Mysterious Car Hire Accident in Italy with Europcar

Gorie

Hello

I’d like to sound this off people to see if anyone has had a similar experience and what people think.

I hired a car in Naples for a week at the beginning of June with Europcar at Cappadocia airport. I booked with Europcar directly (not a third party agent) and as I have an annual excess cover policy took their basic (legal requirement) insurance with an 800 Euro excess.

The week long car rental went without incident and when I returned the car, they checked it and said all was well and refunded the holding fee. I took lots of photos on my phone before and after the rental as it’s a busy location and I’ve read the forums.

Last week (three weeks after I returned the car) I have received an email from Europcar claims requesting I complete a ‘denial of accident form’ for an alleged accident that took place on the last day of the rental (in the morning since I returned the vehicle at 11am). A copy of my rental agreement was attached to the email.

I emailed back and asked for more information such as date and time, damage and photos / reports, police report etc… However they have replied stating that they need the denial statement and a copy of my ID before they can get more info from the third party?

I have contacted Europcar centrally but have not heard back from them yet.

I did not have an accident in the car and there was no damage to the car when I returned it. I am therefore suspicious to start signing denial forms and sending my ID without further information.

Has anyone had an experience like this? Is this how things work in Italy? Any suggestions would be hugely appreciated. Thanks.

bradders1983

Asking for your ID? Surely they took a copy when you started the hire. Are you sure the request came from Europcar, sounds like a scam to me.

Gorie

Hello and thanks for the rapid reply.

That was my first thought but they had a scanned copy of my car rental agreement? Which they sent me? (granted its so busy there mine could have been taken).

Plus when I email them back it is to a Europcar address and they receive the emails?

I'll definitely wait to hear back from Europcar centrally first but that is a good point.

bradders1983

What is the email address it came from?

Gorie

It came from: sinistri.europcar@agpsrl.com

Whilst not a Europcar company address they are a legitimate insurance company. It is however fishy - hence my posting here.

I have contacted Europcar separately (on Friday last week the day I received their initial email) and phoned them directly. They have informed me today (I just called back) that my query has been passed to the Italian team to be processed - so I won't reply until I hear back from them.

Thats the issue with big companies - no one centrally knows anything and it takes ages to get hold of sub departments.

Gorie

I have now called my CC company - they're sending me a new card in case this is fake and my details were compromised. I've just never read of anything like this happening before.

lovesgshp

This may be a false accident that someone has claimed for. It happened to the father of a friend who lives in Italy when his car was nowhere in the area.
Ask for where the accident actually happened, and also the european accident report that the other driver has to fill in (with you as well).

It is probably a scam as they just note a registration to get their car repaired. Well known over here.

jimbo6977

Ever noticed how a lot of guys in Naples wear ostentacious amounts of gold, while most of the population is dirt poor?

You wanna wear "stivali di calcestruzzo"?

hollydays

agpsrl.com
Seems to be connected to kasco
https://register.fca.org.uk/ShPo_FirmDetailsPage?id=001b0000025PHvxAAG

Gorie

Thanks lovesgshp

Thats useful to know - so maybe I will need to send them a scan of the accident denial form once Europcar confirm whether this whole thing is legit.

I will ask for the Accident Report again, they told me after I emailed initially that they couldn't send any information until I sign the denial form. I didn't ask specifically for the accident report.

What happened in the case you know about? If this isn't a scam I'm hoping my denial and the fact that the car was returned without damage is good enough evidence I wasn't involved in a crash.

rhysadams

I was warned before I wen to Naples to take the all inclusive insurance cover and boy were they right. It felt like driving on Grand Theft Auto in the streets.


Sounds to me that maybe a valeter or driver may have had a prang and like most accidents in Naples, they've driven off. If you can prove that you returned the car after 11am and the accident happened afterwards, you should be ok.


I would speak to Europcar customer services here in the UK, they are usually really helpful