No show refund policy for car rental

pinkshoes

purplehead66 said:

The booking agent is Holiday Autos and the local company in Italy is Noleggiare. They are both in a blame game as to whose fault it is and why it was cancelled. What I’d like to understand is their justification and right for retaining all of the money - it would’ve been more acceptable if it was an admin fee, but they have totally profited from our entire pre payment. Also, is there an obligation on them to alert us to no show, no refund policy in emails reminding us to pick up the car on time. 

As you booked with Holiday Autos, then their T&Cs will apply. They say:

If you make a booking but do not pick-up/use the Transportation (and have not cancelled such booking in accordance with the cancellation policy set out below), no refund will be given.

Please be advised that in the event that you expect to arrive late to pick-up/avail of the booked Transportation it is your responsibility to contact the Transportation Supplier to inform them.

On this basis, given it doesn't specify a definition of late (and if you arrived 1 hour late, this is within the acceptable window) then I'd be pushing for a full refund as you complied with their T&Cs.

If you were 1 hour late, surely this was within the window? Can you prove what time you arrived? Or was it actually more than 1 hour?

Grumpy_chap

RefluentBeans said:

I also would say that 1 hour after the booking is late. When you are given a collection time, it’s on you to turn up at that time. If this was 15 minutes then yes, some grace period. But an hour after the time is late. 

RefluentBeans said:

Oh I 100% agree - I think there should be more than 1 hour grace in things like this (like you said with the new city, new bearings etc). 

Those two statements seem contradictory.
Is your view that 1 hour is late, or there should be more than 1 hour?

RefluentBeans

Grumpy_chap said:

RefluentBeans said:

I also would say that 1 hour after the booking is late. When you are given a collection time, it’s on you to turn up at that time. If this was 15 minutes then yes, some grace period. But an hour after the time is late. 

RefluentBeans said:

Oh I 100% agree - I think there should be more than 1 hour grace in things like this (like you said with the new city, new bearings etc). 

Those two statements seem contradictory.
Is your view that 1 hour is late, or there should be more than 1 hour?

The terms don’t allow for more than an hour late. I personally consider 1 hour late. The terms should allow for more leniency for travel. To say 1 hour isn’t late is factually incorrect. 

But, as you said in your above post, things happen in travel. If the flight is delayed, then you should have a grace period to allow for that. 

If everything went right - the flights were on time, and you landed at 1, and booked your car for 1:30 then got held up at security for an hour and turned up at 3:00 then I think that’s sort of on you for not planning redundancy into your schedule. 

jon81uk

RefluentBeans said:

Grumpy_chap said:

RefluentBeans said:

I also would say that 1 hour after the booking is late. When you are given a collection time, it’s on you to turn up at that time. If this was 15 minutes then yes, some grace period. But an hour after the time is late. 

RefluentBeans said:

Oh I 100% agree - I think there should be more than 1 hour grace in things like this (like you said with the new city, new bearings etc). 

Those two statements seem contradictory.
Is your view that 1 hour is late, or there should be more than 1 hour?

The terms don’t allow for more than an hour late. I personally consider 1 hour late. The terms should allow for more leniency for travel. To say 1 hour isn’t late is factually incorrect. 

But, as you said in your above post, things happen in travel. If the flight is delayed, then you should have a grace period to allow for that. 

If everything went right - the flights were on time, and you landed at 1, and booked your car for 1:30 then got held up at security for an hour and turned up at 3:00 then I think that’s sort of on you for not planning redundancy into your schedule. 

Often if booking to collect at an airport location you are asked for the flight number so the rental company can check on the flight status automatically. In the OPs case I expect they went for a cheaper company not based on the airport itself.

PHK

jon81uk said:

RefluentBeans said:

Grumpy_chap said:

RefluentBeans said:

I also would say that 1 hour after the booking is late. When you are given a collection time, it’s on you to turn up at that time. If this was 15 minutes then yes, some grace period. But an hour after the time is late. 

RefluentBeans said:

Oh I 100% agree - I think there should be more than 1 hour grace in things like this (like you said with the new city, new bearings etc). 

Those two statements seem contradictory.
Is your view that 1 hour is late, or there should be more than 1 hour?

The terms don’t allow for more than an hour late. I personally consider 1 hour late. The terms should allow for more leniency for travel. To say 1 hour isn’t late is factually incorrect. 

But, as you said in your above post, things happen in travel. If the flight is delayed, then you should have a grace period to allow for that. 

If everything went right - the flights were on time, and you landed at 1, and booked your car for 1:30 then got held up at security for an hour and turned up at 3:00 then I think that’s sort of on you for not planning redundancy into your schedule. 

Often if booking to collect at an airport location you are asked for the flight number so the rental company can check on the flight status automatically. In the OPs case I expect they went for a cheaper company not based on the airport itself.

Indeed, we also don't know what time the collection was arranged. For example, if its not an airport based service and a 2am collection  they might have paid someone to come in out of hours in which case an hours slot (without notice) is reasonable.

This is one of those were we need more information.

Also did Italy bring thr EU directive into Italian law?

RefluentBeans

Personally I wouldn’t really try too hard with the car company, and instead look at Holiday Autos. They don’t really have many definitions of late etc, so you can certainly argue the semantics of late with them. And it’s all rather pointless if all you had to do was phone the car company if you’re running late and you’ve met your responsibilities in the contract. 

So if you called the Italian car people that you were running late, then I would’ve thought there was a breach of contract in your contract with Holiday Autos and yourself. 

sheramber

Did the OP phone to advise the rental company he would be late picking the car up? 

The OP has not said what the circumstances were or why he was late.