Car Hire damage refund

adama_2

I recently hired a car from Alamo / Europcar in London for 2 weeks. Whilst in my care the windscreen developed a crack in it. It was undoubtedly a stress fracture as it came from the exact middle, where the bottom of the windscreen meets the bonnet. The crack wasn't noticeable when I picked it up but by the time I dropped it off it was about a foot long. I dropped it off out of hours so I wasn't there when they inspected it.

It didn't come as much of a surprise when a few weeks later I noticed that Alamo had taken £150 in damages for the windscreen. I had taken photos of the crack which I emailed to them but heard nothing back. Then, I emailed Consumer Direct to ask their advice. They stated that under the car hire company's t&c's I would probably be responsible but then went on to say:

When you have a complaint of this type you should ultimately put your grievance in writing to the trader and follow their complaints procedure. When sending a complaint letter to a trader it is advisable to send the letter recorded delivery giving a full outline of the events to date and the remedy you are seeking. You should state that you are making ‘time of the essence’ and give the trader a time limit within which you expect the matter to be resolved, such as fourteen working days. It is also advisable to obtain proof of postage for any letter you send and retain copies for your records.

So, this is what I did. I received a letter back from Alamo saying that any damage sustained to the vehicle whilst on hire is the responsibility of the person hiring it etc. However, a week or so later they refunded the full £150 without explaining the reason why they changed their mind.

So if you think you've been charged unfairly for damages to a hire car, make sure you take lots of photos and complain in writing.

Annie01

Europcar operate a scam whereby they dont inspect the vehicle upon its return then charge your card even before you have had time to leave the airport.

We were charged for a supposed scratch on the bumper of a hired car in Auckland, which we know wasnt there when we left the key at the returns desk who declined our offer of a mutual inspection saying they were too busy. The scratch is obviously deliberate but in fact looks like chalk marks. This cost us £146.00 and we didnt know until we got home they had done this.

It seems to be a company wide scam as there are multiple complaints on the web all saying the same thing.

I would never use them again.