Beware! Affordable Car Hire / Gold Car.

fearsomemoney

So we were heading off to Italy - and needed a car. Using Tesco clubcard voucherss, I noticed we could effectively get the car free, by hiring through Affordable Car Hire.
When I made the booking through Affordable, I was sent a confirmation email from Goldcar - the company in Italy from who the car would be hired - which mentioned their insurance as “for guidance purposes only”. I thought their quotation of 39 Euros per day was excessively high.

So - as per Affordable's own guidelines saying that this “Super relax insurance” was “optional”, I decided to purchase a separate insurance policy from another company, which offered far better value for money, having followed the instructions as to the levels of cover needed, named drivers, leaving deposits etc.

However, on arrival at Pisa airport, the representative from Goldcar was insistent that I had to buy their insurance. I showed him my documentation for the separate insurance company and was bluntly told “We do not recognise that kind of insurance. If there is damage to the car, the company will not release the documents to show the work has been done - to you, or anyone else.”

He made it quite clear that the only option was to buy their insurance, or pay a hefty deposit and take my chances.

Whilst I appreciate insurance is a necessary part of car hire, this experience only goes to further the idea that some companies see it as an opportunity to cash in.
As a result, I am out of pocket to the tune of £177.34, thanks to Goldcar, as well as the cost of the separate insurance policy being wasted.

On returning to the UK, I wrote to Affordbale. They emailed me back, saying there was nothing they could do. "Unfortunately on this occasion we are unable to provide any form of refund as the rental agreement has been signed a legally binding contract has been formed meaning the supplier will be maintaining all charges. I do apologies for any inconvenience caused."

I suggest anyone thinks long and hard before using either company in future! :mad:

glentoran99

fearsomemoney wrote: »

So we were heading off to Italy - and needed a car. Using Tesco clubcard voucherss, I noticed we could effectively get the car free, by hiring through Affordable Car Hire.
When I made the booking through Affordable, I was sent a confirmation email from Goldcar - the company in Italy from who the car would be hired - which mentioned their insurance as “for guidance purposes only”. I thought their quotation of 39 Euros per day was excessively high.

So - as per Affordable's own guidelines saying that this “Super relax insurance” was “optional”, I decided to purchase a separate insurance policy from another company, which offered far better value for money, having followed the instructions as to the levels of cover needed, named drivers, leaving deposits etc.

However, on arrival at Pisa airport, the representative from Goldcar was insistent that I had to buy their insurance. I showed him my documentation for the separate insurance company and was bluntly told “We do not recognise that kind of insurance. If there is damage to the car, the company will not release the documents to show the work has been done - to you, or anyone else.”

He made it quite clear that the only option was to buy their insurance, or pay a hefty deposit and take my chances.

Whilst I appreciate insurance is a necessary part of car hire, this experience only goes to further the idea that some companies see it as an opportunity to cash in.
As a result, I am out of pocket to the tune of £177.34, thanks to Goldcar, as well as the cost of the separate insurance policy being wasted.

On returning to the UK, I wrote to Affordbale. They emailed me back, saying there was nothing they could do. "Unfortunately on this occasion we are unable to provide any form of refund as the rental agreement has been signed a legally binding contract has been formed meaning the supplier will be maintaining all charges. I do apologies for any inconvenience caused."

I suggest anyone thinks long and hard before using either company in future! :mad:

that's pretty standard when hiring a car, you either take their insurance or give them a large Pre Auth deposit.

eDicky

fearsomemoney wrote: »

However, on arrival at Pisa airport, the representative from Goldcar was insistent that I had to buy their insurance. I showed him my documentation for the separate insurance company and was bluntly told “We do not recognise that kind of insurance. If there is damage to the car, the company will not release the documents to show the work has been done - to you, or anyone else.”

He made it quite clear that the only option was to buy their insurance, or pay a hefty deposit and take my chances.

It was pointless to even mention your separate insurance policy to Goldcar, because it would pay out to yourself, not them. You could have simply declined their extra cover and let them pre-authorise the excess amount on your card.

AlexMac

The only consolation is that you are not alone;
Google Goldcar (which regrettably, you did not do prior to booking?) and you'll see almost a quarter of a million complaints about similar rip offs;
or use the search bar on Tripadvisor; over 20,000 of them.

The MonetsavingExper moral? Search for reviews before buying car hire; just as you'd do if buying hotels, holidays, flights, meals, washing machines, cars or almost anything else!

Think of it as a £177 lesson in saving money over the rest of the holidays in your life; by using reputable companies (in my case AVIS/Budget either with their loyalty card scheme or via the BA tie-in) or even a decent UK based Broker (my old favourite Carhire3000) I've managed to clock up 50 or so rentals over 40 plus years with never a rip-off for the usual scams; insurance, fuelling costs, imaginary damage. Goldcar's business model seems based on these dodges and the staff on the desks obviously get the sack if they don't sell insurance!

Better luck next time