Asked by
marten1
on 23rd July 2014
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We are currently in Mallorca with a car hired from Do You Spain. Our contract clearly states we will pay initially for a full tank of fuel and be reimbursed for fuel not used at the end of the hire. However the sub-bcontracted hire company, Goldcar, say no refund will be made.
Do others have similar experience, and is there a way to obtain redress through English small claims court?
Answers (19)
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M.T.Brown
Written on: 23/07/2014
I booked trough Do You Spain but used a different provider to Goldcar because I have had problems with them in the past. Have you tried approaching Do You Spain, because they sorted out a similar problem for me some time ago. In my case I was refunded for fuel not used.
I am not sure the small claims court is relevant, In any case that would involve Do You Spain
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barryisland
Written on: 23/07/2014
In previous dealing with Gold Car they seem to have their own agenda and not care what has been agreed or sold to the customer. They frequently ask for extra payments for insurance, tyre & windscreen cover and extra drivers even if this is pre paid with do you spain. My advice is contact do you spain as your contract is with them and they are not supplying the car within the agreed terms.Good Luck
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sramone
Written on: 23/07/2014
Hi
I have hired through Goldcar direct in the past and opted for the Empty > Empty fuel policy and so cannot comment on this - other than to say that I have not had issues with Goldcar per se.
However, as you have booked through Do You Spain, I would approach them and they will resolve you issue - I have found DYS to be very helpful in the past.
Hope this helps
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AlanVLC
Written on: 23/07/2014
Hi,
Sorry to hear you are going through the Goldcar wringer. I have stopped using Goldcar as I was charged several extras the last time I booked a car with them through DoYouSpain(DYS). DYS now give the option to only receive quotes from companies you trust, good to know for the future. Full refunds are normally given for 3 day hire - However Goldcar also try charge for Diesel vehicles as an extra, they don't refund the V.A.T. (IVA) charges (they are supposed to).
I would phone DYS and explain your predicament. They might have more clout with the Goldcar offices or at least be able to offer some advice - they don't want their customers to be taken advantage of in this manner. Good luck!
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vinasdevera
Written on: 23/07/2014
We have hired many times with DYS and often this has involved Goldcar. I have to say that it is unusual for a hire company to refund unused fuel unless you hire for less than 3 days. Otherwise the onus is on you to return the car with the fuel tank as empty as possible. The best deals are usually to go for a full/full option whereby you don't have to pay for the fuel upfront. If your contract with DYS clearly states that you will be refunded for unused fuel then I would say that your complaint must go through DYS. Good luck.
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gbsphotos
Written on: 23/07/2014
I have used Doyouspain many times, always to book a car hire fom Malaga Airport.
The subject of fuel in the car, an the various policies of different companies in respect of 'full/full' 'full/empty' are annoying.
I don't believe it is the fault of Doyouspain, but I do think they should take a more active role in stopping the confusion
Almost every time I am at the counters at Malaga Airport to collect my car there are dissatisfied customers, and this is not resticted to Goldcar.
I have had car from most of the 6 or 7 companies based in the airport, and the level of servce varies, but in my expeiencehas generally been very good.
My advice is for anybodybooking a car with doyouspain (and I will ntinue using them myself) to thoroughly check the paperwork when they receive their confirmation email, and if there is any aspect of the terms you are unhappy with, contact oyouspain immediately, before you even arrive at the place your car is waiting.
I think the best course of action here is for the customer to write to the Head Office of Goldcar, as I would not think any UK small claims procedure would have any juristiction regarding a dispute in another country.
Personally, I would write a strong letter to Goldcar, enclosing a copy of the contract, and involve Doyouspai by copying them in and asking them to support your complaint.
Good luck!
Geoff
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jazzwine
Written on: 23/07/2014
We hired with Goldcar through DYS in May/June, and received a very prompt refund for the half-tankful left in the car.
However, this may be because we (after much pressure) took out Goldcar's all-inclusive insurance, despite informing them that we had our own policy to cover accident damage, tyres etc. Said pressure means we probably won't use Goldcar again, although the car was fine.
Echoing other replies, I feel sure that DYS will help you receive a refund, if that's what your contract says.
