick and odiferous smoke, enveloping the neighbors and leaving a persistent stench. Needless to say, at this point we had lost all confidence in the performance of the car and doubted that it would get us to Gatwick, a distance of about 15 miles. We once again called Europcar, which once again brought in AA. Unfortunately, it was a repeat of the noonday unhelpful episode. The engineer decided it was entirely the driver's fault. We requested but were denied a replacement car, or retrieval of the car so that we could proceed by taxi. The next day, faut de mieux, we set off for the airport. The car performance was, if anything, worse than ever. We doubted that we would make it, but we did manage to limp into Europcar.

The Europcar manager was attentive and considerate. She posited that some new cars have an electronic mechanism that cuts the engine to reduce emissions when idling, and that this cutout might be overly sensitive. Our car was consequently scheduled for an engineering investigation. There is one fundamental principle that should be paramount in relationships between Europcar and its customers: namely that the customer can look to the company for responsive help when encountering unexpected driving difficulty.

Europcar should assume the obligation to rescue the customer, not over-ride (no pun intended) the customer's concerns. Kahneman, Nobel Prize winner, showed that endings define an experience. By that token our holiday could have been devalued by the terminal Europcar incident. However, our hostess saved us with her kindness, advice and intervention during the Europcar fiasco. We apologize to her and her neighbors for the disruption we caused, and hope that Europcar will share in that regret.

When I reported this to Europcar and asked for half my money back, they said none of this was really their responsibility but they were sorry and hoped I would try them again so they could demonstrate good service… just did not seem to get it. I appealed to them to reconsider based on the main issue of safety and they said they really were sorry but were not prepared to go further than that. You could definitely be putting yourself at risk by renting from this outfit. Never again for me that is for sure.

When I get home I notice that the 250 pounds fee had been charged on my credit card. When I called Europcar to ask them, they told me about the gas fill up, the extra day charge for the car being late, some other late fee of 40 pounds, VAT, and god knows whatever else was added on.. he told me that all these additional charges did total 250 pounds... Absolutely disgusted and I put a dispute on my credit card..

I explained to them that I had filled the tank back up the morning I brought the car back and that there should not be any charge. I phoned the customer service helpline and was told they would look into this for me and get back to me within 5 days. A week later and still no contact from them. I called back. I was told a decision still hadn't been reached because the branch I hired the car from hadn't contacted them but I would hear from them before 5pm that evening. Well within 5 mins of that call I had an email stating the charge was correct because they had to refuel the car. No proof was provided just their word. THIS IS THE WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE I HAVE EVER HAD. THE COMPANY IS FULL OF LIARS. DO NOT HIRE FROM THESE LOWLIFE CHEATS UNLESS YOU ARE HAPPY FOR THEM TO CHARGE YOU FOR ANYTHING THEY DECIDE TO. ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS.

There we had a shock when the guy told us that my partner who meant drive didn't pass their computer checks. Nobody told us when did the booking that there are any other checks to be done before we take the car. We had the proof of address with us and he said is too late to check that because is after 5pm. I had no clear response why my partner details weren't accepted and he refused to give us the car. At the phone when did the booking they told me we only need to have with us the driver license, proof of address and the card we paid with, and we had all this with us.

So for the second time that day we found impossible to get to our destination. Because it was late 9pm, we had no chance to find other company to rent other car so we had to come back home. We spend 50£ for the taxi and lost our reservation of 180£ done to the hotel, just because nobody told us when we did the booking that we might not pass their checks. When I book something and pay for it in advance, I expect to have it when I need it. Europcar policy ruined our vacation and made lose money as well. I wouldn't recommend it to anybody.

Contacting Europcar the rep said verbatim: "I cannot control what the client before you did to the car", which I thought is not very useful! I kept trying to re-focus on solving the issue of providing a clean car, but finally the response was that I need to drive back to the airport to "see what we can do" (30KM). With all the traffic during Christmas holidays, this was unacceptable. Under the driver and passenger seats, there were pieces of shattered glass that the kids found with their curiosity and could have harmed themselves, but they are unharmed. I have already filed a similar form on a different website 5 days ago and have not had any confirmation or response. I hope to receive an acknowledgment with details on how you will fix the situation. I really hate to go to websites and share them my photo experience with video. Please help me stay in contact with you.

Original Review: June 2, 2015

Our car rental from Europcar at Girona airport in Spain left us highly dissatisfied. The original car was supplied with a half-inch tear and a smaller rip in the wall of a front tyre which was unnoticed by us until the next day. This placed our safety at risk, particularly when we had driven on a motorway. We notified Europcar the tyre was damaged before delivery but they said we did not note the damage during pick up so it was our fault. We explained that the car was delivered in a covered car park, with the faulty tyre facing inwards towards the darkness of the car park. We also supplied photos showing the tyre fault was difficult to see in daylight even from a distance of a couple of yards.

We drove back to Europcar Girona airport, to get a replacement car. This one had no damage pre-recorded on the contract form, but this time we made sure we examined the car thoroughly, and got the official to note down numerous scratches and dents. The weak excuse given was they usually do checks, but the car had possibly come from another office. However the next day we discovered the windscreen washers were not working, the washer system was leaking onto the engine, proving that Europcar do not always perform a thorough check on their cars. Another safety issue, as we needed to use the washers to clear the dirty windscreen on a motorway. We had to get yet another replacement car from another Europcar office.

Despite the grave concerns we expressed that Europcar had supplied a car with a damaged tyre, putting our lives at risk, Europcar charged us the cost of replacing the tyre. The cost of the tyre is not so much a concern, as we had excess cover from an independent source. We had to waste time, effort and fuel during our holiday to try to get our complaint addressed and to get replacement cars. What was a disgrace was that Europcar took total disregard of our safety concerns.

On the second to last day of our holiday, error messages and warning lights appeared on the dash, etc. As we were 15 minutes from Swindon, where there was an Europcar office, we drove back there and fortunately were able to get a replacement vehicle. Not even an offer to fill up the faulty vehicle with fuel. We had to do that. It was a stressful experience. Europcar have been contacted and made aware of our complaint through our rental consolidator. As yet, no reply. Never again.

