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“Hard sell tactics ”

written by Esteponapablo on 31/08/2019

We’ve been going to Spain ( Malaga) for some twenty + years now and this awful service by the car hire companies sucks.
Majority of them now use hard sell tactics to buy the extra insurance at the desk. On our last trip in August I booked my car via cartrawler( Ryanair on line) and knowing previous experiences I took out the extra insurance at roughly £40 ( as it’s usually £200 in Malaga airport) and had all the policy documents and vouchers with me. I was determined not to get bullied into their little scheme.
Surely enough when I presented the documents and told the lady I’m okay as I’ve insurance she suddenly became very annoyed and started the scare tactics “ that doesn’t cover you” “ if you damage the car you’ll pay” and so on .
I held firm and insisted on my keys and then got forced to pay for fuel up front and also sign the card reader for the contract.
When I got to the car it was the usual fiat and had more dents than the paperwork had said. ( I had apparently signed the card reader to say I was happy with the car and dents were acceptable although this wasn’t pointed out to me at the desk). When we returned the car I did expect more hassle than I got ( I was prepared with video evidence when I collected to show the damage was already there). But luckily the queue was so long they sent a guy out to collect keys from quite a few people so I left it and went.
To be fair the process was actioned within 1 hour and i had received an email confirmation to say all okay.
Sadly when I got home the original £135 fuel bill they took
( my contract was full to full which is what I did!) was only reimbursed £75. ? After eventually getting though to cartrawler I have at present managed to get another £40 refunded. I’m still out of pocket by £20 with no explanation.
MY ADVICE ** Be prepared fo the HARD SELL and stand your ground ( have the documents with you) Question what your signing for and check the policy damage documents before you leave the desk. Take video evidence of the car in the car park ( and if it’s really bad go back and change it.
Unfortunately the whole set up with most of the other rental firms is just as bad and they really are awful.
Shame because I’m going at least 4/5 times a year now and am really looking for another way to travel to our destination.
The cost and hassle and worry just isn’t worth ruining your holiday.