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Tuesday 24 February 2015

Avoid being a victim of car hire charges says Express article

The Express ran a report yesterday - 22 February 2015 about after a car hire firm’s lawless raid on a holidaymaker’s credit card account, Eric Hart was burdened with hundreds of pounds of debt and wondering where to turn to get his money back.

Apparently this 64-year-old man from Essex was the victim of some highly questionable number crunching by Thrifty Car Rental’s operation at Barcelona Airport last month. Far from the £68 (€94) he had agreed to pay for insurance cover, on his return his bank statement showed £364 (around €486) had been charged to his card – and for damage he didn’t do.

The issue appears to have been sorted out, however the Express reported that The UK European Consumer Centre explained: "It is the people you hire the car from who are responsible for the charges."

It also recommends that you take photos of your vehicle before and after, request evidence of disputed costs, and pay by credit card for more protection. iCarhireinsurance offers excess insurance from only £2.99 a day or £39.99 a year and includes all damage. (More information about iCarhireinsurance here.)

A new European Car Rental Conciliation Service, ecrcs.eu, has been set up by some of the big rental companies for customers who have booked direct. See the article in full here