4. Car - Often dirty inside - if you complain they say it's not Europcar's fault as a 3rd party does the cleaning and that it's nothing to do with them! 5. Receipt - Won't give you one, they promise to email it to you. Out of 9 requests it never arrived, not even once! 6. Early return - They promise to return payment for the unused days - guess what, they didn't ever. 7. Puncture - Once I got a puncture in a car park, the tire was repairable, I didn't drive on it as I changed it to the spare. The charge applied by Europcar car to repair the tire was close to £150! I could go on! In short Europcar are a unhelpful, rude, uncaring car hire company whose aim is to rip their customers off at every opportunity. I would advise you to avoid them if at all possible.

I called their 'customer service' department (which appears to be based in the US meaning they had no real understanding of the geography of London and how much of an inconvenience it would be for us to return it elsewhere) and they had very little sympathy. They told us we had 2 options - 1. Take it right into central London at our own expense and then travel back home again by public transport (a return journey that would take us a minimum of an hour and a half and would be a nightmare with me on crutches and in pain) or 2. Return it on the Monday (not an option as my fiance works the hours Europcar is open and I obviously cannot drive!). We drove to the branch in the hope that they might have an after hours drop off system (something all other car hire companies we have used in the past have offered) and were thrilled to see a note in the window saying they did and listing a number to call.

Finally thinking we'd run into some luck we called the number... only to be met with an automated message that told us the number didn't exist! Our experience with Europcar has been appalling and has meant that something that is meant to be simple and make a journey easier has put us out and cost us in terms of expense (over £175 for two and a half days after all the extra charges when our original booking was £97), time (both in waiting for the car in the first place and the hours spent trying to get a straight answer on how to return it as booked) and our sanity! Really, truly disappointing. We will not be using Europcar again and will be warning everyone we know to follow our lead!

On return however I got quite a shock, the vehicle I was give was an upgrade which I had to pay for. So my bill went from 339 pounds to a whopping 1800 pounds! I could not believe it. I informed customer services and they said I had signed for the vehicle so I had no choice but to pay. I explained about the fact that I was told it would cost no more but it fell on deaf ears. I also emailed the customer liaison manager to complain, her reply was brief and unsympathetic. I know it is partly my fault for not reading the small print (and it is small), I just want people to be aware of Europcar's scam to get you to agree to unwanted upgrades. I was lied to and I feel cheated out of nearly 2000 pounds. I will never use this company again and I urge everyone to do the same. Con artists!!

I do understand I don't have a leg to stand on as far as any refund may be concerned BUT my complaint is the way in which the upgrade was manipulated. Clearly anyone who was paying less than GBP200 for a rental would not under normal circumstances agree to an upgrade costing more than 5 times the original rental cost had that been explained.

I believe I was tricked and the upgrade was obtained in a very deceitful manner. Particularly as I had directly questioned the agent what my initials were for. I have spoken to their Customer Services and the manager at LHR who were obviously not very sympathetic. (I'm sure they are all bonus oriented) Having researched on-line I note that Europcar is very poorly rated. I think they should be exposed in terms of their terrible business practices.

All in all, we leave today, without our camera, without our pictures, and with the VERY WORST impression of Frankfurt Airport Europcar. We will do our best to NEVER recommend this specific agency to anyone. As a tourist one knows the risk of being robbed on the trains or streets in any country in the world. But one does NOT expect to get robbed by a respected car rental agency. We did. We got robbed by Europcar Frankfurt Airport. Very very bad experience.

One week ago, I called Europcar in Cape Town, South Africa to find out why the bank still had a hold on R8,445 of my money. I was told that the computers were down and that the clerk could not access any information. I gave him my contact information and the reason for my complaint and was told that I would be contacted as soon as the computers were up and running. It is now April 7, a full month after the return of my vehicle and the money has still not been released from my bank account. There is absolutely no reason for this.

The so called manager, a rude young man with no customer skills said he doesn't care of what is written in the reservation and that this is his office and he will ask how much he thinks is necessary to ask. Furthermore, I received 2 payments on my card, one month later, for the toll road I used, around 45 euros, but with no receipt. I called them to ask them about this, but they just sent me something in Israel language, so I still have no clue what they charged me for. The car I received was not what I requested on the reservation and it had lots of scratches with a big bump in the back.

Their computer and credit card links were down intermittently, and they had not work around plan. The manager finally arrived after an hour and a half or so and more or less got things moving again. When I refused the CDW coverage, since my credit card covers it, he refused to accept that and insisted we pay for CDW. I had not brought a letter from my credit card company (Mastercard) explaining their CDW coverage, and it may not have made any difference anyway.

The car's brakes failed three days later in the mountains of Oaxaca, and we limped back to the city and exchanged cars (in only 15 minutes!). The next day we bought gas and the car refused to start. After getting it started and visiting a few other places we limped back to the city and exchanged the car for the second time (this again only took 15 minutes). Each time we went through the song and dance about dents and dings, although the Oaxaca office has a 4 cm rule, anything under 4 cm does not count. When we arrived back at Queretaro they pointed out all the less than 4 cm dings which they wanted to charge us for. I explained that these had been there from the beginning of our rental and about the Oaxaca 4 cm rule which does not seem to be universal. I refused to be blackmailed into paying, and they relented.

When I again complained about the CDW, the man at the desk handed me some printed forms that I could have signed that said that I was responsible for any damage if I did not buy their CDW banditry and that my credit card company would have to pay. This would have been fine with me and is standard procedure in most places. The manager the week before never mentioned these forms.

Perhaps this is something limited to that particular office, but I can only assume that Europcar's manager either does not know what he is doing or that he was purposely lying to his customers to make a few extra bucks. We have rented from them in Europe with no problems, but this office is a rip off and should be closed down by the central office. However, the people were unfailingly polite and nice.

