Europcar

I rented a car through my Chase credit card, which includes insurance. When we got to Dublin, the guy at the Europcar counter said we needed to get a letter from Chase stating we have this benefit, or pay €150 for the insurance. I have rented cars all over the world, in Asia, Europe & North America, and this is the first time I've been asked for this. Chase travel customer service had no idea what Europcar was talking about, they had never been asked for that before. After a long red-eye flight, this is the LAST thing you want to deal with. I will never rent through Europcar again.

Awful service! Not recommended at all.They just want to take your money & advantage on the customer. Deeply lacking of instruction, they end up charging us more then what agreed for for no reasons mentioned in the contract! And above all making you paying the parking without notice so you can end up paying the full night instead of keeping the car for example due to the bad service. Prices are high and service is bad in general. In addition they take full month to give you back your deposit. Comparing to competition they are really bad.

Rented a car for one day from Europcar in Rome at the train station in June 2023. This past weekend in October, received a call from our credit card company about a suspected fraudulent $25 charge made by someone from Europcar Rome. Europcar was hoping no one would notice them steal a small amount of money from the credit card 3 months later. Had to close the credit card account and get a new card issued. Europcar Rome is a scammy rental car company. I wish I could give these thieves zero stars.

The worst car rental EVER. They wouldn't accept my 3 forms of identification at the pick up location due to their "dark ages fine print" I had Passport, International license and my digital State license not good enough based on the fine print, Nor would they accept my wife ID either, we paid/lost 3,000 euros and then had to go another agency to then pay 4,000 euros to start our holiday.
Still after 7 months the complete run around back and forth in the end they are just Scammers, Fraudsters and Thief's
Just don't deal with Carjet and I'll be telling everyone that I know!
Peter
Australian
Products used:

We rented a 4-door sedan from Europcar in Spain in late April, 2022. We returned the car in pristine condition at the Malaga airport early in the morning (around 4 am). There was no damage to the car. About 6 weeks later we were accused of damage to the left tail light and bumper. I tried to contact Europcar 3 times to explain we did not do this damage, but my emails were returned as undeliverable. In late June my credit card was charged $371.04! I've filed a dispute with the credit card company but will NEVER rent from Europcar again!

Having initially given a bad review, customer services contacted me and resolved the issue to my satisfaction. In light of the very good service provided by their customer services department and the initial good service on site at Europcar, I would have more confidence in renting from them again. Recommended.

I rented a car from Europcar Italy through Expedia in June 2023 for eight days. When I went to pick up the car at Milan Linate Airport, the lady at the Europcar counter asked how many people were travelling and I said four. She talked me into upgrading to a larger car saying it would only be an extra 10 euro per day. After I returned the car, I received a bill for €464. This was for extra taxes and fee for the upgrade. I was not impressed.
Two months later I am told I am being charged €98 for damage to a wheel rim that I didn't do. I handed the keys to an agent and had bought the full coverage from them so I told Europcar Customer Service that It was two months since I rented the car and the damage could have been done by anybody that rented the car in Summer 2023 from June through mid-August. I told Europcar Customer Service that even if I did do the damage, I bought full coverage from them. Their reply was that the €98 was for administrative fees due to the damage. Do not rent a car from Europcar Italy as they will charge your credit card for anything they can think of after your rental.

I have used Europcar services 4-10 Oct.@ Hamburg airport. I have confirmed booking and payment was already made. The flight got delayed 1 hour and when arrived at counter, they said sorry, you are late and your vehicle is not available. You have to rent from upper category and you need to pay 40 Euro per day extra. I said I'm not gonna pay any cent extra and they have provided me a car from the lowest category ever they had. I have to accept as I already paid the money. This is the second time in 4 months happening to me. It is totally robbing people in front of their faces

After making a reservation through Arguscarhire, we elected to pay for additional insurance with the rental car provider Europcar when we arrived at Frankfurt International Airport. We were provided with a quote and accepted the terms. Shortly after returning the rental, we received an invoice with a "Premium Station Surcharge" (related to onsite airport pickup) for 198.05 Euros even though our quote stated that charge would be 31.23 Euros. We attempted to contact Europcar to dispute the charge but was advised the charge was the charge. Very deceptive practice. The rental charge from accessed by Arguscarhire should have already included Airport pickup surcharges.

