Negative experience with UK car rental

Eeetee23

Hi all 
I am looking for some advice after experiencing poor service with a uk car rental recently. 

My issues: 
1. the desk agent was very rude and poor customer service generally throughout the transaction. 

2. When I came to the insurance , where they usually pressure you to take the product, I declined as I have cover elsewhere. The individual was clearly not happy with this. Unfortunately the card I tried to use to pay for the deposit did not go through, despite several attempts. He told them (incorrectly) that the deposit had to be paid on the card used for the booking. And that if that was not possible I could use any card to pay for the insurance cover (which immediately doubled my rental) as I had no other option I had to do this (and take the cover) . I since learn that I could have used any other card for the deposit. He did not advise me of this. When i challenged this he became quite aggressive, and stood his ground. 

I have since tried to contact customer services who showed limited interest, solely that since I signed the terms they wouldn’t  do anything, and it was my word against his/ the companies. They were quite unhelpful. They advised I could raise a complaint but it would unlikely go anywhere (I am finding it hard to do this since I did not book direct, so cannot follow the process via their website. 

I would dearly like some advise as to where can I go in this instance, since I was clearly mislead. Do I approach the third party I made the booking through? Or attempt a first complaint to the rental company (who, reading other reviews have a poor reputation. 

Thank you for reading 

Goudy

I honestly don't think you will get anywhere complaining about this.
The rep on the desk will be under pressure from above to "sell" their own full insurance cover as it's massively overpriced and boosts their profits.

They use various tactics to get you to do this, one of which they used on you and if you come across it often enough you can prepare yourself before hand for it.

You should have read the reviews first and that is probably your course of action now.
Find everywhere they are reviewed, Tripadvisor, Google Maps, Trustpilot etc and leave a bad review.
Also, you should be able to review them via the trawler site you booked through.

If the hire company are members of the BVRLA, you can open a complaint with them, but don't expect much from the process. They know what these companies get up to and find it hard to stop them.
BVRLA Complaint Eligibility


I hire a fair few cars every year, both in the UK and abroad so buy an annual standalone excess policy.
I've come across hard sell at the desk many times and found two things tend to encourage the rep to pursue an extra insurance sale.

A dithering customer.
Those that say, oh I'm not sure tell me what it covers or why do I need it.
If you look like you don't know what you are doing, they'll try and take advantage.

The other is telling them you have cover already.
That tends to be a red rag to a bull. They'll lie to your face telling you it's no good, doesn't cover their cars etc. They may even say they can't hire a car with that type of insurance.

It's best to say nothing, just decline their offer and smile.
Keep it pleasant, but say very little other than no thank you confidently.
The politer and more pleasant you are tends to make it harder for them, but you'll still find some that try it.

Also never ever appear to be in a rush or flustered.
Take your time, you could have rang your card issuer to find out what was wrong with the payment and generally eaten up some of their time dealing with you. 

I once walked. While I was dealing with a stubborn rep my other half was searching online for another deal at the same airport.
It was cheaper to walk and rent somewhere else even though I appeared to lose a small deposit than pay their hire charge and full rip off insurance cover.
I eventually claimed the deposit back from my credit card company and rather oddly, they didn't contest it.

MyRealNameToo

Eeetee23 said:

Hi all 
I am looking for some advice after experiencing poor service with a uk car rental recently. 

My issues: 
1. the desk agent was very rude and poor customer service generally throughout the transaction. 

2. When I came to the insurance , where they usually pressure you to take the product, I declined as I have cover elsewhere. The individual was clearly not happy with this. Unfortunately the card I tried to use to pay for the deposit did not go through, despite several attempts. He told them (incorrectly) that the deposit had to be paid on the card used for the booking. And that if that was not possible I could use any card to pay for the insurance cover (which immediately doubled my rental) as I had no other option I had to do this (and take the cover) . I since learn that I could have used any other card for the deposit. He did not advise me of this. When i challenged this he became quite aggressive, and stood his ground. 

I have since tried to contact customer services who showed limited interest, solely that since I signed the terms they wouldn’t  do anything, and it was my word against his/ the companies. They were quite unhelpful. They advised I could raise a complaint but it would unlikely go anywhere (I am finding it hard to do this since I did not book direct, so cannot follow the process via their website. 

I would dearly like some advise as to where can I go in this instance, since I was clearly mislead. Do I approach the third party I made the booking through? Or attempt a first complaint to the rental company (who, reading other reviews have a poor reputation. 

Thank you for reading 

1) Companies arent obliged to give good customer service, plus "what good looks like" is very subjective having done lots of customer surveys in the past you get lots of contradictory opinions. Ultimately you can raise the matter but they may decide that their punctuality, sales ability etc are more important to them than service

2) Technically the majority of hire firms sell a waiver not insurance, what you buy from third parties is insurance. 