Their customer service staff point me to sections of their terms and condition which actually were proving them wrong as those sections 3.1.8 state that they will charge "administration fee" not "fees" and section 3.1.7 states "for each charge we pay for you" (and they didn't, I am the one that have to pay those charges). There isn't one stating: "for each charge we process". In the end staff couldn't specify the right section in terms and condition and in consequent justify what they are doing. They couldn't see that what they are trying to do here and what they are so stubborn about and fighting for is actually really unfair and upsetting for their client, because it was and is for me. But they were kept dodging answers and some kind of settlement.

Instead I've gotten robot replies with no specifics like "I can confirm that the terms and conditions is payable per request that we receive from the issuing authorities" or "I am unable to confirm otherwise as the information previously advised is correct" or "we have received two fines and have therefore used resources in managing both requests." So be highly aware, as on a bad day for your number of fines, Europcar will make it double. I'm avoiding them from now on.

The car I selected was a 7 seater Ford S-max and I paid accordingly, using my credit card. When I reached Penang and collected my car, I was disappointed to receive a 7 seater Malaysian made Proton Exora. I highlighted to the lady at the Europcar counter that I paid a more for a Ford S-Max and how is it that I was getting a Proton. (An Exora would have caused me lesser) She told me they only had Exoras. At that point as I had my family waiting for me, I had to accept the car.

When I inspected the car with one of the male employee of Europcar, I realized the air conditioner was not cold and the remote control key handed to me was a very flimsy and loose one (the control was held together with clear scotch tape). I informed the man about my observations and was told that this is the deal. Without a choice, I drove off. The whole of Friday and Saturday afternoon, with the roasting hot Malaysian climate of approximately 38 degrees, my family and I had to bear with the non-chilling air conditioner.

On Saturday evening at around 1930hrs, I parked the car at a function hall where we were attending a wedding reception at Kulim, Kedah (which is about a 1hour drive from the Penang airport). Our party ended at around 0030hrs on Sunday and as my family and I were about to drive back to Penang, where we were staying at a relative's home, the car would not start. I tried for approximately 1hr, but the machine just wouldn't start. At around 0130hrs, I contacted Europcars hotline and informed them about the situation. I was told by the man who answered my call, Mr. **, that he was responsible for the Kuala Lumpur sector and could not do anything for me, apart from being able to contact the Penang counterparts in the morning.

Frustrated and totally upset, my family and I had to stay in the closest hotel, Hotel Seri Malaysia. (We had some relatives staying in that hotel, so we bunked in with them for the night). In the morning at around 0830hrs, I get a call from a male employee of Europcars, who said he would meet me at the Seri Malaysia hotel at 1000hrs and hand me a newer and better car of the exact same make. I meet with this man and we drive to the location where the broken down car was parked and we did a swoop of the cars. It was then when the man told me that a transponder chip had fallen out of the remote control key, which was the reason as to why the car would not start. (It was so obvious that the man knew spot on what the problem was, without even examining the car, which was also obvious that they have had such trouble with this particular car before). Without wasting anymore time than what was already wasted since 0030hrs that morning, I drive off with the replacement car at around 1100rhs.

My family's and my flight back to Singapore was at 1720hrs that same evening (on Sunday 8th March). Between 1100hrs and 1720hrs, we had only about 6hrs 20 minutes left to drive back to Penang, pack our belongings and go about our little sight seeing of Penang. Traveling from Kulim (where we had to stay the night because our rented car would not start) to Penang would take at least 1hr of that remaining 6hrs 20mins. The entire day was ruined for my family and me, as our initial plans were to be up and about (in Penang) by between 0700hrs and 0730hrs, have a good breakfast at a nice hotel in Penang, then go about some shopping and sight seeing and drive back to the airport by around 1600hrs, return the car and fly back to Singapore at 1720hrs.

All that we could do now, and did was, to drive back to our relatives home in Penang, where we reached at around 1230hrs, packed our belongings and by 1400hrs, were ready to leave that home. Between 1400hrs and our flight check-in time of approximately 1620hrs, we had only 2hrs and 20 minutes and that duration was not at all sufficient for us to get anything done. So, we drove to the airport by 1445hrs and I returned the car to Europcar.

To my astonishment, after all the inconvenience caused to my family and me, Europcar had the audacity to charge me RM90 (EUR 22.5) for the half tank petrol for the broken down vehicle and I was also told "We will waive off the charge for the transponder chip that fell off from the remote control key". (After giving me a scotch tape bounded key, Europcar could even think of making such a statement). On top of that, I also had to top up the petrol for the second car - RM 45.

The experience my family and I had was a very disappointing, frustrating and dissatisfying one. First, we did not get the car that was paid for - paid for a Ford S-Max, but received a Proton Exora. Second, the condition of the car was run down, with an air conditioning system that was not dispensing chilled air. Third, the car wouldn't start. Fourth, we could not return to our "home" and had to stay at a relative’s hotel room. Fifth, our entire shopping and sight seeing plans were distorted because our rented car broke down. Sixth, I had to pay for petrol after so much of inconvenience was caused to my family and me. Seventh, I wrote to CarTrawler about this about a week back, and they have not bothered to contact me.

They had given our VW Golf away at some point earlier that morning because we had not arrived at the desk between 10.00 to 11.00. This was due to waiting for all our luggage to be delivered. We were told they only keep the reserved car for one hour and it was our fault, even though I had reserved and PAID ALREADY for it for 8 days. Frankly this is ridiculous having rented cars all over the world. We were offered a much smaller car that could not fit two pairs of skis, two large suitcases and a bag of ski boots in. The only alternative we were told was to wait until 2.00 pm when another bigger car was due to be returned.

Needless to say I was not happy with this and the service from the two women on the counter was completely unprofessional. They eventually called the manager who then drove over after having offered on the phone to me to pay for a coffee while we waited until 2.00 pm. My response was that they a car rental company and not a coffee shop. We were not the only customers having difficulty in getting the car they had ordered in the office that morning.

The manager gave us the car she was using herself, apologising that it was dirty and that she had used about 1/8 of the fuel. She told us that we should return it with the same amount. The fact that it was dirty did not bother us in the circumstances as we had now been waiting for our car in the office for one and a half hours. There was no apology except from the young man who shuttled cars around in the car park. We were then charged as above and I have failed to get any response from Europcar. I will never use them again and it's a false economy to think you are saving any money with them versus their rivals.

