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“Del Paso Car Hire charge expensive dubious extras.”

written by sjwnoble on 09/08/2015

I would like to highlight an unpleasant experience I have had with Del Paso Car Hire their appalling customer service and their ability to extort additional money from customers.

Using the voucher (74518438) you issued to me by Atlas Choice, I arrived at the Del Paso Car Hire in Malaga on the evening of 27 July 2015.

Having presented my voucher I was surprised to learn that I had to either pay an additional insurance of approximately €165 or leave have a deposit of €1000 taken from my credit card. I was expecting neither of these options.

I was also informed that having asked for a Kia Carnival or similar that there was not one available and that I would be given a 9 seater mini bus instead. I would suggest that whilst this may have met my needs it is not similar having 9 seats and was impractical for the type of use we required for transport on our holiday.

It being late at night with my family waiting and tired and wanting to get out of Malaga to our accommodation, I had to accept the 9 seat mini bus and paid the €1000 deposit. I then spent the next three days trying to contact Del Paso to arrange the exchange of the mini bus for a 7 Seater family car. Eventually I got an email (Fri 31/07/2015 16:21) telling me that I could swap the vehicles.

This I did on the morning of 1 Aug 2015 by driving back to Malaga from Nerja and collecting a Peugeot 807 which had 7 seats; so could be classed as similar to the Kia I was originally expecting. Upon collection I had a look around the car and took photographs of the minor damage that was already recorded on documentation.

On returning the Peugeot 807 on the evening of 7 Aug 2015 the assistant at Del Paso walked out of the office to the vehicle and immediately went straight under the passenger door and told me I had damaged the car. Not even a cursory look round and certainly not repeated on the driver’s side of the car, just straight under the passenger door. Infer what you like from this.

This damage was only visible by getting down on the ground and looking under the car and yet the assistant was able to go straight to it having walked out of the office.

I am quite clear in my mind that this damage was not incurred whilst the vehicle was on hire to me. The three other adults in our party would be able to confirm this as fact.

The assistant then told me that he would only be returning €200 and holding back €800 to cover the repair to the car. As I had a flight to catch and was on my own having dropped my party at departures I felt I was backed into a corner and had no other option but to accept the €200 and catch my flight. But why hold back €800, not €700 or €1000?

Before leaving I asked him when it would be repaired and initially he told me in the week 10 Aug 15 but later became very vague. He was not able to tell me where the car would be repaired. I told him that as it was my money I would expect to see quotes for the repair and pictures of this car, Licence Plate a Peugeot 807 6643GFR in the body shop having the repair completed. I also asked for and was given the last 5 in inspection forms for this vehicle. As they were faded illegible and with no dates or signature they were of no use at all in trying to establish the damage to the vehicle.

At both ends of this car hire experienced I felt undue pressure and was put in a very difficult position. Initially not having the car released to me until I paid more money and secondly the time pressure of my return flight giving me no room for negotiation.

They have taken additional money at both ends of this car hire. I will be sticking to mainstream companies from now on as it seems to make up the difference in price they hold you to ransom!