Embossed credit card at car hire company?

Beergoggles90210

Hello everyone 🤠 👋 

I made a grave error and didn't read the extended terms and conditions on booking.com for Direct Rent, a car rental broker based out of Cluj Napoca Airport in Romania. 

I booked a luxury car on booking.com through Direct Rent and bought the insurance through booking.com. When I arrived to pick my car up, the guy said because my credit card wasn't embossed they couldn't take the €3000 deposit from it, but he was more than happy to charge €900ish to it for their cover for the duration of the rental. I said I wasn't going to get that and he said his hands were tied. 

Booking.com are refunding me about 60% of the total cost of the rental plus their insurance, which they are at pains to point out is a favour to me, but do I have a leg to stand on to claim the remainder of the money back?

I know that fundamentally both companies can say it's written in the Ts and Cs (mega small print, not headline - which it definitely should be) but I haven't seen a new embossed credit card in the UK for a while so surely it's quite an unfair reason to turn people away? It was really stressful and we had to spend a really anxious couple of hours sorting the admin and arranging a new car with a new company (not to mention I've downgraded from a BMW X3 to a Dacia Duster which I'm trying to put a brave face on for my partner 😂)

I have a feeling I'm just buggered and have to chalk it up to experience but interested in any opinions on an angle on a claim here

Thanks
Paul

On-the-coast

thanks for highlighting this… I rent fairly frequently & not come across this before. Having said that 2 of my cards are embossed & 2 not. 

Presumably it’s a holdover from the days of manual card swipers still being used in places with poor infrastructure?

I suspect you’ve got the most refund you’re going to get sadly. I distrust car-hire firms at the best of times & try & stick with the big brands if I can. 

eDicky

Beergoggles90210 said:

When I arrived to pick my car up, the guy said because my credit card wasn't embossed they couldn't take the €3000 deposit from it, but he was more than happy to charge €900ish to it for their cover for the duration of the rental. I said I wasn't going to get that and he said his hands were tied.

If you're saying that he was able to accept your non-embossed card if you were to accept buying their expensive extra insurance, then it's obviously just another unscrupulous hire firm wheeze to pressure sell the extra cost.

I've seen this reported before, I think with Spanish car hire. Not much you can do about it if it's in their terms, count yourself lucky to get the refund you've received. Dacia Duster is not so bad, might have some advantage such as more capable on rough roads and a more low-key appearance...

400ixl

Another of these local rentals upselling on very antiquated terms. One of the reasons I will only use one of the larger rental companies like Avis, Hertz, Alamo, National, Sixt etc

Never once had an issue about non bossed credit cards.

Also, you mentioned €3000 deposit. Do you mean you had a pay at depot rental, or you had pre-paid and they wanted to put a €3000 hold on the card? If the latter then that is very high.

DullGreyGuy

400ixl said:

Also, you mentioned €3000 deposit. Do you mean you had a pay at depot rental, or you had pre-paid and they wanted to put a €3000 hold on the card? If the latter then that is very high.

They said it was a luxury vehicle... sports, luxury and commercial vehicles typically have higher excesses on rentals than your bog standard Corsa. 

Beergoggles90210 said:

I made a grave error and didn't read the extended terms and conditions on booking.com for Direct Rent, a car rental broker based out of Cluj Napoca Airport in Romania. 

I booked a luxury car on booking.com through Direct Rent and bought the insurance through booking.com. When I arrived to pick my car up, the guy said because my credit card wasn't embossed they couldn't take the €3000 deposit from it, but he was more than happy to charge €900ish to it for their cover for the duration of the rental. I said I wasn't going to get that and he said his hands were tied. 

Booking.com are refunding me about 60% of the total cost of the rental plus their insurance, which they are at pains to point out is a favour to me, but do I have a leg to stand on to claim the remainder of the money back?

I know that fundamentally both companies can say it's written in the Ts and Cs (mega small print, not headline - which it definitely should be) but I haven't seen a new embossed credit card in the UK for a while so surely it's quite an unfair reason to turn people away? It was really stressful and we had to spend a really anxious couple of hours sorting the admin and arranging a new car with a new company (not to mention I've downgraded from a BMW X3 to a Dacia Duster which I'm trying to put a brave face on for my partner 😂)

I have a feeling I'm just buggered and have to chalk it up to experience but interested in any opinions on an angle on a claim here

Ultimately you are hiring a car in Romania, what the common card issuing policies are in the UK is not relevant to a Romanian company. 

Can't say with your particular firm but certainly when others have complained about various Iberian hire car companies that have the same requirement it has been fairly clear on the relevant booking site but people just click the button to say they've read and agree to the terms without having done so. 

Personally, can't see any justification for needing embossed cards, the old click clack machine was just designed to be a quick/reliable way of capturing the card details but the slips always had the option for the details to be handwritten on them. If however if you wanting to contest them on it you would need to find whatever the Romanian equivalent of Trading Standards or Citizens Advice and there is no guarantee they'd be too interested in helping a foreigner or be happy to converse in English 

TELLIT01

I've had 2 new cards from different banks recently and neither is embossed.  It never occurred to me either that this could be a problem abroad.

HogMan

Just a cursory glance at Google reviews for Direct Rent would have had me running a mile.

As stated above, booking direct with a major company is preferable (especially so for a premium car). Sure, you may save a few pounds initially booking through a third party if everything goes smoothly, but if it doesn't (which often seems to be the case) it ends up costing you much more.

It is also advisable to take out third party excess insurance.

Looking through my cards I only have one that is still embossed (Barclaycard).

Beergoggles90210

Thanks all, feel a little vindicated but still totally accept I didn't read the ultra small print, and therefore will probably stick with my 60% and save myself the most likely fruitless stress of further admin trying to make a claim! 

