written by why1988 on 19/02/2024
Where to start? - 1h+ wait in a queue with one poor lady serving 30 customers at the airport. - 30min wait to pick up the car once at the carpark - NO one to explain features of the car or check the conditions. They gave us a number where to send pictures and stuff...we did bu no one even looked at them. - brought the car back....and 2 days later charged 33 euros for one km missing on petrol. Yes, drivalia wants like to like on petrol. They gave me the car on 180km (which became 169km after a few meters...and a flat battery on the electric/hybrid engine) and I gave it back on 179km....how the fxxx am I supposed to fill in on 180km on the dot (and sure as hell I am not giving u more money or petrol). Simply a sham. Avoid! Spend a few extra euros and go to another provider. Never again. You guys should be arrested...or shut down, which is what will happen anyway for the service you provide. I wish you all the worst.
written by RaquelStafford325 on 22/12/2023
WORST CAR HIRE EXPERIENCE EVER. My flight into Heathrow was cancelled so I had to change flight and rebook, arriving a day later than scheduled. I emailed Drivalia informing them of this, THEY REPLIED, saying information noted, thanks for letting us know. When I got to Drivalia, I was informed that as I was late, my car was no longer available, and the only option was to upgrade (for the cost of around £300) to an available car. I questioned how this was possible when they had my flight number, I had informed them about the change, AND they had replied! But no, customer service is apparently completely unrelated to their branch etc etc. Other customers seemed to be having the same issues, one man was just 1 hour 45mins late (due to the baggage release delays at the airport) and his car was gone too, he was traveling to a funeral- no empathy or understanding from Drivalia. I generally never leave reviews, but this experience was SO appalling, I have to, I will NEVER use this company again, & strongly advise others against it. Wish I could leave zero stars. Also their service was terrible, like mean estate agents who enjoyed trying to get as much money from people as possible. I've had no issues with Hertz etc, and they actually end up costing less, after everything Drivalia tries to get from you.
written by Jaira144 on 13/11/2023
I rented a car from their Belfast office in August. I had prepaid the coverall insurance they offer. After checking my bank account I found my account had been charged another £250 which I was told was a 'handling fee' and would be refunded. Car returned in good order but at the time I remember asking for some kind of paperwork but I was told it wasn't necessary. Tried to follow up with Drivalia - you ring their number and seemingly get put through to a random branch. After hours of following up I spoke to someone on their chat line who was rude, aggressive, arrogant and totally unsuitable to deal with customers - i have a copy of the transcript Drivalia if you want to follow up. I know you won't because you have said you would before and never have. Maybe you will be lucky but just pray nothing goes wrong - you will find it impossible to speak to anyone in a position to help or, worse, abused online. NEVER EVER AGAIN!
written by maireadhansen on 31/10/2023
Drivalia has been ignoring our emails now for 4 months. We experienced a blown tyre on our rental vehicle while travelling along the Autostrada A1 in Italy. Upon inspection by the mechanic, they advised the failed tyre was due to it being completely worn out. They also noted that the remaining three tyres were also completely worn out and required immediate replacement as they were infact illegal. We were advised by Drivalia's breakdown support operator that as the tyres were unsafe, but as it was a Saturday we needed to personally pay for the four replacement tyres and request reimbursement from you on Monday when the office reopened. We payed 1000 euros and four months later, have yet to be refunded and Drivalia is now ignoring all our emails. UNACCEPTABLE.
written by uiRoth75 on 31/10/2023
I rented a car from 29/07/23 to 02/08/23 in Drivalia. My Rental Agreement was 57755 HG 290723 Pickup was in a filthy parking lot close to Roma Termini train station. The car was dirty and only filled with 2/8 gas tank. The papers were filled but corrected this 2/8 by hand. The car broke the same day, some 300 km away. Fortunately it was just a loose battery connector. After I gave the car back with 3/8 gas tank, I received a fuel charge of 95,89 EUR !! I tried to contact the company and it was impossible. I filled the form in Drivalia web page, but received no answer after 3 months. There was not even a confirmation of my claim (quite suspicious, eh?). I found an email address (customer service) and complained again, but received also no confirmation and no answer. If this was not enough, I received an additional charge of 40 EUR a month later for a traffic fine they never showed! And another 20 EUR charge 2 months later, same reason. I would never rent a car with Drivalia, you get cheated.
