Car hire sharks caught red-handed
Our undercover probe reveals the ruthless tricks of airport rental desks
AN undercover investigation by the Daily Mail today lays bare how car hire firms are heaping extra charges on to bookings made by British holidaymakers.
europcar, Goldcar and Firefly, which is owned by Hertz, all added charges to bookings by a reporter in Spain.
Budget and Thrifty, which is also owned by Hertz, quoted hugely inflated costs for renting a car in person – while their websites offered very similar vehicles at the same location for less than half the price.
The Mail’s findings come after we revealed yesterday how tourists are being billed hundreds of pounds for repairs on hire cars which firms admitted they do not always carry out. MoneyMail’s investigation today reveals how car hire firms also:
Pressurise drivers to buy excess insurance – even if they have bought full cover through a different company;
Block more than £1,200 from drivers’ cards when they use third party insurance;
Raise prices for those who book at the desk rather than online;
Charge inflated fees for petrol that you cannot avoid paying;
Penalise new drivers with an extra fee that isn’t disclosed in terms and conditions; Add a surcharge for hiring at the airport. If drivers damage a hire car abroad, they often have to pay the first few hundred pounds to cover repairs – known as the excess.
But car hire firms have raised excess charges for holidaymakers involved in accidents to more than £1,000 on average. As a result, many drivers opt to pay up front for ‘excess waiver insurance’, which covers all costs. These policies are offered by car hire firms but are much cheaper if bought through online brokers.
An undercover reporter from MoneyMail flew to Malaga Airport in southern Spain and found rental firms are cynically penalising drivers who buy these cheaper policies.
There are no laws forcing car hire firms to accept an excess waiver insurance policy that a customer has bought independently.
That means they are free to demand that customers either buy the hire firm’s own policy or pay a deposit to cover potential damages and, if any deductions are made, later claim for from their third-party insurer.
Martyn James, of complaints website Resolver, said: ‘Car hire companies have got away with fleecing customers for decades. It’s about time the authorities clamped down on these sharp practices.’
James Daley of consumer website Fairer Finance, said even after they have handed the car back, customers had to ‘hold their breath to see what final credit card bill will be.’