Car hire firms found charging Brits DOUBLE for simple repairs – with one customer billed £1,000 for windscreen repair
A Which? investigation revealed rental companies across Europe charge double the going rate for repairs on hire cars
CAR hire firms have been caught overcharging Brits by up to £1,000 for repairs on European rentals.
Major companies like Europcar, Avis, Budget, Hertz and Goldcar were all found quoting more than regular garages for fixes by the Which? investigation.
Customers across Europe provided photographic evidence of damage and in eight out of 12 cases Which?'s approved garages quoted less for the repairs.
In four of these, the rental firm charged over double the average cost suggested by trusted mechanics.
Of the 36 quotes received from the Which? Trusted Trader garages, only eight were equal to or higher than the rental firm’s charge.
In one case, Europcar billed a customer renting a car in France £1,154 for a small windscreen chip that could have been fixed for as little as £35.
Another driver was charged £854 for a minor door dent and bumper scratch after hiring a car from Green Motion at Stansted Airport.
But one of the experts Which? spoke to, said the damage could have been fixed for £186.
Brits reported to a Which? survey that they felt they'd been hit with excessive charges for damage they didn't know about.
And some said they suspected car hire firms may have been charging multiple customers for the same minor damage to a vehicle.
What the car hire firms said
Avis/Budget
“Transparency of pricing, including for damage repair, is of the utmost importance to us.
"Whenever our customers are charged for a repair, that charge reflects a real cost to us. In terms of carrying out the repair, if there is a safety issue we will repair the damage immediately, for other types of damage, in order to maintain the highest level of vehicle availability for our customers, we may elect to conduct any repairs following a subsequent rental or at the end of its life as part of the remarketing process.
"When the car is not returned to the manufacturer and we sell it on the open market, we may choose instead to absorb a reduction in the sales price."
Hertz/Thrifty
"Please note that when a vehicle is damaged beyond what is considered to be 'fair wear and tear,' we aim to deal with the damage cost recovery in a quick and practical way, by applying specific set repair costs provided to us through a third party with expertise in this area.
"These costs are determined using local market benchmarks to ensure we charge customers a fair amount. This process is commonly used in the car rental industry.
"In some instances we might choose to delay small or minor repairs, provided they will not impact the safety of our customers, which is our number one priority.
"In specific cases, we might also choose not to repair a damaged vehicle before selling it, in which case the resale value of the vehicle will fall in line with the damage caused.
"Consequently, Hertz does still have the right to bill the customer for the estimated repair costs. This measure is accepted throughout the industry as a reasonable estimation of the loss incurred to the vehicle’s value as a result of the damage caused during the rental.
"We have strict procedures in place to ensure that customers are not unduly billed for damage. One of the key components of this process is the Pre-Rental Inspection form (PRI).
"The PRI contains a record of all pre-existing damage from previous rentals. Before a rental can proceed, customers must visually inspect the vehicle and agree with what the PRI states. Once they agree, they are required to sign the PRI, and then their rental can begin.
"As per our rental terms, customers are responsible to Hertz for any additional damage on the vehicle found on return."
Europcar
"Following the commencement of an investigation, last June 23 2017, by UK Trading Standards into repair costs levied by Europcar UK, the company is undertaking a thorough investigation and Europcar UK is fully cooperating with the authorities.
"Given the ongoing investigation Europcar cannot provide any more substantive comment at this stage."
Many major car hire firms admitted they often do not carry out repairs, even when customers pay for them.
Instead, they said they may delay repairs until a later date, allowing them to fix several problems at once, or simply leave the damage - taking a hit on the vehicle’s resale value.
How to tackle a damage claim
The first stage of contesting a damage claim made by a rental company is querying it with the firm.
This has to be done within 14 days. If there's no satisfactory outcome, then you can move your case up to the (ECRCS).
The ECRCS helps customers with unresolved complaints concerning cross border vehicle rentals within Europe. Companies signed up include Avis, Hertz, Europcar and Enterprise.
The service is free and disputes are normally resolved in 30 days. Decisions are based on supporting documentation from each side and the companies signed up are bound by the ruling.
Customers unhappy with the outcome are still free to pursue legal remedy through the courts even after using the ECRCS.
The bill a customer receives may be purely theoretical based on an estimate created by a "damage matrix".
Industry insiders have told Which? a drastic drop in profits have led some companies to look for new ways to make money.
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Tactics include upselling overpriced insurance, excessive repair bills and topping up takings with an additional admin fee when repairs are needed - as much as £129 in these case studies.
Rory Boland, Which? Travel editor, said: "It's outrageous that car hire customers are being made to pay extortionate amounts for repairs that never take place. If repairs are required, customers should be sent clear evidence of how costs were calculated."
"Car hire firms now need to clean up their act and be upfront about the real cost of renting a car instead of offering too-good-to-be-true prices, then clawing back profits via ridiculous repair bills."