Car customers cry foul
Rental company accused of deposit rip-off
CUSTOMERS who hired cars from a Cairns depot are among hundreds who say they have been ripped off by a car rental agency.
Dozens of clients have taken to the internet to express their frustrations, accusing Atlas Car and Truck Rental of failing to return rental bond money for cars they say were returned in good condition weeks or months ago.
Complaints posted on product and service review websites and on the company’s Facebook page suggest some customers have been waiting up to three months for their money, in most cases a deposit of $350, to be returned after being told it would be refunded to their credit or debit cards within 10 business days.
Complaints relate to the company’s operations in Cairns, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Melbourne and Sydney.
“We hired a car from their Cairns office at the beginning of February … we returned the car clean, undamaged and with a full tank of fuel,” Rebecca Flanagan from Adelaide wrote on a product review website last week.
“We were told our bond would be returned to us within 8-10 business days … we have repeatedly emailed the company and had our emails acknowledged but still no bond returned. This is now with the Queensland Fair Trading office,” wrote Ms Flanagan, who said she hired a Nissan Dualis from the company.
“I rented a car on February 15 and have yet to receive my deposit refund,” Ben Nicolaou wrote on the Atlas Car and Truck Rental Facebook page.
“I have had multiple correspondence with this company with a new excuse for every inquiry. This is a pathetic instance of customer service.”
The company has not publicly responded to any customer comments or posts on its page.
Atlas Car and Truck Rental has two depots in Cairns, on Sheridan St.
Both were open and staffed this week.
A Queensland Office of Fair Trading spokesman told the Cairns Post while the department did “not generally comment on whether or not complaints have been received about a particular business”, consumers who had a dispute with a trader should raise the issue with the trader in the first instance.
“If they are not able to resolve the matter with them the consumer should consider lodging a complaint with the OFT,” the spokesman said.
Atlas Car and Truck Rental was contacted by the Cairns Post for comment, but did not respond by deadline.
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