written by Mikheil on 16/09/2023
worst experiance ever, i have booked the car at Malpenca airpot, credit card have been charged, but at desk operator told me that they are out of stock. even after one month my money is not returned back. i can not get even asnwer. staff is fully unpolite and i will newer use again Drivalia. as i guess i have to go to court to return MY Money back:)((
written by 286Morgan on 18/08/2023
we took the car in the Bari airport on July 31st after almost 2 hours waiting. Then, they made us put 2 drivers because the one in the online booking was different to the cardholder. Finally, they gave us a smaller car than the one booked, for the same price!!!!
written by Inishcrone on 28/07/2023
The staff in the Drivalia car hire kiosk in Verona, Italy are a total disgrace. On arrival their service was slow, poor & totally uninterested in getting a holiday off to a decent start, we waited over an hour for the slow staff to process our car. BUT the best is yet to come!! A few days later in Lake Guarda a storm smashed the windscreen of the car making it undrivable. It took almost 3 days to get through by phone to a person that would offer to help, the roadside assistance was non existent. Eventually, after getting through to the guy in Milan, who was helpful but could do nothing due to the Drivalia processes of dealing with complaints. Going back to Verona airport we had to get 2 buses at our cost from our hotel to the airport as Drivalia offered no assistance whatsoever. We agreed with the helpful Drivalia guy in Milan that we would leave the undrivable car in the hotel car park and it would be collected when the Drivalia roadside assistance could be bothered to respond. As a courtesy, upon arriving at the useless Drivalia kiosk in Verona, we informed the staff of the agreement with their colleague in Milan. We expected empathy but received aggression and a total lack of understanding. NEVER USE THIS ORGANISATION, DRIVALIA. We will be pursing a claim for a refund due to their lack of roadside response.. NEVER USE THIS ORGANSISATION - there are plenty of other car hire companies at Verona to select from.
written by DerrickRobinson on 27/07/2023
ABSOLUTE JOKE of a company. Sent a vehicle out on the road that was clearly un-roadworthy. Broke down within hours of use fully loaded with stock needed the same day. Was promised a new van would be waiting on return to the Luton depot. When finally recovered back at 1900 there was no van ready. The van then supplied had no engine oil in the engine, the site had no oil to top it up either. Lost a whole day costing my company money because the vans used are not fit for purpose. If you are a serious business who uses hire vehicles do yourself a favour and avoid this one.
written by Rdonnet on 11/07/2023
Terrible company read all the other reviews it’s clearly set up to make money they tried to sell us their insurance and were quite pushy but we already had our own when we returned the car they found 2 tiny scratches which no video of car would pick up and charged us £400 for them to claim back he knew exactly where to look 40 min wait for courtesy bus as well and no signage to show where to get bus at Barcelona airports
written by bengu_akbst on 04/07/2023
On the Discover car online car rental platform, in December 2022, I made a one-week car reservation from Dravilia car rental company for the week of 24 July 2023, to pick up from Bologna airport and drop off to Bergamo airport. When I cheked my reservation 2 weeks until my vacation, I noticed that the Discover rental car system automatically set the Bologna airport as both the pick up destinaton and drop off destination, which was our first loss of money. I had to change my reservation and I made new rezervation, then they gave %70 ofmy fisrt reservation fee. New reservation was costed twice of the fisrt one, and the reservation is updated so as to the payment will be made when picking up the car from the airport. We got off the plane at Bologna airport, got our luggage and went to the company we booked with, they told us they didn't have any cars. Although we had booked a car several months in advance, when we went to the airport, they did not give us a car, did not offer any solution and did not help. We have already been on the road since the early hours of the morning, we are tired, and they left us in a difficult situation by not giving us a car. I started looking for a car at the airport and there were many people in the same situation as us, and we spent almost 4 hours finding a car. Every rental car company, except the rental group that includes Budget and Avis, said that they do not have any car. We had to rent a car from Budget for a much higher price because we were desperate. When we went to get the car we rented from Budget, we saw that the parking lot where the rental cars are located is full of cars. The companies have agreed among themselves and they make people who come on holiday and need a car have to rent a car from a single company for a high price by claiming that they do not have a car, even though they have booked a car before. We have officially been tricked by Dravilia car. Dravilia car and Discover car have seriously damaged us financially and morally, don't rent a car from these companies. We are devastated, don't be you !!!
written by scottnewton on 03/07/2023
I booked a car for 18 days hire from gatwick, I did not get the car that i ordered, the first car the computer kept on shutting down on the car, i then had to drive back to gatwick to get a replacement, the second car had no airconditioning so i then had to drive to heathrow to get a replacement car. the third car was downgraded as it was all that they had. i then had to use a smaller car for the remainder of my journey. when i called drivalia to complain i was told that i had to go throught heir ionternal copmplaints system and that in would receive an email from Gatwick. i did get an email who said that she would request the credit for the downgrade, no apology, no compensation nothing! today 1 month later i have called to see what is happening on ly to be told that my complaint is now closed and it can go no further. i asked to speak to a line manager or supervisor and was told that no such person exists. Stay away from Drivalia! the company is sham owned by an international bank with no credibility. not one person has even made an effort to call or email.