I an posting this review after having written to Europcar a few days ago and gotten no reply. We rented out a car from Europcar in Italy in the morning. At night we realized that the headlamp on the driver's side did not work, as we were basically driving in very little light. This means that we could have easily bern involved in an accident due to poor lighting. We contacted Europcar and were told to take our car back to the airport (2hrs away) to have it towed and replaced. This was ridiculous, since we would have wasted a whole day. In the end we just had it replaced, obviously incurring expenses and wasting time. Another health and safety hazard was that the fuel gauge dis not work. This meant that when we paid money to refill a tank which was supposedly almost empty, we wasted a substantial amount of money because the tank was indeed almost full. The owner of the petrol station was not there, so we could not get refunded.
Apart from the waste of time money, Europcar, you should be ashamed of yourselves for not checking cars before you rent them out.

We hired and prepaid a car. On collection they said car was not available and had prepared a different one. Agreement was signed for upgrade given but clearly said on return warranty payment will be returned.
After return they charged for the given car including all option we never asked for and not choose.
In total EUR 288.
They even said that if reserved car would have been available we still would have been charged for the GPS since they do not have that car without GPS...That is rediculous since it's their inability to provide the reserved car.
Reply of complaint is very bad and full of lies. Request for review of dispute are not answered.
Welcome to Europcar Dusseldorf Airport.

Biggest, lying thieves. I signed what I thought included a damage deposit( since amt was higher than actual price quoted. I was exhausted from jet lag and being robbed couple days before so I blame myself partly for blindly trusting these unscrupulous people. But when I got my cr card bill and realized that they charged me an upgrade and they had the audacity to fabricate some B.S. Lie story I was livid! Absolute lying theives! The fact that we pay almost 50 cents exchange makes it hurt more. We paid more for a 2 day leisure( basic car) rental the equivalent of almost $1000. About what one air fare costs. Now as seniors who took a vacation after 8 yrs and took a few hrs drive 2 afternoons in Chianti region, we fell victims to these scammers. We had a lot of sleepless nights as we could not reason with them. They are there and we are here so they don't give a damn. Ripping off is bad enough but fabricating a total lie makes it 100 times worse. Their story is: we arrived with excess luggage( lie) and requested a larger car( lie) and we got an upgrade( the car we rec'd was pretty well the same as shown/guaranteed on the reservation except fir the brand ( which is covered with the words@ similar or comparable) Stay aware from thus company OR bring yr lawyer with you at pick up.
Disgusting doesn't even cut it!

They do not honor quoted prices and hit you with shady claims for damage. Do not use them! When you complain, they just ignore you.

I rented a car from Europcar Sicily in june through their online website. I wanted C3 diesel, but was given C3 gas version which has higher consumption. Their first scamming atempt was in their office in Palermo, where their employee said that I have basic insurance, even though I took full insurance online. After returning car, other employee signed a document with me wich stated that the car was without a scratch and initiated deposit return (so she claimed at the time). But even after 2 months, I still didn't get my deposit. I have reached their customer support several times asking for a deposit refund. One of their responses claimed that refund was issued, but the card issuer probably still didn't released funds to me. Then I asked for payment confirmation, so I could raise a issue with card issuer, but they never send me one and stopped responding to my inquiries. Probably because they still, after two months, didn't refunded me. One of the reasons why I chose Europacar is because they are big company, well established and I thought that we wouldn't have that kind of problems. I actually paid more (they are not the cheapest rentacar on the market) for that security, but was left disappointed nevertheless.

Hey guys,
Received this message the other day about more damage to the car that we rented from you. I'm not sure if Steve told you the story of what happened to us but we were originally given a price of around $800 for a 7-day rental but that car was no longer available when we arrived and were given another car at a much higher price which ended up having a failed clutch 24 hours after we picked it up. We were told that we would be given another car 1st thing the next morning but that didn't happen, so we decided we no longer wanted to work with Europecar. Now we have received this letter saying that there were further damages that we are going to be charged for. What damages are you talking about? The only thing that we experienced with the car was a faulty clutch that gave out and left us stranded for over 3 hours.
Can you tell me what damages you are talking about? We would like to put this experience behind us.

