Europcar overcharged us by EUR 267 for an 11 day hire in Ireland.This was despite having an agreed price arranged through Carflexi before we left Australia. Carflexi tried to suggest that we may have increased the insurance at the time of pickup, which was absolutely untrue, as we already had cover through our travel insurance. Europcar has offered nothing as to why we were overcharged. As at today's date we have tried persistently to get a response and a resolution, but we only get "we are looking into it". It has been 4 months now without them properly responding. It seems to me this is a sham they operate as it is too hard to get a refund when you are back home in Australia. From other reviews I can see this may not be an isolated experience. People should check all of the reviews before they take out a car rental with these people. It is already very expensive without this level of overcharging.

I would like to think of myself as reasonably streetwise but less so after my recent shake down by the STAFF at Europcar Ireland Dublin T2. I pre paid for car and on pick up had a nice chat with the guy on the counter who took a 'deposit in case the car was returned empty'. After returning the car full I now realize I paid for 'express fuel' (which I now assume is car returned empty) and additional insurance cover, none of which was communicated to me on pick up. Over €140 worse off (not including the cost of the full tank of fuel) I shall be following up with An Garda. For anybody reading this the 'customer agent' who 'dealt' with me is a middle aged male with an Irish accent. PS dont waste time trying to call or emaii - you wont get a response.

When I arrived the car I was given had lots of additional damage and was old really shabby inside all of which the 3 stooges behind the desk were unaware and didn't give a shot.they just scribbled on the paperwork and sent me off.im a transport manager for a large logistics company and the only reason I got a replacement was because the front tyres were bald.kept £30 of fuel deposit even though I refuelled on drop off. No communication from head office and hire desk in Ireland SHANNON just kept hanging up.Still waiting as put complaint in still waiting for responce.Very poor customer service experience. STAY AWAY

Was offered lots of extras at "no charge" from the rep. Ended up paying for everything. Paid about 700 euros more than what was stated on pick up. Asked about the huge difference in price and was told that I must have misunderstood. They did not have the car I reserved so I was offered up grade at "no charge" - then I got charged 20 euro a day for up grade. Was even told the first tank of gas was free - then got charged 70 euro when I got back again telling me I must have misunderstood. Be careful with this company and make sure EVERYTHING is in writing. Shady company with lots of promises. Wont be using them again if I go back. Buyer beware.

I HIRED A CAR FOR 3 DAYS, THE STORY GOES LIKE SOME OTHERS, THE CAR ONLY HAD 3/4 OF A TANK OF FUEL, IT WAS 11PM SO DARK AND COULD NOT LOOK AROUND THE CAR IN DETAIL FOR ANY DENTS ETC. ON MY RETURN ITS POINTED OUT A SMALL HAIR LINE SCRATCH ON THE WING MIRROR THAT I WAS TOLD WAS NOT THERE BEFORE, THIS I WAS NOT SURE ABOUT, NOW I AM WAITING FOR AN ESTIMATE TO COME THROUGH TO REPAIR THE DAMAGE - 4 WEEKS LATER STILL THEY HAVE MY 1800E DEPOSIT WITH NO EAMIL OR CALL RETUNED. NOT GOOD!.

Staff insist you buy their insurance despite you having your own Fuel is charges at one rate but an amount which was much less was credited 3 days later when returned on a fiull tank -ex change rates were constnat over the three days Car had badly damaged alloys missed off the inspection sheet until I pointed it out and on return I was charged 500 euro for a small crack in the door mirror indicator lens that I didnt see at 10pm at night in he driving rain. It didnt happen whislt I wwas drivng it Terrible experienced

I hired a car from Europcar through CarTrawler for my trip in Ireland. I picked the car up in Dublin, when I was going through the booking procedure, I was charged £250 which I thought was the security deposit, however this was for excess insurance. I was not told this was for the excess insurance, therefore please be aware Europcar try and cover this up and charge you extra money for excess insurance. I have been ripped off by this company, STAY AWAY.