written by fvMcIntyre428 on 16/06/2023
A complete amature in the rental market. car was old, high milage. dirty inside looked on the outside as if it was used by crash test dummies. tyres almost used up. GPS outdated aircon did not work DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY. go for a world dealer everytime
written by Sandersut87 on 20/04/2023
My hackles rose when the agent called me by my first name all the time. He also called out my age to his colleague. I didn't check underneath the spare tyre cover in the boot of the car but later, after driving some distance, I found a lot of broken glass from a smashed window. The car was dirty inside and out. After travelling a short distance the tyre pressue warning light came on. On the Vehicle Condition Form all four tyres were listed as 2.5psi, but when checked, I found them to be 3.8psi except for the rear offside tyre which was down more. I had to check the tyres each morning and all four were down each morning, with the rear offside down more so I knew I had a slow puncture. I drove for a week with the tyre warning light on. When I returned the car the agant said he could not sign off the rental, asking me to wait "a couple of hours" for the tyre to be observed. I had a plane to catch. I am still waiting 24 hours later. I presume they will charge me for the puncture.
written by johartley2001 on 26/03/2023
without predudice: I Booked car for heathrow t2 pickup 2 weeks prior to arrival with full excess protection via rentalcars.com Booking for a one way hire from Heathrow T2 to leeds international Advice from easirent / drivalia to use the H2C bus - this was the wrong bus as we missed the first H2D bus The acutal bus was the H2D bus - crowded public bus that stops at all the hotels enroute to office Their are only two buses per hour, Drivalia stated "it's not our fault the buses changed" They stated "schedules change frequently and it's your responsibility to check the bus is correct" They used this as a tactic to put pressure on me after a 14hr international flight knowing we were tired etc Arrived 9.45 late to collect car, upon arrival told that "your 29 min window has expired - the booking is cancelled" I was offered the option to pay 49 pounds to reinstate the booking which I did under duress as we we stranded with my 80 year mum They stated I call rentalcars.com which I did to be told "we can't wave the fee" - they wasted my time doing this ! There was a a queue forming at this point at 1030, I had no car and my booking had left us stranded and they started serving others I had to click agree on the electronic pad, I stated "I don't agree as I have no choice" The car was 1/4 full and I had to make a detour to fill the tank off the M25 at 11.30pm The car was dirty inside, we cleaned before taking back to avoid potential fines/penalties I droppped the car at leeds the following day and explained what had happened. I was told the cancellation window was 4hrs not 29mins - heathrow had misled or made a mistake ! I was put onto a call with a manager who accessed the booking There was no record of the cancellation that I was told had happened I was told the cancellation window was 4hrs not 29 mins I was told I agreed to what is termed "relaxed cover" which was "sold" as the cancellation fee due to more than 29mins late I explained it was done under duress as they had cancelled the booking and we had no car ! They refused to refund and suggetsed I use the online portal I said whay would I buy drivalias full insurance when I already had the full excess protection via rentalcars The lady said this was not insurance, playing games at this point I said I believed that the heathrow manager misled me and used duress by cancelling the booking. I then found out the booking had NEVER actually been cancelled - it was a deception designed to intimidate into booking the enchanced ins I cannot prove this as I didn't record the conversation with the counter staff
written by Mfrey on 18/02/2023
I picked up a car in Malaga Spain and an hour later after driving 5km noticed a nail in the tire which was fully inflated still, suggesting it was likely there a while. I called support and they told me to return it and get a new car. The customer service person, Marta, was very rude and blamed me for the nail saying they would’ve found it on inspection. This is next to impossible to see depending on how the tire is rotated. Then she told me I didn’t fill up the car, when even the odometer said I’d only driven 10km. She charged me over 100euros, double the price of the rental. Just a real toxic personality and employee. Sad because everything else about the rental was ok. Never again.
written by BJestico on 28/01/2020
I rented an automatic car from Valencia Airport. Collection from airport was prompt, staff were very helpful and professional. All spoke English. Would rent from them again. Highly recommended.
Written on: 03/02/2020
Hello
Thank you for hiring a car from us and for taking the time to leave a review. We are really pleased that you enjoyed using our service and that everything was good for you.
We hope that we can look forward to seeing you again soon.