Tom Edwards
*******700

If music be the play of love, then play on.
-Shakespeare

Europcar Guatemala City 'La Aurora' Airport location

We have been given a car that was dented on every single corner and side, scratches everywhere and very dated. Not a problem, considering the money we've paid. HOWEVER, once we got at the counter, we have been asked to pay the car insurance (in lieu of the deposit blocked on the card), which is standard for all car rental companies. The only exception was, that we have been traveling before abroad and rented cars in Los Angeles, Atlanta, Iceland and other cities in Europe. Usually the car insurance fee is somewhere in the region of the rental fee (i. E. £200 for rental = approx. £200 for insurance). On this occasion though, we've been told that the insurance was mandatory (not optional) and the options we had were $45/day for minimum insurance (covers nothing basically), $70/day for average insurance (covers almost everything, including accidental roll-over, scratches, etc.) or $100/day for the full coverage (almost full, as 1 thing from their list was not covered). We have agreed finally to pay the outrageous fee of nearly $600 for insurance although was not very fair and exaggerated. After this, the team needed to mention also (very convenient at the end after we made the payment for insurance), that although we have paid for the insurance, we still need to lock a deposit on the card of nearly $600. That was outrageous! But we had no other option but to pay that too.

The tip of the iceberg though, was when we have returned the car which now had a minor scratch (Guatemala City is crazy to drive in), the Europcar team claimed, that the "medium insurance" covers only 50% of the damages. Although on windshield and windows, the insurance clearly specified 40% coverage only, on all other items (including roll-over of car, rims damages, scratches, dents, etc.) there was no mentioning of percentage cover. THIS WAS CLEARLY A LOW MOVE ON THEIR PART! We obviously made our case and stated, that if this was their position then we will have no other option but to complain even further. One of their employee, had the nerve to even suggest that 'none of this would have happened if we would have purchased the full coverage'. What a t. W. a. T!

We had to argue with one of their managers on the spot and told him that this is outrageous, explained our point of view so we can finish as soon as possible with closing the paperwork so we can catch our flight. When I told them that I prefer to roll over the car and give it back as this is covered by the insurance fully, rather than the scratches, he started smiling, then switched the story, saying that the insurance leaflet we had is not the contract, and THE CONTRACT WE HAVE SIGNED takes precedence, therefore, they are entitled to charge us and that it clearly states that the medium coverage, allows only for 50% cover. When asked to find the clause in contract that states this, he gave up and told their colleagues to release the papers so we can go, with no extra cost.

We have felt abused (financially) by Europcar and their employees and I can reassure them, that even if I have to go elsewhere and pay a higher price, WE WILL NEVER AGAIN USE THEM. It's not just about the money, it is the principle. Just because you can, doesn't mean that you have to abuse you clients. We have been rudely spoken too, cornered to pay the fees, and felt ambushed when 4-5 of them gathered around us to try and "convince" us that we are at fault. This is the worst experience we have encountered this time.

Please bear in mind that we have hired before cars in Guatemala from Enterprise a couple of years back and we are used with the terms and conditions of rental companies in Guatemala. We have also rented cars from Europcar in Europe, so they cannot say that Europcar has different rules and terms in different countries. Usually the terms and conditions and the criteria of rental are quite similar across all rental companies and borders.

Bottom of line, worst experience ever!

Don't rent from these scammers! Europcar cheated us badly, and there seems no easy way to recover the $355 additional charges they forced on us!

At 8:30am on Jan 17 2023 we wanted to pickup our Europcar rental CTW*******, in Huatulco, Mexico. I spent over an hour arguing with a Europcar employee and finally the station manager, as they insisted that I have to buy their own CDW insurance if I want the car. I showed them a letter from my Chase credit card company that I already have CDW/LDW, they didn't care. They gave me the choice to leave without the rental (cancellation charges would occur), or pay over $693 for their own CDW. After arguing with the highest manager in the office, I had to pay for their CDW, which he discounted to $355.08. This still more than doubled our cost of the small and pretty dirty rental car!

It's not the fault of their employees, but a corrupt company that forces their people to sell add-ons. They ignore their own T&Cs, which I had printed out and read out loud to them. They force unnecessary insurance on you at pick-up. At rental return, they try to charge for pre-existing damages to the car. So, if you really must rent from this absolutely dishonest company, make sure you take excellent pictures of the inside and outside of the car. I saw other renters going through the same ordeal, so this seems their standard practice. My recommendation is to stay away from these scammers, you'll pay dearly if you don't. Cheaters!

Tip for consumers:
Go look elsewhere for a reputable car rental company.

BTW, I contacted them under mx_customersupport at europcar, but they didn't bother to respond.

Had problems with wizzair flight in Lublin, they basically left us there at the middle of our trip. Have to say Europcar shad save our trip. They gave us a nice car in perfect condition for a sensible price. Everything was good.

