Ask the experts

Car rental charges

QOver the October half-term I travelled to Malaga with my wife and two young sons. We hired a car from Enterprise at Malaga Airport and paid a damage deposit of €250 (£185). As our flight home departed at 8am, the rental return office was closed so we dropped off the keys as directed.

Around six hours later I received a call from an Enterprise agent saying that the car had been checked back in and everything was fine. She said our deposit would be refunded within seven days. However, six days later we were charged another €90 (£66). When I queried this with Enterprise via email, I was told that there was a “bad smell” in the car. When I asked them to be more specific, I was told there was a strong smell of vomit.

I am certain that nobody was sick in the car and do not recall a smell when we lifted the children out of their seats. Enterprise has now sent me an invoice in Spanish which I am not able to read. Further communication with Enterprise’s rental support team has come to a stalemate: it insists that the car needed professional cleaning and I am adamant that I returned it in perfect condition. What are my options now? IAN MORTON

Gill Charlton, consumer expert

AI asked Enterprise UK to investigate your complaint at a higher level. It has replied saying that it appears the branch correctly charged you for the cleaning of the soiled seat upholstery which was only detected once the vehicle had been taken from the car park at Malaga Airport to the cleaning area.

A possible explanation is that one of your children was sick on the way to the airport but the odour only made itself apparent after the car had been sitting in the sun in the airport car park for some hours.

Enterprise says that the staining was such that it could not be dealt with by its regular cleaning team but required specialist cleaning. This is the reason given for the extra charge. It says it tried to get back in touch with you later that day to discuss the matter, but was unable to reach you.

The company accepts that it could have done a better job of communicating with you once the damage had been discovered. In the light of this, it has decided – as a goodwill gesture – to refund the full cost of the cleaning given the length of time it took to communicate the issue fully.

Enterprise is one of the good guys in the rental industry with a responsive customer services team which usually manages to sort out post-rental issues like this in an efficient manner. It is also a member of the European Car Rental Conciliation Service (ecrcs. eu) which helps customers with unresolved problems concerning vehicle rentals in Europe. If you are renting a car in Europe this summer it is worth considering one of the rental companies that subscribe to this scheme and are bound by the decisions of its conciliation service.

Surprise charges from a car rental firm; tours to Japan; insurance for cancer sufferers; and sailing from New York

Japan plans

QMy best friend and I are looking to celebrate our 70th birthdays in 2018 with a special holiday and we are considering Japan. An escorted tour would be our choice so we get to see as much as possible without it being too strenuous. I have been browsing online but am getting confused by all the different options. I am not looking for the cheapest option but obviously want good value for money. Any suggestions you have would be very welcome. JANET MARTIN

Trisha Andres, escorted tours expert

AI have three options for you, which I think offer good value and I hope will suit your budget – all have departures in 2018, as well as in 2016 and 2017. Saga (0800 096 0074; travel.saga.co.uk) runs a Japan: Land of the Rising Sun itinerary which visits Tokyo, Hakone, Takayama, Kanazawa and Kyoto. Highlights include a guided tour of Tokyo; a traditional tea ceremony in Kyoto; a visit to the Kenroku-en, one of Japan’s “Three Great Gardens”; and a cruise along Lake Ashi. Departures between April 2016 and June 2017, as well as in 2018, from £2,999 including doorto-door chauffeur service, flights and some meals.

Alternatively, Wendy Wu (0800 988 8209; wendywutours.co.uk) is offering an 11-day Jewels of Japan tour which combines city and country with stops at Tokyo, Mount Fuji, Kyoto, Hiroshima and Miyajima. The tour includes special experiences, such as a soba noodle-making class, a ride on board a bullet train and a visit to the 2,080ft observation deck at Skytree, where at peak visibility you can see all the way to Mount Fuji. Departures between May 2016 and October 2017 as well as in 2018, from £3,890 full-board including flights.

Finally, a 14-day Classic Japan trip from Inside Japan (0117 370 9751; insidejapantours.com) stays in both modern and traditional accommodation, or ryokans. You’ll drink sake with an apprentice geisha in Tokyo, soak in a hot spring bath at the foot of Mount Fuji and marvel at Tokyo as you cruise down the Sumida River. This journey is gastronomic too, with a chance to sample succulent Hida beef in the alpine town of Takayama and tuck into a kaiseki (multi-course) feast in Kyoto. Departures between August 2016 and October 2017 as well as in 2018, from £2,600 including some meals; but not flights.

Travel with cancer

QI have recently finished chemotherapy treatment. My diagnosis is incurable but treatable so I may need more treatment later on but at the moment the chemotherapy has been working. My question is: can I travel without travel insurance? So far I’ve had quotes costing thousands of pounds and also rejections. MARGARET (FULL NAME SUPPLIED)

Nick Trend, insurance expert

AI’m very sorry to hear about your condition, though glad the chemotherapy is helping. It is perfectly legal and possible to travel without insurance, though some tour operators and cruise lines insist on cover. And it may not be as expensive as you fear – see telegraph. co.uk/insuranceconditions. But if you are tempted to travel without, I think you should consider the situation carefully in case you were to fall ill while away. If you are in Europe and have an Ehic card (see telegraph.co.uk/ehic) you will be entitled to free or low-cost emergency treatment in most countries. But if you needed to be repatriated you would have to pay the cost yourself.

Outside Europe, you could face very high medical bills, and repatriation costs by air will be extremely expensive, so I would be cautious about this option. Whatever you decide to do, make sure you take medical advice about your plans.

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