# Nice Welcome. Car hire problem



## Alberto Bertorelli (Sep 1, 2020)

Last week I booked and paid for a hire car through /SNIP/. I took out and paid damage excess refund insurance with /SNIP/ for 6.95 € a day. We arrived at Alicante airport at 11.00pm, me, wife, 3 kids (1 who is disabled) and bags. When we all went to collect the car I was told the refund insurance I had was worthless and I must take their Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) 21.00 € a day. I was told it was a case of pay or no car and she pointed to the bus stop where buses were no longer running.
Is this standard procedure in the EU or just Spain?


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Alberto Bertorelli said:


> Last week I booked and paid for a hire car through /SNIP/. I took out and paid damage excess refund insurance with /SNIP/ for 6.95 € a day. We arrived at Alicante airport at 11.00pm, me, wife, 3 kids (1 who is disabled) and bags. When we all went to collect the car I was told the refund insurance I had was worthless and I must take their Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) 21.00 € a day. I was told it was a case of pay or no car and she pointed to the bus stop where buses were no longer running.
> Is this standard procedure in the EU or just Spain?


:welcome: 

I've had to remove the company name - forum rules don't allow 'name & shame' posts.


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## Catalunya22 (Apr 25, 2020)

How much did you pay for the car hire without the 6.95 a day.
And why did they say the insurance was worthless?


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## Catalunya22 (Apr 25, 2020)

Car hire companies...don´t you just love èm


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## Catalunya22 (Apr 25, 2020)

Just looked at their booking site. Wouldn´t touch them with a bargepole.


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## Alberto Bertorelli (Sep 1, 2020)

xabiaxica said:


> :welcome:
> 
> I've had to remove the company name - forum rules don't allow 'name & shame' posts.


Sorry, I never mentioned the car hire company, only the booking comparison site.

Catalunya22 _*‘’How much did you pay for the car hire without the 6.95 a day.’’*_ What’s that got to do with anything?
_*‘’And why did they say the insurance was worthless’’*_ At 11.30 at night with wife and 3 kids there was no debate, it was either pay or no car.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Alberto Bertorelli said:


> Sorry, I never mentioned the car hire company, only the booking comparison site.
> 
> Catalunya22 _*‘’How much did you pay for the car hire without the 6.95 a day.’’*_ What’s that got to do with anything?
> _*‘’And why did they say the insurance was worthless’’*_ At 11.30 at night with wife and 3 kids there was no debate, it was either pay or no car.


Even mentioning that is against the forum rules.


It sadly isn't an uncommon complaint though, with regard to car hire.


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## Alberto Bertorelli (Sep 1, 2020)

xabiaxica said:


> Even mentioning that is against the forum rules.
> 
> 
> It sadly isn't an uncommon complaint though, with regard to car hire.


Perhaps more than a complaint, at 11.30 at night with all the family it’s extortion. Do you think the Spanish tourist authorities/regulators approve of this welcome to Spain practice? Should we have called the police and would they have been interested?


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## xgarb (May 6, 2011)

Tell the broker. Similar happened to me.. broker offers insurance and the car hire company try to tell you it's invalid and that you will not be covered and if you break down you will be on your own etc etc.

It's a race to the bottom and the only way car hire companies can make money is by charging the extras. 

If enough people complain to the broker they will drop the supplier.


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## Catalunya22 (Apr 25, 2020)

Alberto Bertorelli said:


> Sorry, I never mentioned the car hire company, only the booking comparison site.
> 
> Catalunya22 _*‘’How much did you pay for the car hire without the 6.95 a day.’’*_ What’s that got to do with anything?
> _*‘’And why did they say the insurance was worthless’’*_ At 11.30 at night with wife and 3 kids there was no debate, it was either pay or no car.


My point, IF you had given me the chance, was to say they lure you in with ridiculously low prices that they cannot possibly make a profit on, and then add all the extras.
If you didn´t want an answer, then why ask the question?


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## Alberto Bertorelli (Sep 1, 2020)

Catalunya22 said:


> My point, IF you had given me the chance, was to say they lure you in with ridiculously low prices that they cannot possibly make a profit on, and then add all the extras.
> If you didn´t want an answer, then why ask the question?


How could you be able to make that judgement without knowing all the details, like make, model, fuel policy, extras and be a pricing expert on Spanish car hire?

Do you actually have any answers or advice on this subject?


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## MataMata (Nov 30, 2008)

Alberto Bertorelli said:


> How could you be able to make that judgement without knowing all the details, like make, model, fuel policy, extras and be a pricing expert on Spanish car hire?
> 
> Do you actually have any answers or advice on this subject?


I can understand you're irked but you need to drop the attitude.

It's well known that agencies make promises which the actual car hire companies decline to honour, I've had it happen to me, but what's done is done and no amount of chest thumping and hollering is going to change it now. 

Calm down and enjoy you holiday but next time take my tip which is to forget about brokers and agencies and book direct with a company, you'll get no arguments at 11 o'clock at night and in all probability you'll find it works out no more expensive.


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## Miss Jones11 (Jul 13, 2020)

The Spanish car hire industry may be a desperate cut throat business, but that is of their own making. Using extortion on a family at midnight seems illegal but probably is not.

Perhaps this procedure is similar to that of years ago when two young innocent famous twin brothers (dead now) from the East End of London who politely sold insurance to protect you against criminal damage and personnel injury, at least they gave a no claims discount. 

Nobody seems to want to criticise the Spanish authorities for lack of control of this industry. For years it has had a dreadful reputation for practices that must border on illegal and thieving (false damage charges). There will always be the I love Spain brigade that will defend them. Years ago tourists had a fear of flying, now it’s a fear of car hire companies.

How bad does an industry have to get before it’s practices become illegal and the authorities decide to step in?


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## 95995 (May 16, 2010)

Some of those comparison sites, though, link you to companies that are not Spanish (though I guess they have the right to operate in Spain/EU - fell foul of one here in France once that charged my Visa card for damage that was not there when I returned the car (fortunately I had the signed off inspection sheet and Visa pursued the company and refunded that charge. Not to mention that the rental company concerned could not provide anyone with the cars they had booked on that day and the fact that I ended up having to wait an extra 8 hours for them to provide with a suitable car.


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## Isobella (Oct 16, 2014)

Twitter is the best place to name and shame.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

I'm closing this thread now. 

Yes, it's common, sadly. All of it.

Complaints can be made through official channels - the complaints book & OMIC - & to the booking agent/comparison site. 


:closed_2:


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