written by on 09/05/2010
AVOID AT ALL COST!!!
If this is not illegal it is a near to borderline you can get!
I would imagine ALL their customers must come through booking/travel agencies.
We book through a reputable booking agency w/o extras which in Alicante normally means:
Full tank of petrol (to be returned full)
Basic Insurance Cover (not glass and tires and only for one driver).
GOLDCAR:
FORCED to PAY OVERPRICE for full tank of petrol (+'55)
NO Liability Insurance - (the included "insurance" is breakdown recovery only) (+'55)
If there is any petrol left in the tank when you hand it in they WONT reimburse you one penny.
Last trick of theirs is that if you pay with a foreign credit card they will charge you in that country's currency and add extra 2% WITHOUT ASKING you. (+'6)
The confirmed price was '175 for around 15 days in low season. Where we told all included w/o extras. Goldcar was not the cheapest but seemed professional.
The bill ended on '291
The extra charges did save us the '20 we would have used in petrol as well as the 1% mark-up VISA charges ('3).
NET HIDDEN CHARGES: '107 (61% more than the confirmed price).
Our life is too short for haggling with obvious crooks but if we ever should end up with GOLDCAR again I will burn rubber and ensure there is no headgasket left when we hand the car back.
written by on 01/05/2010
I just returned from Mallorca after renting through Goldcar. After reading comments on this site, the night before I called carhire3000 and asked to change supplier only to be told that I couldn't. So I arrived in Palma prepared, was charged '2 per day for a diesel car and '60 for fuel for a small car. This was after waiting in the line for 1.5 hours at 11.30pm. I then came up with a brainwave. I reckon I had been overcharged by about '30 so the last day before I left I found a lovely wall in a car park and scraped the side of the car off it. I cancelled my credit card on arriving to the airport, left the car at the airport and came home. As I rent cars all of the time, I have never seen this type of hookery before. Well I got my '30 value because I reckon the repair to their car will cost in the region of '500. I made sure to leave a big enough dent so as for others to see it when they collect it. Tough Gold car. You didn't beat this guy.
written by on 24/04/2010
Joined a queue for Goldcars at Malaga airport which took nearly one and a half hours to get to the front of. From the back we could see that much animated conversation was taking place between the desk clerk and each customer. When we did reach the front we found that this was because they were demanding 66 euros for a full tank of fuel and then 30 euros for insurance against accident recovery - the vehicle was covered only for break down recovery. In the event of not coughing this up they demanded a 300 euro deposit. We did a lot of driving around but still returned the car with nearly half a tank of fuel. This looked like a cheap deal when we booked and turned out to be anything but.
written by on 15/04/2010
Ordered a small car, and was given a large one. They charged me 90 Euros for fuel even though i only needed the car for short journeys. I returned it with over half a tank. We even wasted our time trying to use the excess fuel. A total rip-off. However i didnt book through Goldcar! I used a companycalled Auto-Europe and they sub let, so i didnt know about Goldcar until i had paid.
written by on 06/04/2010
Avoid this company, this is practically a scam charging inflated fuel and insurance prices.
written by on 22/03/2010
I booked 7 days car hire through Travel Supermarket with Goldcar as they had the cheapest quote.
Arrived at Malaga aiport on the Saturday evening and had to wait in a 3 hour long queue to pick up car, with no apology for the wait.
They then proceeded to charge an extra 35 euros for insurance, 66 euros for petrol (it was a 1.25 litre Fiesta!), 56 euros for a (broken) GPS amd 17.5 euros for an additional driver.
Avoid this company at all costs, they may seem cheap but they load hidden costs on at the last minute and then top it all off with rubbish customer service.
written by on 22/03/2010
Watch this lot, the quoted price is reasonable, however when you collect your vehicle they immediately charge you £65 for your petrol, regardless of the fact it costs £30 to fill up, this is none negotiable as they won't allow you to return the vehicle filled with petrol. They also tell you that the insurance you've paid for is worth having so they want another £30 and it's £3 a day for a broken down child seat. So the initial price was £49 but it was really 49+65+18+30 anyway the new total was £170.44.
Sneaky and sharp practice, really, go somewhere else.
We booked this deal through mycarrental via travelsupermarket
written by on 19/03/2010
booked car through uk agent and when we recieved our voucher found out we had been booked with GOLDCAR. We had used GOLDCAR last year and we were not very pleased as we were charged 50% more for our fuel and took out extra insurance and on a four week rental this turned out to be quite a lot. Unable to change companies we were stuck with GOLDCAR again, same thing extra 50% for fuel the extra insurance total 117.00 euros.This company is in my opinion is a ripe off and should be avoided at all costs.
written by on 14/03/2010
Was charged 71 euros for fuel although official write up states takes £32.Entered on paperwork as 51 euros fuel and 20 euros diesel.When I quiered this on return , DOYOUSPAIN said the fuel should be 40 to 50 euros.The car hire price had gone up from 45 euros the year before to 68 also.
written by on 10/03/2010
This company totaly ripps you off. they charge a full tank of gas on return. For a 45 litre tank (diesel) they charged me ' 89,-
Customer service is only by email and they only send automated mail back and never reply your question.
