Car hire firm Goldcar is reported to be facing a number of probes over allegations by British holidaymakers about hard sales tactics, forged documents and spurious bills for damage.
Goldcar, part of the French giant Europcar, has drawn complaints from travellers hit with hidden charges after they rented vehicles at holiday destinations in Spain, France, Italy, Portugal and Malta.
A Sunday Times investigation last week revealed customers had accused the firm of pushing its insurance policies on them, charging for add-ons they did not need and sending out bills for damage they did not cause.
The newspaper yesterday reported new complaints including some in which customers accused the firm of forging their signatures on documents.
Complaints highlighted by the newspaper included Mick McNamee, 59, from Great Bentley, Essex, who was charged €428 for a small scuff on a car he had hired in Malta this month.
When he and his wife, Debbie, 58, returned the car at the airport, he said staff went straight to a panel beneath the driver’s door and pointed to a scuff. They were given a choice of paying €428 or losing their €1,100 deposit.
“They were adamant we’d dented the car, but you had to bend down on your knees to see this minor scuff on the sill,” McNamee said.
Gill and Dougie Hall, from Edinburgh, accused Goldcar of sending them a video of a car they had not hired to prove they were liable for damage to the Ford Fiesta they rented in Malaga, Spain, in August.
“Their complaints process is as much use as a chocolate fireguard,” said Mr Hall.
After the fresh claims the Italian Competition Authority – which has fined Goldcar €2.5 million for mis-selling – confirmed it was monitoring sales tactics in Italy and Spain with a view to a fresh investigation.
In a further crackdown, the European Commission has given car rental firms, including Europcar, until the end of the year to come clean over hidden charges.
It will reportedly also investigate sales tactics used by smaller rental companies, including Goldcar. A pan-European body, the European Consumer Centres Network, has reported a surge in complaints about these companies.
Martyn James, of the complaints website Resolver, said car hire firms had been riding roughshod over consumers’ rights for far too long.
“Regulators and policy makers are finally taking notice. We have an opportunity to stamp out their brazen malpractice once and for all,” he said.
Goldcar, founded in 1985, has sales of around €200 million a year and 100 offices in 17 countries. It is the top car rental firm among holidaymakers in Spain and Portugal, and has deals with Jet2 and Ryanair.
French giant Europcar bought Goldcar for €550 million last year.
Europcar said it was urgently looking into complaints about Goldcar, and promised to retrain staff falling foul of consumer rules.
The company said it was “disappointing” to hear about the experiences of UK customers.