The waivers are a good income stream for them, sales staff often also get commission on upsells. There is no need for you to mention you have insurance elsewhere and it tends to be a red flag for them, but simply say you are happy paying the full excess if it comes to it. 

Whilst this guy seems to be freewheeling plenty of companies themselves put strict conditions on the card to make the deposit with, there have been several posts on here about hire companies that state the card must be embossed and very few cards are these days but with them its in their T&Cs that you agree to so have little argument to protest when they won't except your unembossed card. 

Ultimately vote with your feet. Personally stick to the big brands, the hire is often a little more expensive but dont get the same issues (in my experience anyway)

Mildly_Miffed

"I bought the insurance, but didn't need it, can I have a refund?"

Not saying that's actually the case, but that's certainly one way of viewing it... Especially given the confusion around your card being declined. "We would have been happy to hire you the car without insurance on that card, but on this one we can only hire you the car with insurance" makes no sense on any level.

As for the "but they didn't smile at me nicely enough"... You want an apology, or compensation?

Vote with your feet, and never use them again.

Goudy

MyRealNameToo said:

Eeetee23 said:

Hi all 
I am looking for some advice after experiencing poor service with a uk car rental recently. 

My issues: 
1. the desk agent was very rude and poor customer service generally throughout the transaction. 

2. When I came to the insurance , where they usually pressure you to take the product, I declined as I have cover elsewhere. The individual was clearly not happy with this. Unfortunately the card I tried to use to pay for the deposit did not go through, despite several attempts. He told them (incorrectly) that the deposit had to be paid on the card used for the booking. And that if that was not possible I could use any card to pay for the insurance cover (which immediately doubled my rental) as I had no other option I had to do this (and take the cover) . I since learn that I could have used any other card for the deposit. He did not advise me of this. When i challenged this he became quite aggressive, and stood his ground. 

I have since tried to contact customer services who showed limited interest, solely that since I signed the terms they wouldn’t  do anything, and it was my word against his/ the companies. They were quite unhelpful. They advised I could raise a complaint but it would unlikely go anywhere (I am finding it hard to do this since I did not book direct, so cannot follow the process via their website. 

I would dearly like some advise as to where can I go in this instance, since I was clearly mislead. Do I approach the third party I made the booking through? Or attempt a first complaint to the rental company (who, reading other reviews have a poor reputation. 

Thank you for reading 

2) Technically the majority of hire firms sell a waiver not insurance, what you buy from third parties is insurance. 

The waivers are a good income stream for them, sales staff often also get commission on upsells. There is no need for you to mention you have insurance elsewhere and it tends to be a red flag for them, but simply say you are happy paying the full excess if it comes to it. 

Yes that's correct.
The waiver they generally offer will come with a load of exceptions and may only reduce your liability not cover all of it.
It's an agreement that they waiver some of your liability for a cost of course.

When taking out standalone excess cover, it is usually an actual insurance policy and is therefore regulated.
You can choose and tailor the level of cover you require and it often covers far more than a waiver, like wheels, glass, keys, towing charges and admin fees hire companies like to throw in.

MoneyMaxim | Compare Car Hire & Excess Insurance

You will have to pay the excess to the hire company then claim it back so it's vital you keep all documents and paperwork from the hire company.

Quite often car hire trawler sites like Holiday Autos will offer a version of excess insurance.
Again this might be limited, have plenty of exceptions and often cost more than buying your own standalone policy.

MyRealNameToo

Goudy said:

MyRealNameToo said:

Eeetee23 said:

Hi all 
I am looking for some advice after experiencing poor service with a uk car rental recently. 

My issues: 
1. the desk agent was very rude and poor customer service generally throughout the transaction. 

2. When I came to the insurance , where they usually pressure you to take the product, I declined as I have cover elsewhere. The individual was clearly not happy with this. Unfortunately the card I tried to use to pay for the deposit did not go through, despite several attempts. He told them (incorrectly) that the deposit had to be paid on the card used for the booking. And that if that was not possible I could use any card to pay for the insurance cover (which immediately doubled my rental) as I had no other option I had to do this (and take the cover) . I since learn that I could have used any other card for the deposit. He did not advise me of this. When i challenged this he became quite aggressive, and stood his ground. 

I have since tried to contact customer services who showed limited interest, solely that since I signed the terms they wouldn’t  do anything, and it was my word against his/ the companies. They were quite unhelpful. They advised I could raise a complaint but it would unlikely go anywhere (I am finding it hard to do this since I did not book direct, so cannot follow the process via their website. 

I would dearly like some advise as to where can I go in this instance, since I was clearly mislead. Do I approach the third party I made the booking through? Or attempt a first complaint to the rental company (who, reading other reviews have a poor reputation. 

Thank you for reading 

2) Technically the majority of hire firms sell a waiver not insurance, what you buy from third parties is insurance. 

The waivers are a good income stream for them, sales staff often also get commission on upsells. There is no need for you to mention you have insurance elsewhere and it tends to be a red flag for them, but simply say you are happy paying the full excess if it comes to it. 