All the best
The Drivalia Team
written by DonD5419 on 23/10/2019
Pros: Very nice car Good price Welcoming, friendly and polite staff Good Overall Experience Cons: Having opted for the €1250 block on my credit card to cover any excess damage claims, I didn’t like the long scare tactic speech of impending doom should I have any problems with the car or if it became damaged it in any way.
Written on: 26/10/2019
Dear Customer,
Many thanks for your review and of course for your custom. We appreciate both!
Our staff don´t ever mean to make people feel pressure over the coverage options but it is important that we explain the conditions of the contract. The issue that we have (as you will see from the occasional negative review) is when people choose to leave a deposit and then a damage happens and they don´t want to pay. This then leads to endless issues for us. It´s lovely to see that you are clearly a sensible and honest person and we thank you for your fair review. Clearly you are a testimony to what we say all of the time that our coverage is optional if you book a basic package and as you will know, we do treat clients fairly and only charge for damages should they happen and be within the conditions of the contract.
It´s great to know you had a good experience overall with Drivalia and we very much hope that we can look forward to serving you again soon.
All the best
The Drivalia Team
written by on 20/10/2019
We have used Drivalia in Alicante and Valencia. Rental has been very easy for us both times. Nice staff, very friendly and helpful. Cars are in good shape and well equipped. Ultimate package is very unstressful. Just drive and enjoy! I appreciate the feeling that we are pleasant tourists for the company and they want to make us enjoy our holiday. Paperwork was easy and all the details were told. Highly recommends from us! Thanks Drivalia!
written by stuartamcclure on 13/10/2019
Convinced this was a set up to charge us extra on return since we turned down their insurance offer of €130 for 7 days. I can’t quite work out how a year long policy worldwide can be purchased online for less than half what they sell for over the counter! Picked up in dark. Difficult to pick up the damage they said existed let alone spot anything new. When we double checked on some paint issues we were told too small to record. On return they find a finger tipped sized indentation without paint damage “too easily” ie they knew where to look and then charged €305 whether I consented or not ie if I left without authorising it would have been more. Thoroughly nasty business model with some assistance from some unscrupulous staff. Can’t be a nice work environment dealing with unhappy and angry clients who had not created any damage, ie no contact made with anybody or anything parked responsibly and used sparingly. STEER CLEAR OF THEM. Read reviews and there are too many examples of similar experiences. Can’t thing a Thomas Cook demise will help their cause. First time ever after renting abroad for 30 years. Not naive and insured externally but probably won’t see the money back due to small print elsewhere n other policies.
Written on: 14/10/2019
Dear Customer,
Thank you for your comment. Firstly in response to your question as to why you can contract anual cover cheaper. This type of policy is an insurance policy and each will have their own conditions, terms and often limits or exclusions. These types of policies always work on a "pay first, claim later" basis and generally don´t offer any help whilst you are actually in Spain. You have to deal with everything, pay for it and then go home and contact them to see if whatever has happened is within your policy.
Sometimes things like damaged caused by third parties are not covered (as the responsibility lies with the third party so you have to pay and then wait for a claim from the person who damaged your car) and sometimes things like the roof, often glass etc are simply not covered. Every policy is different.
When you contract cover with us you are not buying an insurance policy but simply paying a supplement so that we personally accept all of this risk. You leave no deposit and whatever happens - without exclusions - we cover the costs. Also, we provide you a free 24 hour emergency service with a replacement car if needed so you are never off the road.
The cost may seem high but when rentals such as your recent one may cost the same for a week as you would pay for a day in most countries, we have to set the rate at an amount that justifies taking the full risk of whatever could happen. When rental rates were higher in the past the cover costs were lower.
With regards to your damage. We are sorry this happened but as you know, we provide a comprehensive damage report so that you can check the car carefully against our records before you accept it and begin your holiday. This way both we and you are always absolutely clear that if a new damage happens if must have happened during your rental. Not every company provides such a comprehensive report and gives the client so much transparency over their records of the cars´condition.
Our most popular package, Drivalia Ultimate is a simple one price car rental that generally is far cheaper than most countries but includes our full cover with no risk to the client.
All the best
The Drivalia Team
Written on: 25/01/2020
Where was this car hired from? I suspect it was a Costa airport in mainland Spain. Anyone have comments on their Corvera (Murcia)/Alicante/Costa Blanca experience?
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As rated by our community of reviewers
Scottnewton's Response to scottnewton's Review
Written on: 01/08/2023
i still have not had any contact from Drivalia exactly one month after the post! absolute shambles of a company and have not had my refund either!
Drivalia Gatwick & drivalia heathrow are a disgrace with no complaints procedure either