I have been treated horribly by europcar at Glasgow Airport. Everyone person in the line was treated badly by this older lady. On approaching the desk I was greeted by a grumpy and unfriendly member of staff who clearly didn't enjoy her job at all. She claimed she couldn't find my address on her system and then asked to see proof of address. I showed 4 different pieces of paperwork via the phone and she wouldn't accept any of them. I had my passport, driving licence and credit card in my name. She was so unhelpful and clearly didn't actively want any of her customers to drive away in a hire car yet I was charged for the car. I am now fighting for a refund but unlikely to get it. Horrid service, unfriendly lady and not keen to actually help people. I think this is a scam that they have as no other car hire company do this address check anymore! Only europcar it seems. Be careful! They will ask you for bank bills etc. She then went on to say she wasn't going to give me a car because I was "shouting at her". I absolutely was not, I am shocked. Avoid this car hire folks unless they change their polices. I am shocked. I drove off 3 hours later in an enterprise car and the staff were so useful and supportive. I thank them for their compassion and easy service.

Hi,

I just returned from Pisa last month and wanted to relay a bad experience I had with Europcar. Everything was fine until I returned the car on the 25th of September and the attendant noticed a tiny dent on the side of the slit where the key goes into the passenger side door, not enough to impair the use of the key mind you. In fact the dent was so small he had to point it out with his little finger! In any case I was using the key fob button all week to lock and unlock the door so it was not damage that I caused (who uses the key anymore these days?). Regardless you could say I was responsible, fine. It's just that I got the sense they were 'nit-picking' and trying to find any way possible to charge me extra (and they did, in the end what started off as a €218 rental ended up being a €540 rental!).

Unfortunately my bad experience didn't end there. After being asked to sign 'something' (which turned out to be an admission of fault which was not explained to me in any way before signing), I asked for a final receipt and the attendant told me that was 'not possible' and that one would be emailed to me. Basically it felt like they were hiding the fact that they were going to charge me extra and hoping that I would only find out after I got home. Eventually after asking several times he told me that I could get a copy if I go to the main building. Luckily I still had time before my flight (probably another planned tactic). Only when I went to the main building (and waited in line once again) did I find out what my final bill would be.

When I wrote a complaint to Europcar,... no response. To be honest I've rented with Europcar before and had no problems,... I suspect that it's only the Pisa branch that's pulling these aggressive tactics,...

Terry

Europcar is a terrible company. They are cheaters. Renters be aware. Do not make the mistake of renting from this company. You will regret it. I had the misfortune of renting from them. We had an agreement and an established price. The established price was already way too high but that's a different story. After I had returned the rental I was sent an invoice where I was charged way higher than what we had agreed upon. Customer Service was contacted and it turns out that the contract I signed at the time of pick up was different than the contract we had agreed upon initially. Any normal company would consider this a mistake and would promptly reimburse the difference. But not this company. They simply tell you that this is what you signed and there is nothing they can do about it. Please save your money and a huge headache and go with a different company.

My Wife and I flew from Toronto/Canada to London England summer 2019. I had booked a car through sell off vacations website which uses "car trawler" to reserve and supposedly pay for a car with Eurocar. I paid for my reservation in full while in Canada prior to our trip and received my confirmation stating paid in full and ZERO dollar balance upon arrival. Upon arrival I was told that was just a deposit and didn't really count. The car I reserved was not available. I was fine with that except I was charged $800 + for an "upgrade" which looked like an equivalent to me. After stating my case, Europcar and Car Trawler both responded basically with "oh well" leaving me well out of pocket. We are now booking a trip to Germany this August 2020 and while looking to book a car, Europcar came up as an option and I happily moved on!
Seems there are some positive reviews and some not in regards to Europcar, mine obviously is not and I shall NEVER rent from them again... ONCE BITTEN...

Peter Neuschild.

If you did not get mugged on the back roads of the Dominican Republic, don't worry, Europcar will do that very well upon your return to the airport.
These are trained hustlers: from refusing to accept CDI sold by Expedia to sell their own at stratospheric prices (much more than the actual daily rental) or threaten to tag your credit card for the replacement cost of the car, just in case. Then when you get to the car, the tank is empty and they say: just bring it back empty. I always considered that to be a hustle because you never know how empty is empty with a car you have never seen before. So first thing you have to do, leaving the airport, is locate a gas station, QUICK.
So we brought the car back empty but that was TOO EMPTY for them and they charged us $37 to raise the needle one line, no matter how much we argued. We were running out of time to catch our plane and to be resigned that these guys were going to get us.
Please, don't just look at the daily rental rate with these guys, because they are well trained to SCREW people and they know how to have it their way. I've been traveling all over the world for over 40 years, this is the worst car rental experience yet.
PLEASE STAY AWAY from them!