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Hi All,
Wasn’t really clear on my rights when I arrived to collect my car today at LGW and therefore didn’t feel like I negotiated properly, would appreciate some opinions.
Booked an economy car for 2 weeks – when I arrived was told that no economy cars were available. I asked directly if I could have the economy car and I was told to look around – only cars present were a fiat 500 and then a load of premium cars in their car park.
Was shown some cars with high upgrade prices, quoted £50 a day extra. I said I wasn’t really interested in a fancy car, hence why I booked the economy car. Didn’t really want the fiat500 – I needed to carry passengers and didn’t want a squeeze. In the end I agreed to a £10 a day “upgrade” to an electric car that is, to be fair, quite fun to drive and not bad value.
But I want to know for future, if I book an economy car and they do not have one, whether they should be offering me a free upgrade to the next available car? Or is it correct that I can have a downgrade for no extra charge or pay a modest fee for an upgrade? Have I finally been fleeced?!
I expect most would think it fair to be upgraded without charge, however when the rental car business is refusing to do so – you are between a rock and a hard place.
In terms of rights, which company was it, and what do their T&C’s say? I expect you could have walked away without penalty, but unsure if they have any obligation to upgrade or provide a vehicle in reality.
If you’ve got a decent level of upgrade at £10/day then sounds more like a win than being fleeced – not something I’d be feeling bad about anyway – don’t sweat the small stuff.
Not sure exactly how an economy car is described on the relevant website as they vary so much, but presumably it’s small/cheap. If you’ve then arrived and turned down a small/cheap car (the Fiat) at original price then they probably don’t have much obligation to offer you anything else at that price (and even more likely to work that way in reality) so the outcome you got seems reasonable.
If the office claimed to have this issue more than once though, that’s getting suspect and they’d go on my hit list not to be used again (Sixt in Alicante joined mine this year for exactly this reason 😀!)
when I arrived was told that no economy cars were available. I asked directly if I could have the economy car and I was told to look around – only cars present were a fiat 500
I don’t quite understand this bit of the story. Is the fiat 500 considered an economy car by this rental agency? If so, why would they say none were available when there were some available? If none were available, why would you “ask directly if you could have” something that isn’t available?
Thanks for the posts – I am quite happy with the car, just felt I was negotiating from a position of weakness as I didn’t really know what I was obligated to get.
I also like turning up and turning down all the extra coverages because of my excess insurance, so not used to paying more at the desk.
The Fiat500 is a mini or small car, I booked economy which is more Vauxhall Corsa or equivalent – did need the 5 doors.
The Fiat 500 is not an economy, it’s a mini. So that would be a downgrade.
When I have been in these situations they have always given me a larger vehicle for the price I had booked. Never had them trying to upsell me. Sat behind my keyboard I would say I’d be telling them this is their problem and they need to give me the next best car they have and I’ll not be paying anymore. Appreciate that being at the desk after a flight, possibly with fellow passengers in tow and a car rental agent not offering, that it’s easier said than done.
I do think a complaint is worthwhile, seems unreasonable for you to have to pay out more when they can’t fulfill their end of the bargain. Which rental agency? Worth a name&shame IMHO.
I agree with SteveJ.
I have often had free upgrades when renting with Avis. Once, I rented a car from Hertz at MCO, and my flight was two hours late. It was a pre paid rental, and Hertz gave away my small SUV because I was late. They tried to sell me an upgrade, which I refused to pay for. They had my flights details on my account, so they would have known about the delay when they gave my car to someone else. After an argument, they gave me a more expensive vehicle for no extra charge. I wouldn’t describe it as an upgrade, as it was a Dodge Caravan, not an SUV, too big for what I really wanted, and a gas guzzler. Nonetheless, it was an appropriate resolution.
In the UK, I would have insisted on a car from the class I booked or better. You entered into a contract. The supplier was in breach, and had a duty to put things right. If you paid with a credit card and it was more than £100, you could have said you would go to a rival company and claim the additional costs under S75.
What was the rental agency? And did you book direct, or through a third party?
Thanks for the replies. I booked directly, and the agency is Europcar
I always avoid Europcar and their other brands.
