Europcar Dispute Over Van Rental Charges

bbluvbb

Hi Forumite, 

I recently rented a van from Europcar for two days, picking it up from one of their branches. Upon collecting the van, I noticed visible scratches on the left rear and minor scratches around the entire body. I immediately informed the staff, who advised me to take a video for proof, which I did.

After using the van, I returned it on time. During the check-in at the branch, the staff took pictures of the van and asked me to sign a device. When I requested to view the return document, the staff member informed me that their system was down, so I was unable to review the document. He assured me everything was fine and that no extra payment was required.

Approximately two months later, I received an email from Shakespeare Martineau solicitors, claiming I owed Europcar £362, including a £40 late charge. The email lacked an original invoice reference and was addressed generically to "Sir/Madam," which initially led me to suspect it was a scam. However, upon contacting Europcar, I was informed that they had supposedly sent an email about a scratch on the rear left, which I never received. They also claimed that the return note, which I couldn't view due to the system issue, included photos of the scratch as new damage.

I trusted the staff member’s assurance that everything was settled and did not scrutinize the return note further. Europcar has now initiated an investigation into this matter, but I am extremely frustrated. I signed the return confirmation based on the staff’s verbal assurance that everything was in order, only to later discover that additional damage was recorded without my knowledge.

I firmly believe that Europcar altered the document after I signed on the device when returning the car. The staff member repeatedly confirmed that everything was fine and told me to sign just to confirm the return process was complete. I had no reason to doubt this assurance after several confirmations. I did not imagine that this situation would arise!

I have called Europcar and they are now investigating this matter. However, I wonder what extra steps I can takeaway the moment while I wait for their so called investigation. The most frustrating thing is that I have deleted the video I took when I picked up the van because I thought I didn’t need it anymore after the whole rental process was settled, returned, and confirmed as all good. I am now exploring different methods to retrieve the video and pray that I can get it back, but I am panicky that I will not be able to do so.

This situation is highly distressing, as it appears that crucial information was added to the return document without my consent, leading to unexpected charges.

Aylesbury_Duck

Let them complete their investigation and see what happens.

If they stick to their claim, ask for their evidence that the damage was caused by you and that you returned the vehicle late.  Assuming they can provide it (even if you think it's falsified/modified) then your choice is to pay up, or refuse and see if they are willing to take it to court.

Alfrescodave

A major error on your part was not videoing the vehicle ON RETURN. With renting vehicles, the basic protocol is to self video before and after renting.

This information would have supported your claim that no additional damage had been done and also it was returned on time.

born_again

Have they stopped giving out the check lists with damage marked on them at start & return?

bbluvbb

born_again said:

Have they stopped giving out the check lists with damage marked on them at start & return?

They didn't send me any checklist at the start to document the van's condition, but I did receive the return form. Should I demand that they provide the report they had when I picked up the vehicle to prove that the scratch is as they claimed to be new?

Aylesbury_Duck

bbluvbb said:

born_again said:

Have they stopped giving out the check lists with damage marked on them at start & return?

They didn't send me any checklist at the start to document the van's condition, but I did receive the return form. Should I demand that they provide the report they had when I picked up the vehicle to prove that the scratch is as they claimed to be new?

Yes.  Ask for the return sheet from the previous hirer and the report from your collection.

I suspect they'll back down as you start to ask for evidence in a logical manner, because it sounds like they won't have the document trail to show the damage was caused by you, or they haven't got any sort of document trail.

bbluvbb

hi again, as expected the “investigation team” is saying that they looked at the previous hiring report and the damage was not listed in that report. However, they did not send me a copy to proof all that. I have gone back to look at the car pick up receipt and found that i
it has listed a damage of “left size scratches 15cm >” which the descriptions is very similar to what they are now claiming for the new damage (the left REAR scratches 15cm >)  the whole thing is so dodgy as I have also pointed out that they did not hand out the signed report when I was returned the van (as they said the system broke down so I was not able to view the signed document) and not until the next day they sent me an e-copy which they did not reply to this accordingly.