We finally got our luggage loaded and we all got in the car to leave and noticed the contract said there was no damage to the vehicle. We were going to get out and go back in but the employees had all disappeared. There was a woman pulling on the door to get in and it was locked and this was around 10 am. We thought that was very odd and so there was no way to question it as we had no way to call on our phones (we had no international plans on our phones). The employees never walked us around the car to note any damage to the vehicle nor did they show us how to use the car. We had never rented a car internationally and the car would shut off every time we came to a stop. We had to pull into a gas station to try and figure out why the car was shutting off. When we dropped the car off at the downtown Sorrento location, our tank was maybe a 1/8th shy of being on full so they charged us 35 euros.

My step mom explained to them what had happened when we picked the car up in Bologna and the employee said, "the contract states no damage and you signed it so you will be responsible". My step mom then said she would not pay for any damage and the employee then said, "you won't have to pay anything the insurance will pay". So, a couple of days after that, we emailed Kemwell and we received no response so I forwarded them the email again and stated that we needed an update on this situation as soon as possible. We finally received a response a couple of days after the first initial email. It just stated that they were sorry to hear about our ordeal and hoped that we could enjoy the rest of our trip and they looked forward to hearing from us when we returned to the US.

When we returned, my step mom had a charge from Europcar on her credit card for $200 so she called her credit card co and they said the charges could not be disputed because the company was in another country and that we had used a third party to book the car (whatever that means?). So, now my step mom is having to deal with Kemwell... we sent them all the pictures that we took the day we picked the car up (that are time and date stamped). At this time, there is no resolution to the problem. I urge you to stay away from Europcar and possibly Kemwell as they tried to put the rental car in my name after I told them it needed to be in my step moms name because she was the driver. When you rent a car, the credit card used MUST be in the name of the person that will be driving or you will have to pay for an extra driver. They are nothing but thieves...

The latest update on this is that my step mom disputed the charge as we had taken pictures (time and date stamped) of the damage before we left the car rental place. The credit card company found the dispute in my step mom’s favor and refunded her the $200 charge from Europcar. However, Europcar tried to charge her card again not once but twice after the dispute was found in my step mom’s favor and the amounts they tried to charge were different amounts as they were trying to get the charge to go through. My step mom ended up having to close her credit card and reopen a new card. Then Europcar turned her over to collections! I've never ever experienced such thievery in all my life! Please, please avoid them at all costs!!!!

While there, she inferred that this was a "legal" problem and that the police would be contacted. Only after contacting Autoeurope (at $1.50 USD a minute on my personal cell phone) did we make any progress with her. (We had extended, all paperwork was in order). We were never offered any assistance with the GPS problem, losing the chance to file our insurance, as well as the estimated $30 lost from having to use our US call to rectify this situation. Truly, we have never encountered such a rude customer service representative. Her loud manner, inability to listen and work with us, as well as her continued insistence that we were "wrong" did nothing but compound an already uncomfortable situation. We are frequent travelers to Europe and will not use their service again.

Two days after returning the car, I was surprised to see they had helped themselves to a further 80 plus euros. I spent ages calling around to various customer service numbers until somebody at the agency told me that this was due to extra mileage. Of course it was my fault because I didn't read the small print, but I think that Europcar also behaved sneakily as my journey was clearly going to incur a supplement, but they made no overt mention of it and let me make a booking which was clearly inappropriate, which I don't consider very professional.

So just be aware that Europcar Europe imposes limited mileage per day, something I hadn't come across before which can double the cost of your rental!!

The car was fully refueled 5 km from Paris airport, we had receipts with time stamp which showed that was done 20 mins before return time. They refused to credit the tire because we didn't have the damaged tire to show them. As the damaged tire had no rim we were unable to attach it to the underside of the car. Numerous emails and calls from Canada to France, resulted in absolutely no credit from them. There is no way I would have paid that astronomical price for a replacement tire had it not been their representative that told us what to do. I visit Europe at least once per year. I will never rent from Europcar again. A totally bad experience that ruined an otherwise terrific vacation.

I urged to give me snow chains and if not they would have let me go without any protection while at 250 km there was a heavy snow situation on the highway. The Europcar counter people were very unprofessional and not caring at all for their customers. Definitely the last Europcar rental if they will not compensate the damage charges.

Well, that money is more than the rental price I reserved --- in other words, the actual price I have to pay is doubled! So do not trust the cheap price they offered on website --- they actually charge you more than twice by claiming that you have to pay the coverage for CDW...and I guess that is why it is so slow because they need to explain this weird requirement to every customer they have cheated!

At pick-up we were also charged £40 plus vat as we did not pick the car up at the exact time that was on the booking form, even though the desk was manned and open and other customers were picking up their cars at the same time. The moral being that sometimes the cheapest quote is not the cheapest quote. We will not be using either of these organisations again because of their underhand and dis-trustful practices.

When I collected the car the fuel tank was not quite full but I didn't have time to query it as I still had a 2-hour drive. I filled the car up right to the brim at the last petrol station which is 4-5 miles away from the airport. I was staggered to receive an invoice for £13.86 charging me for 6 litres at £2.31 per litre which is impossible for them to have put in! I am extremely cross as this is tantamount to theft! I will never use Europcar again!

When returning the car, nobody to speak with. Blunt europcar representative does not understand straight logical arguments. They took my economycar voucher with all payment details on the 1st day, and when I returned the car they said that the voucher has gone. And the last but not the least - returned my car on Saturday, and my flight home morning Sunday - and they say "if you have any problems, come Monday". Sure, responsibility is difficult issue. Yes, after 9 days, now dealing with company customer service, wasting my time. 1st time such a bad experience with seemingly western company.

1) Outside airport not the usual distance. They never mention this and they charge airport extra tax. There are three locations of car rental cars: across the road from the landing reception area (with all the short stay cars); inside the airport but shuttle distance; outside the airport in a place called airport city. This is outside, where traffic can be a problem, they claim. Europcar is the farthest away will never mention it anywhere. They say it is 3 minutes shuttle. In fact on a clear traffic-less road it is 10 minutes. Drivers say traffic coming from Europcar office into the airport is not the same road as coming out, which can take over 20 minutes.