I had this with Europcar at Rome FCO last year: your flight was late (guess who?) and we gave your car to someone else. After a bit of a chat, and mention of Executive Privilege, we were conceded a larger car for the same money.
Perhaps the mood has changed with the modified loyalty benefits, axeing the annual free fourth rental. Six weeks ago, again in Rome FCO, I ended up paying twice the price of the original reservation, a Peugeot 30 something, for a VW Golf diesel. That sort of one-level upgrade used to be free. It felt a bit of a rip-off.
A bit, it depends who you get, and where you are. My local Europcar have been generous with chunky vehicles that might otherwise not sell at a weekend. I’ve also found that same airport hire desk will stick around in the small hours, if they know you are delayed, after checking that you are no a no-show. That’s value, even at £30.
Finally, that scheme where you return a car to an airport for one euro/£ isn’t on at the moment, because they don’t need it. Hires are flying off the shelf.
I rented from Hertz in Inverness a couple of years back, I think via AMEX and/or using the Plat CDP. Had pre-paid for a class D car, got to the desk, was handed keys, signed paperwork and left. Car felt a bit smaller than I was expecting, but only two of us so no problem. Only later studying the paperwork did I see I had been rented a class C, which had been a fair bit cheaper. Desk was closed when I dropped the car back off, so I complained by e-mail. They pretty much told me to f-off, so I referred the matter to AMEX who came up with a far more amicable solution which I assume cost Hertz a lot more than had they just said “here’s an upgrade voucher for your next rental”.
And re hires flying off the shelf, I’m seeing some definite weakness this year. Have a Focus-size car from Hertz booked at LHR for 24hrs for £22 in July. (Just checked and that deal is no longer available, with a rather more punchy price being shown…)
Had a similar situation with Enterprise in Madrid. Rented an electric car, arrived and they had none (it was sent to T1 instead of sitting in T4 and they were just about to close).
Told them it was not my problem, they then tried to give me the same story “I have other cars, it is a £10 per day upgrade”. I just replied I was happy to hear other cars were available and I will pick any of those, at no extra cost.
They tried to say no and when I then said I am Enterprise Privilege (which simply means you signed up to their loyalty program, I never rent with them) they immediately agreed to give me a car.
In the case of the OP, a 500 is a downgrade to a mini car, any other option would be an upgrade. You could have accepted the 500 with a partial refund or insisted you will take a larger car (because you need space) at no cost.
I use my local enterprise a lot and this situation arises a lot too. Usually the customer service is poor and they either try to downgrade (hoping you won’t notice) or try and charge extra for a better car. Both when I have taken the downgrade and when I’ve paid for the upgrade I have subsequently sent an email complaint and I’ve always been reimbursed, either the partial refund for the downgrade or the amount I paid to upgrade. That’s usually the route I take now to avoid the pointless debate when I’m there.
Thanks for all the posts and advice.
Just an update for anyone interested – I complained to Europcar directly and asked for a part refund for the upgrade cost and they essentially told me to get lost. I then explained I was going to the BVLRA, at which point things changed quite quickly.
I received an automated email from Europcar refunding me for the upgrade in full. The BVLRA emailed me telling me Europcar wanted to apologise for not following their policy of a free upgrade if the car booked is not available.
Good one.
Btw this is one of several reasons why I never, ever rent a Group A car.
The Fiat 500’s awfuller versions are in Group A. One or two variants can be as high as C or so in some countries so beware. Nice to drive but for luggage or even shopping it’s hopeless.
Today I arrived at an Alamo desk to be offered a massive Jeep instead of the Class C Intermediate Saloon that I’d booked. Only other option was a Mitsubshi sub compact, group A. What a POS.
Boot is only just and I mean just big enough for my suitcase, no parcel shelf. The car is so small that my rucksack just fits in the front footwell but of course is on display. Tank is the size of a thimble, only 8 gallon, which will mean 6 stops to fill rather than 3. And the jack is under the drivers seat because there’s no space under the boot floor.
There’s no point complaining as I could have just taken the Jeep (uggh) and the price difference between A and C was a total of $21 for the 6 days, so it’s not worth the effort.
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