Goldcar rip offs continue

[debz1]

We use Goldcar all the time and try to play them at their own game.

Have just come back from a 4 day weekend and paid €3 + fuel (full /full) for the car through Do You Spain. I get my insurance annually from Insurance 4 Car Hire in the UK at a cost of £39.99 for a year.

Yes I have to pay a deposit of between €1100 and €1400 depending on the car but this never leaves my account.

And yes this year they have, in my opinion fraudulently, claimed that I had damaged a car when I am pretty sure that I had not but Insurance 4 Car Hire refunded the €200 they deducted from my credit card within 2 weeks.

Also the queues this year have been minimal, even in June my wait was no more than 20 mins.

I suppose you just have to pay your money and take a chance

Yep we do exactly the same as you and play them at their own game. You won't get cheaper anywhere else and they're always first class cars. Just a thought though....As they probably fraudulently claimed you had damage, maybe they put in the claim knowing you'd get the money back from your insurer. I wouldn't expect that from Goldcar, who we've never had problems with, but I can imagine less reputable companies trying it on!!!

 

[Teflon]

Debz, you could be right but I would hope that companies like Insurance 4 Car Hire have their own fraud team to track claim trends and hopefully deal with any sharp practices....

 

[hoopy]

I use Record all the time. Usually about 4 rentals per year totalling 9-10 weeks rental. Everything fine until this September when they decided to close the newer second office at the airport leaving 1/2 the number of staff to deal with the huge demand. Needless to say the staff were overwhelmed. When I got a 'queue' ticket I was 65th in line. They were processing customers at their normal 10 minute rate. With 4 staff the maths worked out at a 2.5 hours wait. I was not pleased but they were using the opportunity to sell 'priority line' tickets for €50 a shot. This meant that ordinary customers just got shunted further down the line. Others I know just gave up and got a taxi.
I'll give them another try later this month but if the queues are the same this will be the last time I'm afraid.

Had a 2 hour wait last month but only a five minute wait this month. Just your luck really.

 

[alcanadakid]

There is a big article in today’s (28th October) Sunday Times regarding Goldcar.

There are too many complaints to mention here, but some refer to Goldcar in Mallorca. Forged documents seem to be a new one.

Goldcar have already been fined over €2m last year in Italy and a further large fine this year for continued bad practices

 

[cumberland8]

It has always baffled me why people still use the likes of Goldcar ,Record,Hoppa etc, I know they are usually the cheapest but in these current times it is so easy to carry out due diligence, if you put any name followed by complaints into Google you get literally thousands of complaints against these companies which surely sets off alarm bells?

 

[BlowbieCat]

RecordGo

Sadly the scams continue... I was wondering why there was no queue at the RecordGo or Goldcar desks...now I know why. Ridiculous claim by the RecordGo guy that we 'damaged' the car when we took it back on Sunday 4th November... they always keep the claim small so that the insurance company does not dispute. Pure corruption. The prices are cheap!

 

[ryansclan]

Sadly the scams continue... I was wondering why there was no queue at the RecordGo or Goldcar desks...now I know why. Ridiculous claim by the RecordGo guy that we 'damaged' the car when we took it back on Sunday 4th November... they always keep the claim small so that the insurance company does not dispute. Pure corruption. The prices are cheap!

Well, after a massive queue at Record in September I gave them another try in October and they were fine. I carefully check the car for damage and take some photos when i pick it up. This way they cannot dispute damage when it's returned. I've never had an issue with damage claims from them to be fair. And the price is ridiculously low : €27 for 5 days hire of a Qashqai.. However, I am a member of the 'Record club' and always book through their own site. Usually pay a few euros more but maybe they treat the 'own' customers different to agency bookings??

 

[Tommo]

Goldcar.

Goldcar are to feature on the consumer programm You and Yours Radio 4 Monday lunchtime. Probably worth a listen.
.

 

[clinkham]

Goldcar U-turn: we’ll end rip-offs

News in the Sunday Times today

"The Goldcar U-turn: we’ll end rip-offs"
"Europcar has parachuted in a new operations director at Goldcar and pledged to end the hard-sell tactics and rip-off fees that spawned a flood of complaints. During an exclusive interview at Goldcar’s headquarters in Spain, Michel Kisfaludi said its tactics had been “unacceptable”.
"The Frenchman revealed a package of reforms to clamp down on rogue practices and stop drivers paying for damage they did not cause or for unwanted extras."

Perhaps take a copy of this with you if you book with Goldcar.

For full article follow the link:


https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/money/the-goldcar-u-turn-well-end-rip-offs-055d68t27

 

[Roy&Myra]

Get rick Quick Car Renters online and local sites
Coming out 16th April for 2 weeks. Usually hire a small car from the airport for about
£150 pounds for the 14 days. Looking at the prices for this year for same dates with a 30% discount all companies have doubled or Trebled there prices since last year.
Yes I Know Easter is in the Middle of this period But do the cars need time off to go to Mass.???? For the first time in 30 years My leader and myself will be seen on foot as i refuse to pay these extortionate prices, Look at a week later and prices return to normal.
For the first time it is now Cheaper to get a taxi for the round trip Airport to airport and local journeys than hire a car.

 

[cumberland8]

Recent article in Sundays paper says they are still ripping customers off with the same tricks

 

[clinkham]

It may be useful to follow my idea in message #29, and take a copy of the Times article to wave at them if you have difficulty.

 

[Jimbo the Jambo]

Europcar v Rentalcars.com

Not sure if this helps but earlier this year I hired a car for a five day visit on Jersey. There was a £70.0 difference between the offer from Europcar and Rentalcars, the latter being the cheaper. I phoned Europcar to discuss and was told that Rentalcars.co were their agents and would always be cheaper! The local hirers were much the same cost wise.

Food for thought.

Jimbo

 

[alcanadakid]

Still bad

There is a big article in today’s Times, and there was a piece on the radio today ( You and Yours consumer program) about Goldcar and Europcar.

Apparently their bad practices are not improving with 40% of customers reporting a problem.