Having been a loyal customer over a number of years every time I wanted to hire a car on holiday.

When we were needing car hire from Stuttgart Airport to take us down to the Black forest I contacted Rental Cars. Com for a quote.

They quoted a price I found acceptable and booked our hire car, this I found was through a supplier called Europcar.

When we arrived at their airport rental desk the lady spoke poor English and after between us completing our hire agreement, she drew on a map to direct us to find our car a long walk away across the airport dragging two large cases and two cabin cases.

I had requested a Sat Nav which I found still talking to me in German! I managed as it was built in to find a way to switch the language to English and we set off for our booked overnight stay in Stuttgart. After breakfast it was time to head off to our apartment in the black forest, and as we got onto the A8 and started to travel faster I noticed a smell of burning from the boot area but decided as it didn't get any stronger it may be the cat exhaust as I had not driven this make of car before.

Fast forward to 2 days later now in the Black Forest this smell appeared again so I decided best to ring and tell Europcar of my smell and concerns of was this car safe to drive. The supplied number rang and was answered by a recorded German message which I didn't understand and after repeating it I was disconnected! So I left it and continued driving on our holiday and the smell again vanished. The day before we were due to leave the smell returned in the evening as I parked up.

The following morning I went to the car to load the luggage in and couldn't open it, so this time I searched the internet for another number for Europcar. Rang it got answered and after finding some one who spoke English reported my problem and was told I needed to ring the other number as I was speaking to sales. When I explained he told me he would call them explain and get them to call me by someone that spoke English. They rang told me to remove a plastic handle insert so I could open the car with the key.

Luckily I tried to start the engine as it was the battery that was dead, so I was told a local garage would be sent. One hour later this non speaking german man arrived started the car with a machine and passed me a piece of paper saying follow me to garage to check car!

When we got to garage the owner appeared saying how you paying please? I told him to call this number which he did after asking us to both get out in the cold, and sitting in the car while he rang, he pushed a number before it disconnected him and he said will call back? After what seemed to be ages standing in the cold his phone rang he spoke in German he got out the car said ok and walked away. So we left and travelled back down the A8 to Stuttgart airport with this smell of burning still.

I took a safety risk assessment not to go into a garage to bring the hire car back to full as it was meant to be returned.

When we returned the car again I tried to tell the guy there was a fault and not to hire it out again before it had been checked but he didn't understand and just said ok go? I immediately rang Rentalcars.com to tell them of the problem and why i had not refilled the car and to contact Europcar urgently. I was requested to put all this in an email on my return which I did?

Fast forward to three weeks later I am given a one day rental refund and told over the phone and confirmed by email that there would be no further charges due and the matter was now closed by Europcar so there would be no need to change my credit card number Europcar had.

Three months later Europcar charged my credit card £83 which is for fuel and a penalty charge for returning the car not full as per their contract!

After again contacting Rentalcars.com and sending emails too and throw I have never been given that money by either Europcar or Rentalcars.com so needless to say I am no longer a customer and I wanted to share this to warn others as this is a story that couldn't be made up I promise you!

Thank You Soundguy:shock:

What about a section 75 supported by the email from rentalcars.com?

Your contract was with them, so most likely they took the money in the first place.

You did sign a hire contract at the airport with europcar, but you had already paid for the rental if I understand correctly.

No it was Europcar that I paid with my credit card in Stuttgart Airport, which is how they still had my credit card details to rob me 2 months later after posting out an invoice stating the balance on this hire is now zero? If only I spoke German? Sorry if I confused you John

In that case try to find a German friend to read what you signed and what it says in their invoice.

In that case try to find a German friend to read what you signed and what it says in their invoice.

..or use one of the online translators.

HB

To have an summary idea of what the documents say, the online translators help.

But many times words are translated literally and don't make sense.

I used the online translator last week to understand how to use a German made touch up kit (car paint) and the translation didn't make much sense.

I ended up asking a German friend to translate.

Could you ask your friend if they would be prepared to write an email in German translating what I write in English so I could send it to Europcar please.

Surely if they understood what I have been subjected to in my car hire they wouldn't keep my money? Just have a language barrier? John

No need to write in german. Send it to europcars Head office and let them sort it out. Plenty of people speak and write in english there.

We don't encourage contact off the forum, John.

Why don't you post up the letter and see if someone can translate it?

I would contact europcar UK ceo.

Surely he speaks English...

[email protected]