2) No representative inside the airport. They may tell you to go to the first floor where the car rental companies desks are located, however Europcar does not have one. I had to run up and down asking people around until someone told me to ask a clumsy person behind a corner loitering. It was him, all he did was finding me on the least and told me to go to another floor and within 5 minutes a shuttle would come, he was drunk (smelt so and unsteady walk). He wore no distinguishable item to indicate him as Europcar employee.

3) I went up to the top floor and outside waiting. Several shuttles passed by of other rental companies and specific groups filling the bays. After 13 minute I scanned the voucher and found a local telephone number. I called and they said it will take few more minutes, disregarding my comment that it has been almost triple since I waited and more that since their person downstairs told me 5 minutes. They brushed me off. I call after additional 3 minutes to receive the same reply, adding other excuses including traffic problem. Nevertheless in the meanwhile I asked other car rental companies for about the traffic and all including another company that was across the road from Europcar (yes outside the airport). All said that traffic was normal, nothing special.

4) I called many times. I told them that something was wrong as other drivers including one very close to them has passed several times to pick up customers and said traffic was nothing special. I asked them to call the driver; they refused blaming me for calling them liars.

5) I decided to be on the line as long as possible so I will not miss the car and for them to verify where the car was. The reps became abusive and lied more and more blaming me for delaying the car.

6) The car that came, 30 minutes after, took other people and not me. The driver did not know about me. The car was small and was filled by other people who came after me. Mess was incredible. I told the driver and the office that there was an order of arrival and he should let me on first. The driver just drove off.

7) Now the office said another 10 minutes. It took the car another 25 minutes. Totaling 55 minutes of wait not including the search for the rep on the 1st floor.

8) At the office it has gotten worse. They ignored my questions, did not apologize, did not offer compensation, did not explain the contract just told me to sign, refusing even to make a note of my complaints anywhere. Even refusing leaving a note for the manager who was not present.

9) I was away from the airport, no regular transportation to go anywhere stuck and trapped. What could I have done?

10) The car was given too rudely. Was checked in my absence. When I wanted it to be checked it faced resistance and it was in the dark.

11) Driving for 100 meters the fuel gauge dropped an 1/8. The very rude bully of a rep wrote it left the door of the car open to the street and the keys on the seat leaving the car. I was away from the car. Anyone could have stolen it especially in that dodgy area where the office is located.

e. Gear was continuously malfunctioning.

13) When I called and asked for help they said that if I wanted I could pass by them again. I was driving away. Who could have believe that Europcar have only 3 location in Israel, 2 of them 20 km apart. Wherever something happen they can never provide aid.

14) They also extra charged me for some invented tax instead of giving the reduction on the charges of the airport fees in which there are not located.

After phoning Europcar, they denied all knowledge of the phone call the previous day as it hadn't been logged and deny all knowledge of a pending charge of over £400 even though my bank have said it is from them. I am currently over £500 out of pocket over the Christmas period and after 3 phone calls, over an hour of my time, Europcar cannot give me an explanation. The next stage is a claim through my bank and if that fails then small claim court... COMPLETE INCOMPETENCE.

Figures, as we drove, very cautiously, we hit a low curb and had a flat tire. We called their offices who told us to bring car in. Duh how? We found a Europcar office 2 blocks away and walked there. Guy was originally unhelpful but did come and replace the tire for us and we took it to the location they recommended to replace it. We lost 1/2 day there. We went on our way and enjoyed our trip, no further incidents. When we dropped off the car at Aberdeen Airport, their agent walked around the car and said no other damage but pre-existing damage he saw and we, again, told him about squeaking door.

Upon return to USA, my AX bill showed 2 the same charges for the tire from Europcar, we got one reversed. Then next billing, I had a bill for $1200 for further damages to the car. I had NO idea what they were talking about and could not understand their 12-page report they sent me let alone read it the copies were so bad. They said the date of the accident was July 17 and I was not in the country!

I have been battling with them since Aug as well as AX who is refusing to pay too. We did not do any damage and from what I can see they are saying it is on the same side as the pre-existing damage. Now, what are the odds their pre-existing damage was more then they wrote down and I am now paying for it??? They are scum and continue to argue it was my fault. They do not acknowledge the date of the accident I was not in the country either. If I don't pay my bill, my credit score is affected. I disputed this, again, with AX but I am not hopeful they will resolve anything. The agency I used to rent the car is helping but I am not getting good vibes from them either. I can hire a lawyer but they know the expensive will be more than the repairs. They are horrible to be with or work with.

Never rent Europcar especially if you live outside UK they will come after you right away. I have no idea what my outcome will be but the nightmare Europcar has caused me through their actions has ruined any memory of a much looked forward to trip. I am in the travel industry and not a novice to car rental. In my 30+ years in this field and I have rented many cars, I have never experience the malicious and unscrupulous behavior of Europcar. Stay away from them...

In short, I would NEVER rent a vehicle from this company. They were rude at check out, suspect at check in. What started as $500 rental ended up at $775 and I feel lucky. I am equally disappointed in Expedia for selling me a policy that they twice assured me was sufficient only to find it was not. Expedia should know what the contractual agreements are before selling any products. I will be posting a complaint regarding Expedia's misrepresentations as well.

Why was the final cost not shown me? I can only believe this was to slide the highest cost possible through without me knowing. The coverage was explained to me as being the amount I would be paying and was not being a charge of 27.50 pounds per day. It is important to note your clients rely fully on your staff to be honest and up front especially when dealing with a different currency and insurance system and suffering front jet lag. Usually my insurance coverage when I have rented vehicles in the UK is about the cost of the vehicle hire. The coverage in this case was approximately 300% higher than the cost of the vehicle hire.

