Car hire Alicante Airport - Page 3

RichT wrote on Wed Aug 11, 2021 4:12pm:

I agree that paying for their insurance is a way of preventing hassle - however, the cost will then be equivalent to the more expensive and reputable car hire companies, who are at least honest and transparent with their pricing - instead of offering a very low entry price and then trying to earn...

Read more...

... a more realistic income with high pressure selling and underhand and, in some cases, blatantly fraudulent tactics.

However, the point of seeking advice from a forum such as this is to 'crowd source' a range of opinions from people with first-hand experience or other input on the topic. This is the only option for many people to know at least a more widely held version of 'the full facts'.

I am very confident in not recommending Goldcar based on:

two examples of personal experience;the fact that they received the lowest score in a Which? magazine survey of car hire companies;the fact that they have been subject to an ongoing investigation jointly by The Daily Telegraph and Which? magazine; their poor customer service was also reported widely in the Guardian and The Sunthe fact that they have been the car hire company with the most customer complaints (as per an independent study) for most of the last 7 years;they and their sister company Interrent have now closed all but one of their locations in the UK due to falling sales driven by their poor reputation with customers.Obviously, Goldcar must satisfy some customers and it would appear that Sean95 has been one of those. However, it's down to the OP to make a balanced judgement given the range of views & experiences expressed.

Austinwrk wrote on Mon Aug 9, 2021 12:02am:

Definitely stay well clear of cheap cheap car hire companies.. a quick

K search on Facebook will highlight gobbled up deposits on hidden scratches n "dirt"    Centauro   quite good.. if you register but don't purchase  sometimes you get an email offering 20% off if you use  code within email..   there is a direct bus service t...

Read more...

...o Lo Pagan , ground floor of airport,   bus stop 21 Cartagena   takes bout 2 hours   , stops in Lo Pagan   07:10, 12:10, 17:10   are times I think

Mrsubby wrote on Wed Aug 11, 2021 11:48am:

Sorry but dont see it as bad mouthing, just my honest opinion based on not only my experience but friends and family too along with many forum posts.

I agree with you to a certain point on getting their own insurance for potentially hassle free, but its the rental companies who offer options to have or not to have their own insurance, they then should not fabricate damage or fuel not full when taken back, ie take your photos, that goes for all...

Read more...

... of them.

I have used Goldcar on a few occasions along with family and friends and had problems 99% of the time, only producing photos to counteract their claims have they backed down.

Seems like they try it on especially with new clients! probably like others 

Ive also used Firefly with only one issue, Centauro with no issues, so i have got to follow my own experience as i with others hire cars around six times year.

I have always had my own insurance policy and have saved a fortune on not obtaining full insurance with the hire company, so has my wife, as we often hire two cars.

If they wish to hire me a car in winter months for ten Euros that's their problem not mine but don't try to gain ill gained extras after

I suppose its like a lot of things you need to read and know the small print.

Bit like Ryanair, i have never had an issue with them as i know the rules ie boarding passes sitting people apart etc.

At the end of the day they are there to make money but don't do it underhanded, that's when the bad names start coming.

When you say don't base information on a forum? is that not what this brilliant forum is all about, hopefully honest, factual information? to help each other

Its all on the individual to make a decision.

Seamus T wrote on Thu Dec 23, 2021 11:57am:

I agree with most comments. I have used Goldcar for years and found then great. However my last hire in October was a disaster. First of all the  very nasty lady in the Goldcar desk said I was late and my car was gone!! She offered me an upgrade at 280, I had already paid 600 which was now l...

Read more...

...ost. ....bevause I was 5 bours and 45 mins late due to a Ryanair reschedule which they do allow 6 hours grace for.To make a total nightmare she asked me to examine the car and email and damages to them. I did this even though I was collecting the car in a dark parking lot....but they say the never received my email !!! and charged me 110 for pre existing scratches.

This is my final experience with Goldcar as they are neither business like or ethical. They are part of a recent scam where they get decent people to pay for damages that were caused by someone else. No other word for this other than a deliberate scam. Shame on you Goldcar, you should think seriously about your customer services....the Covid disaster has given you an opportunity to join the criminal brigade. Shame!

rma44 wrote on Sun Dec 26, 2021 1:05pm:

Nothing new with any of the above complaints with Goldcar and their associated companies. There are some excellent hirers out there but they do come up more expensive. However, the figures quoted are usually what you pay. The others seem to adopt the Ryanair principle of pricing! I've tried so ma...

Read more...

...ny over the years and cannot recommend Wiber enough.

It does surprise me that the saga goes on with Goldcar, why don't forum members take heed of all the bad reports? In general, customer service is unheard of in Spain and the legal complaint process works for the company not the consumer in my experience.

Seamus T wrote on Fri Dec 24, 2021 12:06pm:

Obviously car hire in Spain has become a bit of a minefield especially with this latest scam of catching people for pre existing damages, clearly this is illegal as they would have recorded this damage on the previous hire and would also have been paid for it.

Is there no such thing as a “controller” or Ombitsman that can stop this unfair charade.?...

Read more...

...

On the issue of insurance I always take an annual policy for “excess” with AIG.

In Ireland they only charge 49.99 and this covers up to six drivers and covers any damages that you may have to pay to the car hire company. It also removes the need to buy their excessive “ extra” insurance, so while the block a figure on your credit card should the retain any part of that just get the paper trail from them and AIG will reimburse you very quickly.

It is a very cheap method of levelling the playing pitch with these cowboys!!

seamus

RichT wrote on Wed Jan 5, 2022 11:14am:

The ‘complaints / legal / Ombudsman’ issue is complicated, as commonly bookings are made through broker sites (e.g. Holiday Extras, Do You Spain, etc.) and many of these then lead back to a large broker / enabler called CarTrawler, which is based in Ireland.
This means that, for example, ...

Read more...

...you hire a car to be used in Spain, but through a broker who is based in the UK or Ireland, so who has jurisdiction?

There is an EU-wide complaints service for any transaction made online, but in my experience it’s absolutely useless and just supports the company, no matter what the consumer says, or what evidence they provide.

The most effective solution is to always pay on a credit card and then claim any overcharges, etc via the credit card provider under section 75. In my experience, the banks act more fairly to the consumer and I have always achieved resolution through this route.

Hope this helps…