Better protection for holiday motor deals needed says Citizens Advice
30th November 2005
Many holidaymakers are being let down by car hire companies when they travel in Europe a report from the European Consumer Centre network reveals today.
Citizens Advice - the problem solving charity - runs the UK Office of the European Consumer Centre (UK-ECC), part of a European network of consumer help centres, which help people resolve problems related to goods and services bought cross-border.
The report says that unfair terms within car hire contracts are common. In some cases people are quoted a price over the internet only to find that this changes on arrival or when they check their credit card statement. Sometimes additional charges are made unfairly, for example when cars are returned with empty fuel tanks and charged above market rate for replacement petrol. In other cases people are charged for repairs for disputed damage claims and often do not get their deposits returned.
The findings highlight the growing level of dissatisfaction amongst people hiring cars cross-border and the difficulties they experience when trying to put things right. Legal action is often the only option for people to seek redress, but this can be complex, time consuming and expensive especially cross-border.
The ECC network is calling for improvements to make consumer laws consistent across the EU. These would include:
- The development of fair, standard rental car contracts across Europe
- Encouraging designated bodies such as the OFT in the UK to take cross border legal action against traders
- An investigation into proposals to allow card payments to be revoked in particular circumstances
- The further development of Alternative Dispute Resolution bodies - for example an ombudsman to make formal complaints
Cases dealt with by the UK-ECC include:
A UK man who hired a car whilst in Spain. The car developed a fault shortly after leaving the car hire premises. He returned the car and was given a replacement. He had paid for excess insurance cover and was told that there would be an investigation into the fault and the additional insurance would cover any damage. On his return to the UK he discovered that £415.33 had been taken from his account.
In another case a woman from France booked a car over the internet. Subsequently her travel needs changed so she amended the car hire booking online and received an email confirming that the changes had been accepted. On the last day of her original period of car hire she received a call from the company saying that the car was late back and she would be charged a late fee.
UK European Consumer Centre Director Ruth Bamford said:
"These findings show that many people across Europe are being let down by car hire companies. For most people challenging the decisions by these companies by taking cross-border legal action is too expensive and complex to be a real option. We want to see more work done to improve consumer laws so they are simple and consistent across Europe and people know their rights and can enforce them.
"We also really want to make more people aware that they can come to us for advice when they are having problems with car hire contracts or other goods and services purchased in another European country. Consumers who used a UK credit card may have additional rights and importantly, we want to encourage people to check out our Top Tips so that they can find out ways to avoid problems by visiting our website before they buy or travel. Often when people have a problem they give up easily as they wrongly think that there is no way of seeking redress once they have left the country concerned. Here at the UK ECC we operate an email enquiry service where people can write to us for advice. It can be accessed through www.euroconsumer.org.uk or people can visit their local Citizens Advice Bureau."
The European Consumer Centre can also refer some consumer queries to an alternative dispute resolution body if they cannot be resolved after negotiating directly with the trader.
The ECC network has an office in most EU countries. In the UK, it is jointly funded by the DTI and the European Commission and can be contacted by emailing euroconsumer@citizensadvice.org.uk visiting www.euroconsumer.org.uk , by writing to UK ECC, PO Box 3308, Wolverhampton, WV10 9ZS or by visiting a local Citizens Advice Bureau.
To view the report please go to: http://www.euroconsumer.org.uk/index/publications/consumer_reports.htm
Last updated: February 22, 2007