I feel I was tricked into buying this coverage especially as the credit card I paid with already provided the extra coverage. I fully expected to pay a charge but $727.43 CAD for a hire of $224.96CAD is exorbitant. I would be willing to split the charge with you and I request a further review as there was no damage at all to the vehicle and it was returned exactly as per the rental agreement. You already have the money. This was the first hire through the Luton Europcar office. I am disappointed that this transaction was completed in this way. Surely some solution can be found.

Now 3 hours have gone by, I am suppose to be on vacation... Now comes in a different person, "shift-change"... Now, I have to start all over again with a new ** counter clerk... Now I am ** pissed... Called the company, got through after several tries and they finally said that they are going to keep my full payment as a cancellation fee... I am so ** pissed at this point, that I wanted to strangle someone... After collecting myself, I moved on to another company and a day or two later contacted my credit card company and received a full payment back to my account (thank you Capital One)... Then to top this all off the counter clerk said to us that "My friend has a rental lot with nice cars and cheap"... How sleazy is this operation or what... THEY SUCK...

Upon returning the car we were charged an additional €25 (not a total of €25) for the upgrade. We were also charged a day late fee on everything for returning the car 90 min after the check out time. In addition, we were charged €50 for an additional driver which was never disclosed when checking the car out. Europcar claims we were fully informed to the extent of the charges. I must ask "Who in his right mind would agree to this great off season upgrade from €18/day to €43/day?” Nuts! I had a heated discussion with the attendant upon returning the car. He advised me to send a complaint to the customer dept. We had a flight to catch so I had no choice but to sign and leave.

It is this signature that they are now claiming is my confirmation that all was fully disclosed. THEY ARE MASTERS OF DECEPTION. They are unwilling to refund any part of the rental expense. I am convinced they are trained to deceive (maybe earn extra pay if successful) never again!

Few days later had €350.00 extra deducted from my credit card. Europcar in Spain said this was for an extra small dent in rear of car which I was NOT Responsible for. Company refused to send me photos of the damage or copies of receipts for work done. They were very truculent and dismissive about the whole ordeal - most difficult to deal with and they knew it was unlikely that I would follow this up further because of distance/inconvenience etc. As a practicing doctor my honour and honesty is very precious to me and I hate being conned and fraudulently treated. I am sending this review to warn other customers of my experience and to be wary of Europcar or better still to avoid them altogether. Hope this is of help to someone.

Upon pickup of the car, I finally got a list of all these costs--road & airport fees, premium location fees, administration fees, sales tax, credit card fee, and government tax. None of these were included in my "prepaid" amount, even though all of these fees were mandatory and known and could have been included. Upon return of the car, I was charged a total of $392, which is almost fully 200% of the "prepaid" cost. So can anybody call this "prepaid"? I call it a scam.

In RentalCars.com's Australia listings, Europcar's prices appear far lower than any other rental company. But if you parse through the fine print, you'll discover why: whereas other companies bundle in most of these fees, Europcar excludes every one they can. When pressed, here's what RentalCars.com had to say about it: "In order for rentalcars.com to publish and sell vehicle to residents of the USA, we are not permitted to add these mandatory fees into the publish online price. This is the contractual agreement we have with many of the suppliers for consumers of the United States." Europcar is actually forcing them to display misleading prices.

A similar search through an Amadeus-powered car search engine shows published prices that include ALL of these fees, even the one-way rental fee. So clearly it's possible to do this. But Europcar chooses to intentionally mislead consumers, and RentalCars.com goes along with it. At least RentalCars.com replied to me. I'm still waiting for any response from Europcar. I will never deal with either company again.

Three weeks later I received two letters from them with a penalty fee for not paying congestion charge. They say that kindly they paid the penalty to TFL for me but now I need to repay them + their 36 'processing/admin fee' for each day. Very convenient! My home is in a congestion charge zone (I know that now) and when I gave my address, this lady never said anything about it and even said not to worry about it. I believe this is an act of thieves and this company should be ashamed of these deals. This company makes money by taking advantage of their customers. I asked about it and this person said that I didn't have to worry about it. This is a proof that this company takes advantage of their customers and I have been cheated. Sadly I read the reviews after my trip. Europcar, never again.

When we returned the car to the rental location in Edinburgh, they required us to pay an additional 250 pounds, on top of the 250 pounds we had already paid on deposit. We carried full insurance with Europcar, and the rental people there assured us that all 500 pounds (about $1100 CAD at that time) would be refunded quickly.

We heard nothing for a couple of months after returning to Canada, and I tried to contact everyone I could, from the police department in Edinburgh Scotland where the car had been rented, to the insurance company branches in the US, Scotland, and in England. Each office I contacted - by email, letter and many phone calls, told me to send faxes of all the details from the rental agreement to the police report. I duly sent them - in all, seven copies of many pages, each a big expense for me. I NEVER HEARD BACK FROM ANYONE. No one would answer my phone calls or emails, or letters. I even sent an email to the Edinburgh New Scotsman newspaper, asking if anyone could offer suggestions as to who to contact. Not even a response to that email! Nothing from anyone. Total silence.

I contacted Christopher Elliott, the National Geographic Travel ombudsman, who had a travel issues column on the Frommer's Travel website, and he contacted Europcar on my behalf. After three attempts by him to get a reply, he finally got a curt email from Europcar insurers, telling him to mind his own business, basically, and he forwarded me the letter. That was all I had heard until last year, when one of my many mails got a reply stating that 'my case' had gone to court and I was to be held 70% responsible for the accident, and then a further note said, no, the court determined I was 50% responsible. I asked for the court statement, and the woman's police report, which they had refused to let me see before. He forwarded me the police report from that woman (who hit our rental car), and it stated that a 'witness' had seen us driving right into her. He refused to send me the court report. He did add that I should receive partial reimbursement, and that was the end. I have received nothing, cannot talk or communicate with anyone, and know I have been ripped off royally.

I had thought that when one bought full insurance along with a car rental that the company would at least make an effort to aid and support their clients. I have not been able to get a reply from anyone since June of 2013. I have approached the program that aids Scottish and British people in their problems with car companies and insurance but they will not help me as I am not a resident, and they have no suggestions as to who to contact. Wow.

