Europcar staff ‘paid to invent damage claims’

Europcar paid staff to cheat customers out of money with false claims about damage, a whistleblower has claimed. Employees inspecting for damage are given £4 for every car they flag up, regardless of whether a repair is needed, a manager at the company told The Daily Telegraph.

ONE OF the world’s largest car hire firms paid staff to cheat customers out of money with false claims about damage, a whistleblower has claimed.

Europcar agents inspecting hire cars for damage are rewarded with £4 for every car they flag up as damaged, regardless of whether a repair is actually warranted, a manager at the firm has told The Daily Telegraph.

The alleged conflict of interest comes amid a number of customers reporting they have been charged huge fees for “barely-there” or non-existent damage after renting a car.

As this newspaper disclosed last week, Europcar is accused of billing more than half a million customers for at least £30million in repairs systematically over many years.

Evidence is also emerging that dishonest practices at Europcar are endemic across the car hire industry.

The Europcar employee alleged that staff are able to significantly boost their annual income by sending cars for repairs, saying: “The best teams find new damage on one in five returned vehicles. Agents earn £4 per vehicle for spotting damage. Yet some scratches I can barely see. I was not surprised to find we have been raided [by Trading Standards]. Europcar should be held to account for ripping off its customers. It is dishonest and unacceptable.

“Counter staff are expected to sell extra insurances or vehicle upgrades to one in three customers. If they don’t meet their targets, they are fired.”

Europcar declined to comment on the allegations.

Jason Moseley, director of the National Body Repair Association, which represents repair firms, said paying staff for spotting damages could create a potential conflict of interest resulting in unnecessary repairs being made.

He said: “This does not happen at repair garages so it should not be happening at car hire firms. It is likely to be causing issues.”

As the car giant faces police investigation, further research reveals that Avis, another giant car hire firm, may be charging its customers over the odds for repairs on hire cars.

In one case a man who hired an Audi A4 at Heathrow Airport was billed for more than £700 to cover damage to a rear bumper. But this newspaper obtained a quote for £250 from an independent company. Similar repairs to other vehicles came in at between £150 to £436.

A spokesman for the Avis Budget Group insisted the prices it charges its customers were in line with repair industry standards.