Holidaymakers to Spain are being told they can not drive away a hire car they have booked unless they pay another €100 for optional insurance. We already heard stories about car hire company miss-selling excess cover or the forced full-empty fuel “option” or selling unwanted insurance to the clients.
The leatest addition for these problems when a leading spanish car hire firm selling optional insurance as mandatory to their customers. The airlines already under fire to show their ticket prices including all add-on fees even that what passangers could avoid ie. checked-in bag fees. Car hire agents still can hide their fees and tell the clients to pay them when they arrive to the rental desk. One of the biggest issue is the additional insurance which is absolutely optional. This insurance can cost €15-25/day at the desk and also the reason why the rental price is so cheap.
Anyway this rental company you can read about below includes a “no excess insurance” in their rental prices. However it’s only cover damage and theft and doesn’t cover glass, tires, roof, car key, miss fueling etc. That reason they offer “Relax insurance” which is optional. The price of this insurance not stated in their terms the only way to find out when you are at the desk. OK. I can tell you that it cost €7/day in Spain. Here is the story of John Renwick and his wife Beryl:
For 25 years John Renwick, 85, and wife Beryl, 83, used the same local car rental company when they stayed at their holiday home in Majorca.
But when the owner of the business passed away this year, they were forced to re-think. The retired couple, who live in Repton, Derbyshire, thought they’d found a great deal through airline Bmibaby — a Ford Fiesta at £204.84 for 14 days, including all the insurance.
When they reached Palma de Majorca airport, they queued for 75 minutes at Goldcar’s pick-up point. ‘There was a huge line and everyone was arguing with the staff,’ says Mr Renwick. ‘When we got to the front of the line, we were told to pay £61 for extra insurance or to get out of the queue.
‘I could easily have arranged for my own insurance to cover it much more cheaply had I known before I went — it seemed most unfair.
‘We were forced to pay because we needed the car.’
A Goldcar spokesman says: ‘This should all be explained in the terms and conditions Mr Renwick received from the agency he made the reservation with.’
Read more: http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/holidays/article-2205134/Tourists-held-ransom-car-hire-sharks.html#ixzz271Nfbyqo
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I read their terms and conditions and nowhere they say clients need to buy this mandatory extra insurance. The amount of the security deposit (excess) is displayed but why they call it “No excess insurance”?
One thing is sure GC doesn’t want long term clients they only wants to take the most money from each clients who already at the desk whatever it takes. Car rental brokers will send them clients everyday until they can keep the rental prices down.
I hope there will be a regulation for the car rental industry in the near future until then please read the small print and read everything before you sign!