Sure turns one off of travel, eh? That won't deter me but one thing I know for sure: I will NEVER DEAL WITH EUROPCAR AND THEIR INSURANCE AGENTS, AND I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT NO ONE ELSE RENT FROM THEM. THEY ARE DISHONEST, SNEAKY AND TOTALLY NON-SUPPORTIVE OF THEIR CLIENTS. Thanks for giving me a chance to vent my anger at Europcar.

The scratch was only on the polish and the paint was not touched. The issue is that when I booked the car they blocked 850 Euro on my CC and there was some additional charges of 91 Euro for additional day and boarder crossing. The amount left was 768 Euro and they claimed it all for the damage and I am really shocked that the blocked amount really matched the repair cost according to their claim. I can only say that they stole my money and there is no way I will use them again.

We already were unhappy with our experience with Europcar. They didn't have the GPS we reserved and the car drop location at the train station in Rome is hidden at the top of a parking garage (no signs to indicate where it is). But add this unreasonable fee on top of it, and we will never use this company again.

Unfortunately I had not discovered this until the day of the car being returned. I spoke with the collection office and was advised to complain to the assistant manager Malcolm to whom I presented my email confirmation and the invoice supplied by the advisor. To my surprise he simply looked at the invoice and claimed nothing can be done because I had signed for the additional cover nor did he bother to check my previous hire contract. What came as a shock was the casual manner in which he said, 'Send your complaint to the email address at the top of the invoice and I'll give you the same response when it's forwarded to me to address'.

I followed up my complaint with customerservicesuk@europcar.com and I received a response two weeks later where they simply claimed the same as the assistant manager: no refund will be issued because I signed the agreement. In addition it also stated the actions of the assistant manager Malcolm will be reported to his senior whose name has not been provided. I have responded to the recent email and if this remain unresolved, I will definitely lodge a complaint with the European Car Rental Conciliation Service (http://www.ecrcs.eu). Has anyone else been in the same situation?

We rented online and bring the paper work requested. Once in their office they told us that we need more proofs of address and bank statements because the system was not given authentication. We were about to ask for the refund of deposit and after that mysteriously they could deal with the papers we had and gave as the van. They didn’t told us to do the check out of the van but we inspected it carefully at the beginning including the fuel deposit which was at full level.

Before we return the van we charge it at the petrol station. When we arrive to Europcar they did the checkout and told us that was not totally full and they will charge us the double price if we don’t charge it. We had no time so we paid for recharge at double price using their fuel machine despite we left the van with the same charge as they give us but we didn’t took a photo. We think that this is a common practice they do to their customers so they can charge you for extra money or make you lose your time. This is just a case but there is a lot of different practices they do with their clients depending where they see the advantage. Be so careful with this company and good luck if you go for it.

We immediately cancelled our booking, less €50 for a cancellation fee. We then went back to the main terminal building and got a similar class rental car from Hertz for €25/day including basic insurance cover which is provided by all other main rental companies checked at Dublin Airport and is a normal condition of car rental in Ireland/Europe. Having reviewed, admittedly after the fact what we thought to be a reputable car rental company led us to revelations by equally discommoded Europcar customers outlining what appears to be Europcar policy of extorting additional monies from tourists, even those from Canada and the USA whose Bank Credit card policies provide insurance cover directly to rental car firms. We are highlighting our recent poor customer experience at the hands of Europcar to the following agencies/forums to focus attention on this issue and urge others who feel aggrieved to complain directly to Europcar at customerservicesie@europcar.ie; and res@europcar.ie and to save yourselves money, stress and time and rent from others.

After many emails back and forth with their U.S. partner company National, Europcar has now changed their story TWO other times on what exactly that "administrative" covered. Now they are saying it was for an "investigation" into who was driving. Huh???? This is a blatant ripoff scheme and poor business practices. Will NEVER rent again from Europcar or National. Too many other companies are available without shady fees.

We reserved the car from the Lima Country Club location well in advance (months) and paid a premium rate to get a mid size SUV (it turned out to be a RAV4). Rental cars in Peru are VERY expensive and do not include unlimited mileage (200 free km a day, $0.47/km thereafter in our case). The day before we were to pick up the car I got an email informing me there was a "required" additional insurance charge of $17.70 USD per day (CDW). My credit card (and I confirmed this before I left home) covers CDW. I emailed Europcar Customer Service, who informed me that my card would cover this additional insurance. At the rental location, after an hour of patient but persistent haggling, it was no go. Long story short, it was pay up or find another car at short notice and in the middle of Lima.

That was all bad enough, but the car is not functional. Although there is no major mechanical issues, the air conditioner does not work. I emailed the agency and Europcar. No reply. The car is at least a 2010 (the VIN number in the window has been obliterated, not very reassuring), and is probably older, judging from the crazing on the headlight lens covers. Peru is a hot country - if I wanted a car without AC I could have saved quite a bit of money. We've had some good rental cars in NA from Alamo (a Europcar affiliate), Budget and others. We've had decent international rentals from Hertz and Avis. Europcar should rename itself as "rentabeater".

I have also reported the fraud to the UK police via the Action Fraud website. Here is my report to that website: Europcar Rental no. ** - Charge of £203.75 has been made (but not yet taken from my debit card) for trivial paintwork damage to hired car at Bristol Airport, 18 September. Fraud has occurred because a supposedly independent damage report was prepared and printed out some 40 minutes before I returned the car. (See documentary evidence below.) The fraud involves the supply of this report from 'Provincial Assessors' of Leicester; but this company has the same legal and postal address as Europcar Group UK Ltd.

Alleged damage - Four minor paint chips, for repair of which I am being charged, were already there when I picked up the car. Unfortunately I assumed that the recorded minor pre-existing damage (recorded in French) referred to these chip marks; in fact it refers to a wheel. Nevertheless, the description of the location of this wheel damage on the rental sheet is inconsistent because it only makes sense if the car were a left-hand drive. Nature of the disputed damage - Europcar description of disputed new damage is completely inaccurate, referring to a 5 cm bumper scratch, but the 4 separate small paint chips lie in a line (zone 12 in Europcar rental contract diagram, not zone 13; photo available). Damage description is therefore inaccurate and misleading.