Keep an eye out if you're renting abroad for this weird quirk 😂

Cheers all
Paul

brianposter

The last time I checked this condition appeared on the website of at least one UK company. If you come across it the sensible thing to do is email the company before booking.

CKhalvashi

DullGreyGuy said:

400ixl said:DullGreyGuy said:

400ixl said:

Also, you mentioned €3000 deposit. Do you mean you had a pay at depot rental, or you had pre-paid and they wanted to put a €3000 hold on the card? If the latter then that is very high.

They said it was a luxury vehicle... sports, luxury and commercial vehicles typically have higher excesses on rentals than your bog standard Corsa. 

Beergoggles90210 said:

I made a grave error and didn't read the extended terms and conditions on booking.com for Direct Rent, a car rental broker based out of Cluj Napoca Airport in Romania. 

I booked a luxury car on booking.com through Direct Rent and bought the insurance through booking.com. When I arrived to pick my car up, the guy said because my credit card wasn't embossed they couldn't take the €3000 deposit from it, but he was more than happy to charge €900ish to it for their cover for the duration of the rental. I said I wasn't going to get that and he said his hands were tied. 

Booking.com are refunding me about 60% of the total cost of the rental plus their insurance, which they are at pains to point out is a favour to me, but do I have a leg to stand on to claim the remainder of the money back?

I know that fundamentally both companies can say it's written in the Ts and Cs (mega small print, not headline - which it definitely should be) but I haven't seen a new embossed credit card in the UK for a while so surely it's quite an unfair reason to turn people away? It was really stressful and we had to spend a really anxious couple of hours sorting the admin and arranging a new car with a new company (not to mention I've downgraded from a BMW X3 to a Dacia Duster which I'm trying to put a brave face on for my partner 😂)

I have a feeling I'm just buggered and have to chalk it up to experience but interested in any opinions on an angle on a claim here

Ultimately you are hiring a car in Romania, what the common card issuing policies are in the UK is not relevant to a Romanian company. 

Can't say with your particular firm but certainly when others have complained about various Iberian hire car companies that have the same requirement it has been fairly clear on the relevant booking site but people just click the button to say they've read and agree to the terms without having done so. 

Personally, can't see any justification for needing embossed cards, the old click clack machine was just designed to be a quick/reliable way of capturing the card details but the slips always had the option for the details to be handwritten on them. If however if you wanting to contest them on it you would need to find whatever the Romanian equivalent of Trading Standards or Citizens Advice and there is no guarantee they'd be too interested in helping a foreigner or be happy to converse in English 

Also, you mentioned €3000 deposit. Do you mean you had a pay at depot rental, or you had pre-paid and they wanted to put a €3000 hold on the card? If the latter then that is very high.

They said it was a luxury vehicle... sports, luxury and commercial vehicles typically have higher excesses on rentals than your bog standard Corsa. 

Beergoggles90210 said:

I made a grave error and didn't read the extended terms and conditions on booking.com for Direct Rent, a car rental broker based out of Cluj Napoca Airport in Romania. 

I booked a luxury car on booking.com through Direct Rent and bought the insurance through booking.com. When I arrived to pick my car up, the guy said because my credit card wasn't embossed they couldn't take the €3000 deposit from it, but he was more than happy to charge €900ish to it for their cover for the duration of the rental. I said I wasn't going to get that and he said his hands were tied. 

Booking.com are refunding me about 60% of the total cost of the rental plus their insurance, which they are at pains to point out is a favour to me, but do I have a leg to stand on to claim the remainder of the money back?

I know that fundamentally both companies can say it's written in the Ts and Cs (mega small print, not headline - which it definitely should be) but I haven't seen a new embossed credit card in the UK for a while so surely it's quite an unfair reason to turn people away? It was really stressful and we had to spend a really anxious couple of hours sorting the admin and arranging a new car with a new company (not to mention I've downgraded from a BMW X3 to a Dacia Duster which I'm trying to put a brave face on for my partner 😂)

I have a feeling I'm just buggered and have to chalk it up to experience but interested in any opinions on an angle on a claim here

Ultimately you are hiring a car in Romania, what the common card issuing policies are in the UK is not relevant to a Romanian company. 

Can't say with your particular firm but certainly when others have complained about various Iberian hire car companies that have the same requirement it has been fairly clear on the relevant booking site but people just click the button to say they've read and agree to the terms without having done so. 

Personally, can't see any justification for needing embossed cards, the old click clack machine was just designed to be a quick/reliable way of capturing the card details but the slips always had the option for the details to be handwritten on them. If however if you wanting to contest them on it you would need to find whatever the Romanian equivalent of Trading Standards or Citizens Advice and there is no guarantee they'd be too interested in helping a foreigner or be happy to converse in English 

The body in question would be ANPC.

They are very responsive and one of the most effective enforcement agencies I've ever dealt with.

They have a website with complaint form in English and I have to say are thorough when it comes to enforcement, especially with foreigners, as the Romanian government (as most Romanians) wants to see a good impression left of their country.

www.anpc.ro/en is the website you need. As with any link posted online, you can check this yourself using online search engines.

powerful_Rogue

Beergoggles90210 said:

Thanks all, feel a little vindicated but still totally accept I didn't read the ultra small print, and therefore will probably stick with my 60% and save myself the most likely fruitless stress of further admin trying to make a claim! 

Keep an eye out if you're renting abroad for this weird quirk 😂

Cheers all
Paul

I know that fundamentally both companies can say it's written in the Ts and Cs (mega small print, not headline - which it definitely should be)

Was it really 'ultra small print', ' mega small print' or simply a case of it being a link you didn't click on to read before agreeing?