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Oliver32
Written on: 23/07/2014
We booked a 9-seater through Do You Spain last August - the hire company they used was Europcar. On arrival to collect the car at Paphos airpor Europcar informed us that they did not even own a 9-seater! A "9-seater Mercedes Vito (or similar)" was clearly stated on our voucher from Do You Spain, but on Europcar's information, it said a 7-seater. I don't think a 7-seater Zafira can be considered "similar" to a 9-seater of any description. We had to make do with the 7-seater for almost a week of our 2 week holiday and despite ringing Do You Spain several times (at considerable expense from Cyprus I might add) we were put on hold indefinitely and they did not return any of our calls. Europcar were brilliant and eventually exchanged our 7-seater for 2 smaller cars at no extra cost. I emailed Do You Spain several times on my return and have never received a reply. Although they do continue to send me "generic" emails! I would NEVER, EVER use them again. I'm sorry this doesn't help with your query about fuel but it does highlight the fact that Do You Spain don't communicate well with the hire companies they use, and certainly don't pass on the same information they've given to customers.
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Otleyeagle
Written on: 23/07/2014
Do you spain are based in Spain, and Goldcar, I believe, in Germany. So there's no-one to sue in the small claims court. DYS are just agents. The contract is with Goldcar. You can email both until the cows come home, but unless you're very lucky you won't get anywhere. I didn't! And I've always been suspicious of DYS's good reviews all looking very similar.....
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sussexvet
Written on: 23/07/2014
Hi,
When I last hired a car through DYS with Goldcar it was in Alicante and they advised that there would be a credit for unused fuel in the tank. However, they do deduct a refuelling charge which could be as much as 20€ and therefore depending on how much fuel was left in the tank would determine if any credit would be given.
In my case I think they advised through email that my tank was 3/8 full so after a few weeks my credit card was credited with about 20€ so that wasn't too bad.I think the refund was based upon the charge initially made which as you probably know is very high. If you knew for certain that a credit would be given it would probably pay to fill the tank as far as possible on returning the car as the cost to you would be far less than their charge.
It is quite new for any of the car hire companies to give a credit so in the past hirers would try to have as little fuel as possible in the tank but this is, of course, fraught with danger in case you run dry before getting back to the airport.
I don't know what prompted Goldcar to give a credit unless it is new legislation by the Spanish government.
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sussexvet
Written on: 23/07/2014
I have just read the other replies sent today and note they recommend contacting DYS.
The person who has helped me in the past with queries is Jose who has been very helpful so give him a try by sending an email or call on the number in the DYS documentation when you booked the car.
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Landsheere
Written on: 23/07/2014
Good advice is to clearly ask by pick-up what there polecy is towards fuel. record-go makes you pay for the tank and gives back your mony the same day of return, they even thell you how much you will get back in advance. Naturely you looss a little for the service.
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martidj01
Written on: 24/07/2014
When I collected my car from Goldcar in May this year they told me they would refund any surplus fuel. I am still waiting. As for contacting Do You Spain I wouldn't waste my time. They sold me additional insurance which Goldcar refused to accept. Contacted DoYou and just got fobbed off with a load of twaddle. Needless to say I didn't get a refund. Have used DoYOu for years but never again.
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Bazman1951
Written on: 24/07/2014
I have never seen this type of contract before. My experience with Goldcar has been ok with their full/empty policy. DYS are usually very good at sorting disputes out. I see a few more full/full contracts now but I suppose you can't do the mileage on Majorca.
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Crispycrittersdad
Written on: 25/07/2014
I also deal with do you spain and find them very good but I refuse to take cars from gold car because of previous problems with them. I also take cars on a full to full contract because the full to empty is a rip off. I would try to get do you spain to sort it out for you they have always been helpful in the past.
hope this helps
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FootInMouth
Written on: 26/07/2014
I book car hire on a full/full fuel basis, which is an unrestricted option with DoYouSpain. Having heard and read bad feedback for Goldcar I have chosen not to hire a car with them and always choose a company I am familiar with or have used before. I feel your best option would be to contact DoYouSpain in the first instance to give them the opportunity to sort this out for you.
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MrMackay
Written on: 31/07/2014
Gold car are always trying it on with customers, just last week I was charged 30 euros for special cleaning of the few grains of sand that were left in the car. They are unbelievable.
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sramone
Written on: 12/09/2014
I have used Goldcar directly in the past and have refilled the fuel before returning as I was unsure of their fuel policy.
If the contract states unused fuel will be refunded then they have to refund it. Revisit the hire contract from Goldcar and then take up the matter with DoYouSpain if needed.
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Griblands
Written on: 27/02/2015
I wouldn't touch Do You Spain with a Barge Pole. I ensured that we had FULL cover when booking and the local representative in the airport insisted that we only had 3rd Party Cover and charged us extra. This seems to be their way of doing business - Sell it cheap and then get more out of you at the airport. Do You Spain were not interested in the slightest about helping us when we returned home. Book with someone with some integrity!
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