Timings - Damage report date/time 18 September 2014 - 10:38. Car refilled at Congresbury, 7 miles from airport (debit card proof) - 11:05. Arrival airport hire (approx.) - 11:20. Invoice time - 11:37. Mobile phone photo (with date/time) of car when I left the hire office - 11:39. Therefore the damage report for which Europcar is charging me £203.75 was evidently pre-prepared and printed off while I was between Weston-Super-Mare and Congresbury - 40 minutes before agent could possibly have seen the car on its return. Other evidence proves that Europcar's record-keeping is inaccurate.

We were told car was being washed and would be 5 minutes. As we sat waiting the next guy in the queue got exactly the same line about his car as we did. Then to make it worse all the staff but one disappeared to ferry cars back to the depot from somewhere (this later became evident). By the time they got back it was 40 minutes later and there now was about 30 people in the office, one poor girl left to cop all the irate customers, and we still did not have a car. One guy had waited since we got there just trying to return a car.

It was just over an hour before we got our car. Also we returned car to airport. There was no mention of toll charges or how to pay for them. There is a toll system by number plate that has to be paid in shops and you may not know that you have even incurred a toll. We were informed this is another moneymaking scheme as they charge you for tolls later at a highly inflated price. Also beware. Get petrol well before airport as if you go down hire car return road very difficult for a tourist to get out and fill up to save again the high fuel charges from the hire company.

My friends and I drove to our destination and park the car in a secure car park. When we came back the car had a crack in the windscreen. There was no evidence it had been vandalize and not even a chip. I contacted the number given but it could not be replaced for 4 days. So I contacted Europcar for an exchange and was told I have to pay £345 for new windscreen as I did not have the excess waiver. But I was never advised by Auto Reservation or Europcar. When I complained Europcar blamed the Broker A-R. All in All both Companies are just rip offs. There just want to get your money and rely on making the small print even smaller. I just hope Karma comes and bites them where it hurts.

Second complaint is that even if I accept the 420 fees at the pick up point then I am still over charged by approx 30 GBP. I left the car in a same condition I picked up with full tank. Today when I checked my account I noticed I was overcharged by 30 pounds or 200 GBP from my internet booking. I do expect from a renown company like Europcar to do something about this serious case and consider this legitimate claim and refund the overcharges of 200 GBP. I could easily go for companies like Thrifty's and few other with that 250 rate but as an old customer I went for Europcar. Kindly review and keep me posted.

When I arrived to collect the car, the lady who was handling my booking told me as an added security because I did not take out any Waivers, I would be required to pay a refundable deposit of 2000 South African Rand which would be refunded to my credit card within three days of returning the vehicle in good condition. I agreed to this. The car was return in good condition, cleaned and full of fuel.

On returning home at the end of July, I found that there had been no refund deposited into my account and I sent off an email to remind them of this agreement. They replied with an apology for the delay and said the funds would be processed immediately and to give at least 7 days for the transaction to appear. I waited 10 days and no movement in my account, so another email and once again an apology and wait another 7 days.

I waited 2 weeks before contacting them again and received an email stating that, because I did not use their Waivers or Insurance, they are obliged to take out the required amount to cover all their waivers, which amounted to 2002 South African Rand. Now I know I have been scammed, as I did not want nor need their waivers as I was already covered for any eventuality to the tune of 36,000 South African Rand.

I am now contacting any authority I can in South Africa to try and assist me with my due refund, but looking at this site and the problems people have with Europcars around the world, I concur with all those who have been robbed by Europcars and advise anyone travelling and requiring a rental vehicle, STAY AWAY FROM EUROPCARS.

I immediately complained that I had not asked for it and was told that locally nothing could be done but to contact Customer Service at the head office in Leicester. This I did by email while waiting for the flight home. Eleven days later I received a response essentially dismissing my complaint and refusing any refund because I had signed the contract. While I am somewhat embarrassed by being 'conned' in this way, I realize now that the circumstances make it relatively easy for unscrupulous agents to do so.

In my case I had been up for about 24 hrs; I was tired, jet-lagged, and anxious to get on the road after a number of delays including waiting for an agent. The agent sits and types information in on a screen that you cannot see, prints out a so-called contract in small print on a boarding pass sized card, points to places to initial and sign meanwhile distracting you by explaining that a hold for a certain amount will be placed on your credit card and released after its return but not pointing out anything else on the card or presenting any terms or conditions. You sign without paying too much attention to the small print as you assume the agent is reputable (a big mistake in hindsight) and you have just answered his questions and he has affirmed that everything has been prepaid. I have subsequently discovered that there are numerous similar accounts of such deception and dishonesty posted by other travelers.

I have submitted a complaint through Enterprise in the US and although the very helpful customer service agent escalated the complaint on my behalf it appears that their authority over their alliance partner Europcar is limited. I have complained to the BVRLA but they refused to consider anything that is not documented and (surprise, surprise!) gave the same response as member Europcar. I sought advice from the Citizens Consumer Advice Service in the UK and unfortunately once Europcar has your signature there is little legal recourse especially for overseas visitors though they will notify Trading Standards. BE WARNED -- NEVER use Europcar/Alamo/National for car rental in the UK! I have had good service from Avis and Hertz in the past.

Two weeks later, a charge for $3,600 was put on my credit card. My confirmation was for $202.68. I called Europcar international customer service, which meant during the night for me due to the time difference, and after long waits, was bounced around until they disconnected me. This happened three times. The girls also insisted I booked through an agency in England which is nonsense as I booked on Europcar.com and my contract was in French. I cannot get an explanation of the charges.

I have disputed the charge with VISA but it seems I can wait for 90 days for further follow-up. In the meantime, VISA is sending me requests for things like an English version of the terms and conditions on the back of the contract. My file with VISA is now 30 sheets of correspondence. This type of hassle is just not fair when I as a consumer try to play by the rules, make a reservation and honor my obligation to pay for the rental. I recommend no one EVER rent from this dishonest company!!!