We got a fantastic deal through Argus by searching and booking and paying in full - basically qualified for early bird special. We got the car we wanted - a large family auto transmission with plenty of boot space and the second driver for free - at a reasonable price given the value of the dollar against the pound. We were also able to book one way car hire, pick up in Heathrow and drop off in Edinburgh. Sadly this deal was with a car provided by Europcar. When we arrived at the Europcar pick up office at Heathrow the queue to pick up cars was out the door. They operate using an automated number system- you print off a number then wait your turn regardless of the arranged pick up time on your car hire documentation. We finally got up to the desk to complete our paperwork over an hour after our pick up time which had arrived early for. We were served by a trainee who was not an English native speaker. We were advised that the car we had booked and paid for through Argus - a Ford Mondeo sedan - was not available and that for only 50.00 pound more - which we took to be a one off fee from the way the young lady spoke - we could have a BME of equal size, boot space etc. We did not want to agree to this without seeing the car so at the young lady's suggestion we went out to look at the car she was referring to. It was just as she described however I was concerned about the scratches on the back bumper and felt the boot space was not adequate for our luggage. She then suggested that we could have a brand new Mercedes for the 50 pound extra - we had to look at the car before we could accept. By this time we had been waiting for 2 hrs to pick up our car and agreed this would be fine. We were taken back in to the desk only to be told that the young lady had made a mistake and that prestige vehicles could not be hired out on one way travel unless a 100 pound was paid. We said this was unacceptable and that we just wanted the car that we had booked and paid for. At this point the manager took over and said he would sort it. He found us a vehicle - it was an older model BMW I believe, we were not asked to view this vehicle just told it met the original criteria. We were asked to provide our credit card details for security - I pointed out that we had already paid for the car hire but was told this was a security deposit. We were told that we either had to pay a non refundable fee or provide our credit card for security. I said that we didn't need excess insurance because we already had this covered by our travel insurance. The manager said this was for the security bond not insurance. By this time we were tired, worn out and nearly three hours late for a family reunion. We handed over the card and signed the documentation. We left the airport in the car they had assigned to us. On the drive our to West Byfleet from Heathrow I had time to read the documentation. I realised that we had signed for a security bond of over $2000 and on top of that they were going to charge us 50 pound a day extra for the car they had assigned us. I rang Europcar as we were driving and after being placed on hold, transferred numerous times and finally getting someone to speak to I was told that yes an amount of over $3000 had been authorised against my credit card, including a 50 pound a day fee for an upgrade. I stated that I wanted this stopped - they said the only way this could be altered was for us to return to Heathrow and sort it out with the staff at the pick up point. We had to turn around (we had reached West Byfleet) and go back to the pick up point. Once there I ignored all instructions to 'take a number' and demanded to see the manager. I was able to get the 50 pound a day extra taken off but we had to change cars yet again - we were given an older model Mercedes station wagon, not the type of vehicle we had selected at all. We still had to pay over 70 pound for the fuel. We were not able to have the security bond removed - they hold this amount against your car until you return it - which remained the same amount. We also found out that if they deemed damage had occurred they would deduct any costs they saw fit from this security bond and leave it up to us to try and claim this back from our insurance. Fortunately no damage was incurred and we finally got our money back three days after the return of the car which we had for 3 weeks. Make sure if you intend to rent a car a) that you have a credit card b) can afford to have a sizable amount held against it, that you don't need to spend whilst on your holiday. I would say that our experience is probably typical of many car hire companies; however we hired a car from Green Motion for the first 3 weeks of this trip on our original arrival in UK. This company were a delight. Reasonable prices, no lengthy waits, personalised service, the car we paid for - a Ford Mondeo, a 250 pound security bond held against our credit card and the ability to pay 20 pound cash for fuel up front regardless of the amount of fuel in the tank on its return. The only reason we were unable to use them again for the second half of our trip is because they don't have a drop off location in Edinburgh. Green Motion is the car hire company I would recommend if hiring in the UK if you can pick up and drop off at Heathrow. Only other downside with them is that you have to get on a bus to their pick up location and it costs about 4 pound per person for the trip - not a very long journey but it might annoy some people. We also used Hertz in Ireland and had no problems with them. However avoid Europcar at all costs even if it means not using Argus car hire

We got a fantastic deal through Argus by searching and booking and paying in full - basically qualified for early bird special. We got the car we wanted - a large family auto transmission with plenty of boot space and the second driver for free - at a reasonable price given the value of the dollar against the pound. We were also able to book one way car hire, pick up in Heathrow and drop off in Edinburgh. Sadly this deal was with a car provided by Europcar. 

I rented a car for a vacation in Ireland. I rented the car through Expedia and I thought I was renting with Alamo. At the time I rented the car, Expedia offered full coverage insurance. I have rented in Ireland before and I know that insurance is an issue there, so I bought the extra coverage. When I got to the Dublin Airport to pick up the car, I found out that Alamo was Europcar and I was concerned since I had reviews of how awful they are and that they use bait and switch tactics, but I was stuck. The line for those of us who reserved a car was very long and people were taking up to an hour to get their cars. Once I got to the counter I understood why. The first thing that happened was the clerk changed our car from gas to diesel adding $5/day to our fees. That was ok, but I then realized what they had done on Expedia's website by offering a low rate. They hoped to get customers in the door and talk them into something more expensive, so I was on the alert for any other changes. At that point, the clerk said I had to buy insurance. I provided her the voucher Expedia had provided proving I had already purchased insurance. She said it was not insurance, although it clearly stated it was. She insisted I take out a $30/day policy with them or leave a $5000 deposit. I told her I wasn't doing either of those. After 30 minutes of this, she got her supervisor, Karen, who continued to insist that I had to leave a deposit. I finally pointed out the website that the voucher mentioned. Karen and the clerk read the terms and it was clear they realized they were wrong at that point, however, they refused to honor the terms and insisted that I still had to leave a $5000 deposit. They then said, "Let's start over and just see how much it will cost if you didn't have reservations." At that point, I called Budget RentACar. Karen said she would beat whatever price they offered. Once I told her the price, she said, "You should go over there." Obviously, she didn't want to beat the price. She also told me the company would sue me for libel once I told her I was going to tell of my experience with them on review sites. Do not use Alamo in Europe or Europcar as they really are a horrible company with no ethics or standards. They know once you are in their office, you are their prisoner and they will not have mercy on you.

Great company to rent from in Ireland. At the Dublin airport the person checking out the car gave me some nice tips for driving on the left as I am from the States. I had an issue with the first car I rented and exchanged it at the Shannon airport, they were extremely nice at both locations. I do recommend a manual transmission. Although you will need to be an experienced stick shift driver, it is pretty good for fuel mileage. Also fuel prices are extremely high compared to US. So get the smallest car you feel comfortable with. The cars with a 1.4 liter engine are good for two adults and maybe one kid. I also recommend air conditioning, this is for reducing the fog on the inside of the windshield. One last thing is get the GPS, or better yet bring your own, most rental car companies don't have a way to update the maps in the GPS unit, so updating yours with Ireland maps may be the best option. The street names are really hard to see! Be safe and cautious and you will have a fun time.