Yes that's correct.
The waiver they generally offer will come with a load of exceptions and may only reduce your liability not cover all of it.
It's an agreement that they waiver some of your liability for a cost of course.

When taking out standalone excess cover, it is usually an actual insurance policy and is therefore regulated.
You can choose and tailor the level of cover you require and it often covers far more than a waiver, like wheels, glass, keys, towing charges and admin fees hire companies like to throw in.

MoneyMaxim | Compare Car Hire & Excess Insurance

You will have to pay the excess to the hire company then claim it back so it's vital you keep all documents and paperwork from the hire company.

Quite often car hire trawler sites like Holiday Autos will offer a version of excess insurance.
Again this might be limited, have plenty of exceptions and often cost more than buying your own standalone policy.

Dont think any third party sells something that isnt insurance that offers to reimburse your excess? 

Standalone excess insurance can have its own limitations though too, some for example won't cover damage thats below the excess as technically you've not paid an excess in that scenario but have paid for the damage itself. On a normal hire car its probably a non-problem as there is little you can do that won't hit the £1k excess but if you are hiring something more exotic that comes with a much larger excess it becomes a more realistic problem. 

Goudy

I wasn't just talking about the UK or Europe.

A lot of US and Canadian credit cards have coverage for excess or their own CDW.
It's not exactly insurance or a waiver from the rental company, just a benefit of the credit card.

It's either part of the cards benefits or you pay a yearly fee for the benefit and that covers the excess if you pay the rental and have the excess blocked on that credit card.

You need to watch out in certain places.
I was in the Caribbean and was told my excess would be covered by the credit card until I pulled out a UK one and the rep got flustered and started waffle. An American in the office hiring his own car explained. Basically they were renting cars with very limited cover and relying on US and Canadian credit cards to fill in the rest.

born_again

Eeetee23 said:

Hi all 
I am looking for some advice after experiencing poor service with a uk car rental recently. 

My issues: 
1. the desk agent was very rude and poor customer service generally throughout the transaction. 

2. When I came to the insurance , where they usually pressure you to take the product, I declined as I have cover elsewhere. The individual was clearly not happy with this. Unfortunately the card I tried to use to pay for the deposit did not go through, despite several attempts. He told them (incorrectly) that the deposit had to be paid on the card used for the booking. And that if that was not possible I could use any card to pay for the insurance cover (which immediately doubled my rental) as I had no other option I had to do this (and take the cover) . I since learn that I could have used any other card for the deposit. He did not advise me of this. When i challenged this he became quite aggressive, and stood his ground. 

I have since tried to contact customer services who showed limited interest, solely that since I signed the terms they wouldn’t  do anything, and it was my word against his/ the companies. They were quite unhelpful. They advised I could raise a complaint but it would unlikely go anywhere (I am finding it hard to do this since I did not book direct, so cannot follow the process via their website. 

I would dearly like some advise as to where can I go in this instance, since I was clearly mislead. Do I approach the third party I made the booking through? Or attempt a first complaint to the rental company (who, reading other reviews have a poor reputation. 

Thank you for reading 

Which could be their policy given the booking was made via a 3rd party to ensure that the person taking the car is not a fraudster.
If the card used at 3rd party was a fraudulent booking. They would then lose out on their commission.

MyRealNameToo

Goudy said:

A lot of US and Canadian credit cards have coverage for excess or their own CDW.
It's not exactly insurance or a waiver from the rental company, just a benefit of the credit card.

It's either part of the cards benefits or you pay a yearly fee for the benefit and that covers the excess if you pay the rental and have the excess blocked on that credit card.

You need to watch out in certain places.
I was in the Caribbean and was told my excess would be covered by the credit card until I pulled out a UK one and the rep got flustered and started waffle. An American in the office hiring his own car explained. Basically they were renting cars with very limited cover and relying on US and Canadian credit cards to fill in the rest.

Its becoming less common in the US too, Citi have dropped it and Capital One reduced it to only certain cards now.

It's not an excess policy, it's a damage/theft  policy and it may have its own excess. A lot are also a secondary policy so your own auto insurance covers you for hire inside the US and the CC CDW applies if the value of damage to the hire exceeds your auto limit. There are some primary ones though. 

Given we are talking about in the US they also dont cover SLI so no cover from the CC for liability to others but again many in the US will have an umbrella liability policy which will include covering them when driving a hire car. 

Arklight

This doesn't help you at all, but hiring a car in the UK is an absolutely dismal experience and pretty much the epitome of rip-off Britain.

I used to travel to the US frequently and stuck with Hertz. Zero hassle or upsell and the loss damage waivers meant you can literally give them back a smoking ruin and pay nothing. This is common in the US.

Hiring a car in the UK starts off feeling like a scam.

Of course, the exception that proved the rule was Avis - a company I've had  appalling experiences with both in the US and here and which I'd never use again.