Car hire lies - Which?

Aggressive sales tactics and criminal behaviour are captured on film when we go undercover to expose the techniques car hire firm Goldcar use to flog you their insurance.

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[jellygiraffe]

I am an ex employee of Goldcar in malta, NEVER rent from them. What you see here is standard practice, as is not repairing damage or noting it and charging everyone who rents the car for it.

[nicktzakas]

Thanks for the information I dont usually rent a car but if I do need to I'll know what to look out for SCAMMERS

[EppingForest]

I hate renting 🚗 cars... I get paranoid about returning to the car & finding it's been scratched/damaged, & then having to pay the high excess charge!

[craig]

Good advice however what you didn't really explain is that any policy not bought direct from the rental company will be a claim back policy. This means you still have to initially pay out for any damage and then go to your insurance to claim it back which can take months, so make sure you still have the funds available to pay the total excess.

[edwardbyard]

One thing to check with Goldcar is that they make a payment on your card for the deposit - not a block or hold, but an actual payment. The problem with this is that when they refund you, the exchange rate can move and you get back less than your deposit. Also you may get charged a transaction fee which also moves with the exchange rate.

I am just about to do a chargeback on my card for a "scratch" on a car I hired. They have not sent me any documents or proof of the damage.

[Robert]

I rented a car from a major US car rental firm. Nowhere on their website did they tell me about a $300 deposit until I arrived to leave on my trip. Thankfully I got it back afterwards but when they asked me if I was happy with the service I let them know what I thought.

[mishalchotai]

I worked in the rental industry for 12 years plus. This gives us such a bad reputation. Most of us are just here to help in a difficult and stressful industry. I disagree with this practice 100%, it's awful and not moral.

I personally buy the insurance at the desk, as you still have to pay the full excesses before claiming if you have that third party policy. I add that to the cost of the hire. It's simple and easy...

I want add... actually watching this video again... the agents only lied once ... it's the lady that said you have unlimited amount of excess on our car for the damage you cause. Everything else was technically correct like the third party insurance was nothing to do with them and they don't accept it... of course it's not their policy. That's like you going to Direct line with Elephant policy and saying can I make a claim, errr no.

Deposit also varies depending on car groups and rental companies. Best to check their terms and conditions before travelling. The €1100 is standard excess for the cars, they do have a right to take that of they wish. It's your liability on the car.

Road side was not explained, any car that has mechanical problems within 1 year is covered by the manufacturer, if the car is older then a policy normally covers it as a rental. I maybe slightly wrong I worked the UK.

I don't agree in ripping people off, that's not fair or legal. I have to defend it as you get what you pay for. Pay at the desk for full cover, have an accident just give the keys back pay nothing.. I prefer that.

Third party policy you pay first, then fill in forms to get your money back, they also don't always pay the administrative costs from the rental company.

My advice, budget for the additional, have a peaceful holiday. Might take an up sell my self. Cheaper than booking before 😉

[uhclem]

I rarely rent cars, but whenever I do, I always buy their full coverage insurance because every rental car I've ever rented, I totalled.

[RyanDWilson]

He’s wrong, I work for a car rental company and he’s still liable to pay them the €1100 if he damages the vehicle he just has to claim it back from his own excess protection company

[bungabening]

If you're hiring a car, check out excess insurance, available online from a number of companies. You can buy a policy for a day or two, or even annually and it will cover most or all of the charges that companies like Goldcar try and hit you for when you return the car. Eg the first £1300 of any damage caused to the rental car, damage to the wheels, roof, loss of keys etc.
You will have to pay the hire car company any excess charges and then claim the money back from the excess insurance company but it could save you a fortune. An annual policy costs about the same as two or three days full insurance cover at the car hire office.

[adeferranti]

I've tried most of them in Italy and Spain, in Italy l use Hertz and in Malaga l use Cargest

[terrysandratravelvlogs]

Had a similar bad experience with Goldcar...NEVER AGAIN!!!

[Robert]

You should turn the tables on them. Tell them if their car breaks down, you will be charging them $50/hour until they bring another car to your location.

[madhatchetman]

It's not clear on your video whether the 1100 euro compulsary block (only if you have your own excess insurance) is legal or not. I have an extra credit card for that exact purpose so I don't max my usual credit card. I've always had to pay it at Record Go. To be fair, Record go in spain don't usually pressure me for the excess except to advise me that they will need to block my credit card for the 1100

[Millymollymandy]

So....does This means I can rent a car with the standard rate, purchase the petrol, return the petrol and take out my own private policy and be able to drive a Gold car vehicle with no hassle? Thanks in advance 🙏

[adama]

How is showing your own insurance relevant? Your own insurance only covers your own car? It applies to the car not the driver.

[rab]

Watch out for Delpaso car hire at Malaga airport.

[calenduleczka]

I confirm similar tactics have been used when I rented a car from InterRent GC (which turned out to be Goldcar) at the Cagliari airport in Sardinia. When we arrived, we have been told that our excess insurance which we had previously bought online is not an 'autocasco', that it is just a 'promise' and that we should buy their Super Relax Cover. They also told us that majority of roads in Sardinia are off roads and that if we drive on them, our excess insurance will not be valid and the only way to prevent and be covered when using off roads is to buy their own cover...
Not to mention the fact that we waited 2 hours in the queue, that our car was not ready even after that and that we have been offered a car from another group, supposedly a 'better' one which in fact was a smaller one and we didn't have enough space for our luggage. There is no way of finding this car's class as the fleet description on the Goldcar website is not exhaustive and it lists just 2-3 car makes and says 'or similar'.

[leewilkinson]

So wrong, I live in Spain .. all car insurance policies include the service of a "Grua" ( tow truck ) the car you rent will already have insurance as it's a legal requirement like anywhere else

[stevemichael]

Interesting. Can’t say I am surprised really. Let’s hope this video leads to at least one firm making some positive changes.