Europcar Scamming Customers in France?
Complaint
TedEbear
Country: United States
I posted this as a reply to a Europcar complaint by someone else but I think it should have its own section so here it is.
I rented through Europcar in 08/2011 while in France. I used my credit card over the Internet many months before then to reserve it and I listed my wife as the driver. The car was for her use while I was off doing a multiple day bicycle ride across France.
All was well until I returned to our Paris area hotel several days after my wife dropped off the car and I noticed a 31 euro charge on the invoice for an additional driver. We were still in France so we went to the Europcar rental office where my wife returned the car and I explained to the agent that I had not even seen the car, much less driven it, and that my wife had been the only driver. The agent assured me that it would be taken care of and that I would receive credit.
After returning back home to the USA I waited two weeks and emailed Europcar, asking where my credit was. They rescinded the agent's promise for the credit and said that since the car had been rented using my credit card and driven by someone else it constituted an additional driver. I have filed a dispute with my credit card company and am letting them handle it from here.
Also, two days after my wife returned the car another Europcar charge of 25 euros appeared on my credit card statement for an unexplained reason. I emailed Europcar and they said it was an administrative fee for a traffic violation during the rental period. They said the local authorities would be mailing us the actual citation that we would still have to pay.
My wife says she is not aware of any violation that she committed and that she says she certainly was not stopped for anything. We have not received anything from the French authorities and it has been almost 4 weeks since returning the rental car. I will wait until a month has passed and then file a dispute with my credit card company over this new charge.
I find it highly unusual that the French officials supposedly notified Europcar so quickly and they in turn charged my credit card within 2 days of returning the car but yet I have not received any citation in the mail after nearly 4 weeks. If Europcar thinks they can do whatever they please and get away with it once a customer has returned home thousands of miles away they are mistaken. It's not so much the money, it's the principle of the matter here.
I will be renting from Avis on our next trip to France. Their counter is close to the Europcar counter at the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris. While I was standing in line as the Europcar agent fumbled around with the ONE person ahead of me for over 20 minutes I watched Avis process 3 customers through and out the door.
I rented through Europcar in 08/2011 while in France. I used my credit card over the Internet many months before then to reserve it and I listed my wife as the driver. The car was for her use while I was off doing a multiple day bicycle ride across France.
All was well until I returned to our Paris area hotel several days after my wife dropped off the car and I noticed a 31 euro charge on the invoice for an additional driver. We were still in France so we went to the Europcar rental office where my wife returned the car and I explained to the agent that I had not even seen the car, much less driven it, and that my wife had been the only driver. The agent assured me that it would be taken care of and that I would receive credit.
After returning back home to the USA I waited two weeks and emailed Europcar, asking where my credit was. They rescinded the agent's promise for the credit and said that since the car had been rented using my credit card and driven by someone else it constituted an additional driver. I have filed a dispute with my credit card company and am letting them handle it from here.
Also, two days after my wife returned the car another Europcar charge of 25 euros appeared on my credit card statement for an unexplained reason. I emailed Europcar and they said it was an administrative fee for a traffic violation during the rental period. They said the local authorities would be mailing us the actual citation that we would still have to pay.
My wife says she is not aware of any violation that she committed and that she says she certainly was not stopped for anything. We have not received anything from the French authorities and it has been almost 4 weeks since returning the rental car. I will wait until a month has passed and then file a dispute with my credit card company over this new charge.
I find it highly unusual that the French officials supposedly notified Europcar so quickly and they in turn charged my credit card within 2 days of returning the car but yet I have not received any citation in the mail after nearly 4 weeks. If Europcar thinks they can do whatever they please and get away with it once a customer has returned home thousands of miles away they are mistaken. It's not so much the money, it's the principle of the matter here.
I will be renting from Avis on our next trip to France. Their counter is close to the Europcar counter at the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris. While I was standing in line as the Europcar agent fumbled around with the ONE person ahead of me for over 20 minutes I watched Avis process 3 customers through and out the door.
Comments
I contacted my credit card company earlier today and initiated a dispute over the charge. I have up to 90 days after I've been billed for something to dispute it. Since the amount was fairly low they gave me an immediate conditional credit and said that they would fight Europcar in my behalf and that no further action would be needed by me.
Also, a few weeks ago my credit card company notified me that the additional driver charge was settled in my favor. I don't know if Europcar didn't respond to their request for additional information or what.
The bottom line is if you feel that you've been overcharged by Europcar stand up to them and challenge it. Keep records of any attempts you've made to settle the dispute directly with them and then if you still cannot get it resolved in a timely matter contact your credit card company and see if they will help you. I will never do business with Europcar again.