DON'T GO THERE!!!!
written by on 07/03/2010
Car collected Alicante airport, initial handover poor, car in poor condition and dents and scratches to bodywork pointed out to member of staff who simply confirmed that they were aware of the condition of this car. Having no luggage, did not have need to use boot - next day noted parcel shelf damaged and unusable but considered company aware of condition of car. Returning car to Alicante airport keys handed direct to member of staff but no comment made by him regarding the parcel shelf. Upon return to U.K and receipt of credit card, charged E150 for damage to parcel shelf. Have been in correspondence direct with Gold Car since December, but it is obvious that they merely seized an opportunity to make extra money. It has been a very bad experience dealing with this company unlike others that we have used and been most satisfied with over the last 10 years. Would not use them again and intend to advise others not to use them.
written by on 20/02/2010
We were forced to purchase a full tank of fuel even though we intended to only travel less than 40-70km, this practce should be illegal. We traveled the same trip a week b4 and in comparison saved 50 euro by NOT booking in advance, BEWARE of this firm, the low prices are SLIGHT OF HAND, trickery.
written by on 08/02/2010
Collection at Goldcar, Alicante airport was very efficent and prompt, i was quoted 66.99 euros for the hire on the internet, which soon escalated to 171.99 euros when insurance,diesel model fuel and 16% I.V.A. was added, the receptionist told me to bring the car back as empty as possible as no refund was given on fuel returned in the car, i used only half a tank , so had to leave,32 euro,s worth of fuel in the car, a nice profit for the company.
When i got to the car on collection,there was some damage to the front and rear of the car, pointed this out to a Gold Car employee who just said it did not matter and walked away,just hope my credit card is not charged, but have to say the above procedure's seem to be the norm in Spain.
written by on 18/01/2010
Goldcar thoroughly deserve the many poor reviews they are getting.
Yes, the fuel charge is a rip-off. So is charging extra for a diesel car, whether you requested it or not.
I changed the car they allocated twice, as there were warning messages on the car dashboard (faulty brakes), not to mention missing hubcaps, dents and scratches. Clearly cars are not checked before each rental.
I later discovered that they charged my credit card twice (I will generously assume human error although this is proving hard to rectify). They also charged an upgrade charge, even though the car I was finally allocated was exactly the same as the one reserved online.
Their computer sytems are extremely slow, so expect to stand in line for ages. Their staff range from rude to unhelpful to inefficient (with some exceptions, like the guy at Almeria) but there is clearly no commitment to basic standards of customer service.
Goldcar may look the cheapest when reserving online - but I doubt this is actually the case. And if they are the cheapest, it's for a reason - you are sacrificing quality and service.
written by on 15/01/2010
RIP OFF MERCHANTS..AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!Booked rental for 10 days through Easycar. Paid for zero risk option on insurance. Upon collection of keys we were told that we needed to purchase additional insurance but we refused, stating that we had already purchased zero option with Easycar. We were given the keys and collected vehicle from parking lot with no checks by any staff.....car was covered in dents, the seatbelt was broken and the radio didn't work. Upon return, again no checks conducted. When we arrived back in England we discovered that Goldcar had removed £311 from our account. After extremely poor/disgusting service from Easycar we discovered that Goldcar allege we broke the radio.....and guess what, this is apparantly NOT covered by the ZERO risk option that we purchased. We are still fighting with all companies concerned for a refund of this STOLEN!!! money BUT PLEASE AVOID THIS COMPANY. THEY WILL RIP YOU OFF. THEY SHOULD BE CLOSED DOWN. HOW MANY MORE COMPLAINTS CAN THEY GET BEFORE SOMEONE TAKES NOTICE AND DOES SOMETHING ABOUT THEM......
written by Batesfamily on 03/01/2010
I booked a car through carhiremarket.com, with Goldcar. My flight into Malaga was delayed due to snow and on arrival I found that Goldcar had locked up and gone home, leaving 5 couples without a vehicle. All of us had to take a car from another supplier which cost '98 more than the one we had booked, but we had little choices. All of the other car hire companies had waited for the flight to arrive, it was only Goldcar who went home. I would never use them again, nor would I recommend anyone else use them.
written by crips on 30/12/2009
I booked a Goldcar rental through carhiremarket.com and it all seemed OK however, as with others, I was faced with having to pay an extortionate amount for fuel ('65 for a C2) which, for one week, would be impossible to use so they got a double bonus of 'company' fuel pricing plus the half tank free! courtesy of the unsuspecting clients. Also they have a 'company' rate for credit cards rate of exchange plus their 2% so all in all they know how to fleece you when you are at your weakest i.e. - a long day, flight and just wanting to get your car and be on holiday.
Not at all happy and would actively discourage others from using Goldcar which is a pity as I have used them before without propblems.
written by on 11/12/2009
Seems everyone is having the same problem with Goldcar. We were charged 1.40 euros per litre of fuel, when the price at the airport was 1.07 euros. When we collected the car we were told not to fill it up with fuel when we returned it. When I sent an e-mail to Goldcar querying the cost of the fuel they said the price we were charged included up to 15 euros for them to fill it up.