We rented the car in June and returned it in clean condition at the end of our 2 week trip. We were then sent a letter informing us that our credit card would be charged over 600 euros for the repair costs. When we then queried it with Europcar (we called the UK office initially) they said that records reported a large crack in the windscreen - we would have noticed this!
We took it up with the credit card company and they were great, requesting proof from Europcar. Europcar didn't provide any proof within the required time (per visa regs) and the money was credited back to our account from the credit card company.
We thought it was over, but before Christmas Europcar started sending letters to us directly again trying to get the money and threatening legal procedings for the non-payment of our 'debt'. Don't know what to do.
Don't rent with Europcar
My experience is similar. Hired a car in France from europcar feb 2011. Drove to ski resort,put in official car park,didnt touch it for 1 week then drove back to airport. Because a friend of mine some 4 weeks earlier had received a false 'claim for damages' from Europcar when I dropped my car off I took photos of it and got the receptionist to look around it and sign that car was ok. 1 week later they claimed E1200 for damages but gave no evidence,didnt sign letter,dated it 5 days after dropping it off etc. But because they had taken imprint of my credit card,as they all do,they managed to get the money from the card before I could stop them...but luckily Tescos managed to recover the money from europcars bank quite easily. Then europcar must have realised there was now in effect an unpaid claim..they sent me letters but when I continued not to pay they got a debt collectors agency in who are threatening me very strongly to be subpoena to court/pay interest etc. Noone from europcar has acknowledged my letters to them. They have 'blacklisted me from ever hiring a car again. But I am worried I will now have a poor credit rating. At this time I am just waiting for communication from them as to whether they will let it drop...I suspect it will go on for few months yet. I dont need this stress. They are acting callously. I will go to court if I have to,as a matter of principle. Does any one know what my rights are-do I have to prove innocence,or europcar prove guilty? Does the fact it is a French office making claim have any effect..can they insist on me going to court?
NEVER EVER USE EUROPCAR
Should I contact my credit card company?
Any other suggestions?
Adam
But in any cases you should contact you bank and do anything you can.
Here are the contacts I have if anyone is interested:
feedback@europcar-feedback.com
webmaster@europcar.com (Ludivine PIVARD)
espace.relationclient@europcar.com
customerservicesuk@europcar.com
We returned to the USA and 3 weeks later Europcar tries to run a 25 euro ($37US) charge on my credit card, which was brought to my attention as a security issue so I had them cancel it and tried contacting Europcar for more info (to no avail).
JUST YESTERDAY we received 4 separate envelopes each with a separate "facture" for 25 euro Each?!!? Spoke to a CSR at AutoEurope who we booked Europcar through and they explained it was likely camera caught traffic violations. WE WERE NEVER PULLED OVER FOR ANYTHING. The only ticket we did receive and paid immediately was some BS parking violation for about 2 minutes over the time.
Those suckers sit and wait for that thing so they can write you up ASAP.
SCAMMED IN STRASBOURG was all I could feel.
SO now I've had to cancel my CC so there aren't anymore UNAUTHORIZED attempts to charge my card and now I am WAITING FOR THESE SUPPOSED TICKETS FROM FRANCE TO SHOW UP.
It's ALL BULL SH**
extra charges for every-thing.
In all Europcar rental contracts it says that there will be a 25 euro service charge if they are asked by the police to supply to them your name and details in the case of a traffic violation.
In France there are many traffic cameras dealing with speeding, red lights, driving in lanes reserved for buses and taxis and numerous other traffic violations. Although you might not have been stopped by a cop and questioned the violation is photographed with a date, time and place stamp. You might not have been aware that you committed this violation due to not totally understanding the traffic laws in a foreign country but I can assure you they don't make many mistakes with the cameras but I can understand you were unaware of making the violation when you did it but it is not a scam- we all get this and you are not being singled out.
She believed Europcar 45€ was the actual police fine and is quite upset with Europcar.
When we arrived in Dundee, we explained that all our luggage, documents and money, were locked in the car but they were very indifferent to our plight, saying that it was negligence on our part. Finally, it was decided that they would send for another key but according to them it would take 3 to 5 days with no guarantee of delivery, despite the fact that it says in the contract that a key would be delivered within 24 to 48 hours of notification.
We either contacted or went into the site every day to see if the key had arrived and always got a negative answer. On Saturday the 17th of May, there was still no key in Dundee and their office was closing at 1 p.m. We then came to the conclusion that we would have to cancel our return flight to Toronto, booked for the 19th of May and also cancel the hotel booking, which we did. On Monday the 19th of May, we were told the key had arrived, (too late for our flights) but we did get our luggage. etc.The end result was they charged my Visa for the extra days, despite the fact that I had no use of the car and then charged me for a new key!!. My Visa company would not help me, as they said it had already been taken out.I have written them saying I wanted to be reimbursed for the extra fares, we had to pay but Europcar didn't even reply.