We booked this company through Carjet and I have written to them with my grievance. Neither company shopuld be allowed to get away with this.
written by on 01/12/2009
Goldcar overcharged for fuel and added an additional re-fuel surcharge. Intending to fight through the courts.
Legal redress see:
The policy could fall foul of the Unfair Contract Terms Directive ("UCT"). UCT considers unfair a contractual term which has not been individually negotiated and causes detriment to the consumer.
The Unfair Commercial Practices Directive ("UCP") requires that traders
live up to the standards of professional diligence in their behaviour. Further, UCP requires that information, including information on price, which could affect a consumer economic behaviour be clear and complete. If you were not warned about these "hidden" costs in advance, that may be a breach of UCP.
written by on 25/11/2009
They are a RIP OFF! I have been hiring cars for 20 years and always buy an annual extra insurance for £65.00 There optional extra insurance cost '35 for one week. When I told them about my own insurance and showed them the document they insisted that I had to have theirs or I couldn't take the car. also they charged '58 for a full tank of petrol which would have cost no more than '45 at a filling station. Furthermore they said that I had to return it with an empty tank. This is virtually impossible to do so they are actually stealing money from you all ways, in my case about about 15 litres or '12 worth. I booked through carhiremarket.com and when I complained they said that they had many complaints already. At the airport when I returned the car other people were arguing about the extras but the people on the desk didn't give a toss and told them to go elsewhere....of course, then they would have had the problem of getting a refund from them which apparently is nigh on impossible.
Once we've checked over your question we will put it live on the site and our strong community of experts will hopefully give you some great answers that you find useful.
We will email you when the question is on the site
Once we've checked over your answer we will put it live on the site so others can gain from your experience. We rely on members like you to sustain our vibrant community so thanks again, we couldn't do it without you.
We will email your when your answer is on the site
Once we've checked over your answer we will put it live on the site so others can gain from your experience. We rely on members like you to sustain our vibrant community so thanks again, we couldn't do it without you.
We will email your when your answer is on the site
Once we've checked over your answer we will put it live on the site so others can gain from your experience. We rely on members like you to sustain our vibrant community so thanks again, we couldn't do it without you.
We will email your when your answer is on the site
Once we've checked over your answer we will put it live on the site so others can gain from your experience. We rely on members like you to sustain our vibrant community so thanks again, we couldn't do it without you.
We will email your when your answer is on the site
Once we've checked over your answer we will put it live on the site so others can gain from your experience. We rely on members like you to sustain our vibrant community so thanks again, we couldn't do it without you.
We will email your when your answer is on the site
Once we've checked over your answer we will put it live on the site so others can gain from your experience. We rely on members like you to sustain our vibrant community so thanks again, we couldn't do it without you.
We will email your when your answer is on the site
Once we've checked over your answer we will put it live on the site so others can gain from your experience. We rely on members like you to sustain our vibrant community so thanks again, we couldn't do it without you.
We will email your when your answer is on the site
Once we've checked over your answer we will put it live on the site so others can gain from your experience. We rely on members like you to sustain our vibrant community so thanks again, we couldn't do it without you.
We will email your when your answer is on the site
Once we've checked over your answer we will put it live on the site so others can gain from your experience. We rely on members like you to sustain our vibrant community so thanks again, we couldn't do it without you.
We will email your when your answer is on the site
Once we've checked over your answer we will put it live on the site so others can gain from your experience. We rely on members like you to sustain our vibrant community so thanks again, we couldn't do it without you.
We will email your when your answer is on the site
Once we've checked over your answer we will put it live on the site so others can gain from your experience. We rely on members like you to sustain our vibrant community so thanks again, we couldn't do it without you.
We will email your when your answer is on the site
Once we've checked over your answer we will put it live on the site so others can gain from your experience. We rely on members like you to sustain our vibrant community so thanks again, we couldn't do it without you.
We will email your when your answer is on the site
Once we've checked over your answer we will put it live on the site so others can gain from your experience. We rely on members like you to sustain our vibrant community so thanks again, we couldn't do it without you.
We will email your when your answer is on the site
Once we've checked over your answer we will put it live on the site so others can gain from your experience. We rely on members like you to sustain our vibrant community so thanks again, we couldn't do it without you.
We will email your when your answer is on the site
Once we've checked over your answer we will put it live on the site so others can gain from your experience. We rely on members like you to sustain our vibrant community so thanks again, we couldn't do it without you.
We will email your when your answer is on the site
Once we've checked over your answer we will put it live on the site so others can gain from your experience. We rely on members like you to sustain our vibrant community so thanks again, we couldn't do it without you.
We will email your when your answer is on the site
As rated by our community of reviewers
Chapmanpg's Comment
Written on: 09/05/2010
I found this review very helpful because...it has forwarned me - I was booked via an agent with this company and I managed to just cancel before leaving the UK thanks