Tell Your Guests To Avoid Goldcar

[AngloDutch]

Thanks!

[kevsboredagain]

Each time I hire a car in Spain, I seem to get ripped off in one way or another. This last trip I decided to use a different broker to find a car. I choose a full/full fuel policy and selected a car with Dickmanns at Valencia airport. I think I may have rented a car via this company before but many years ago.

When I picked up the car I was second in the queue. The guy before us was complaining about the “fueling charge” which was being deducted from his credit card and also some damage on the car, which was not marked on the contract. By the time it came to us, our son was getting really bored and hard to handle. The car was brought to us straight from a car wash and was dripping wet. We simply got in and left. Now I’m kicking myself for not thoroughly checking the car.

When we returned 9 days later, it was pointed out that there was damage all around one corner of the front. Random direction scratches and a broken grill. I am 99.9% sure this was not caused by us. The car was garaged nearly the whole time and was never anywhere where this kind of damage could have happened. It’s much more than a car park scrape and looks like it was driven into a rough stone wall.

Of course I denied having caused the damage but knew I didn’t have a leg to stand on. The guy called his boss and then took us to the airport without saying another word. Now 18 days later, no deposit has been returned = 950 excess, 34 fueling charge and 100 or so for fuel. They charge all this to your card now. No more just an authorisation for that amount.

Luckily I do have annual insurance which I took out before this trip.

Never, ever take a car without full photographic evidence of its condition. Best to walk around the car making a video. How this is possible at night or when the car is dripping wet, I’m not sure but don’t do as I did and leave without checking.

I will not be using Dickmanns again.

[rammy100]

We hired a car from Goldcar in Malaga last month with no problems whatsoever.

There was no queue (yes we were a little out of season) and yes they were a bit pushy but not aggressively so. We took photos of every part of the car that was scraped before we got in and as we handed it back. We also explained that we were doing this to the guy behind the desk.

I think we had to pay for a tank of petrol on the understanding that it would be refunded if we left the tank full which we did, and the money was quickly refunded.

All in all we found them to be no better nor worse than any other car hire firm.

[AngloDutch]

We're flying into Alicante at the end of July and are looking for an automatic compact or intermediate car for 1 1/2 weeks.

We don't want to deal with Firefly, Sol Mar, Record, Dickmanns, Goldcar or Victoria Cars at Alicante due to the number of complaints against them on many other forums that we have seen.

Apart from Hertz, Avis, Sixt, Budget, Thrifty, Alamo, Enterprise and Europcar/Keddy which are much more expensive, that leaves Centauro, Interrent, Drivalia and a few other local rental companies which are also available through the brokers.

But I have also read some positive reviews (have no idea if they are genuine!) from people who have rented directly with Skippy Rent a Car, Caronline Rent A Car, Costa Blanca Transfers and Coys Rent-A-Car.

Does anyone have any experience of renting from these companies or have heard something positive from their guests about them? We're particularly interested in what we've read and seen on the Coys website. Any advice would be appreciated!

[roxytoo]

I have lots of guests who recommend coys, not used them myself yet but will probably go for them too this year. They are not the cheapest but always fair and don't take the stupid amount from your credit card etc (so I've been told) I think they have a new website now too

[AngloDutch]

I have lots of guests who recommend coys, not used them myself yet but will probably go for them too this year. They are not the cheapest but always fair and don't take the stupid amount from your credit card etc (so I've been told) I think they have a new website now too

Thanks, roxytoo, I have just made an enquiry via Coys. I just don't want to have to queue for an hour at a desk and then have to fight with a clerk over taking their Super CDW when I have my own, and then find that they've billed my card later for damage that was already there.

[Mas Nialgue]

I have always used Europcar and found them very good all around the world.

Following a car breakdown in Madrid recently I was ripped off by Hertz, the partner of my breakdown insurers. I arrived at the airport in Madrid to drop off the car and took out my baggage and dog. 'Oh you have a dog' they said and wheeled out some young dragon who informed me that I had to pay 100 euros extra cleaning (121 with the VAT) I opened the back door, explained that the dog had been in a plastic basket for the whole journey and brushed off the two hairs that were on the seat.

She said that they had to clean the whole of the interior of the car with a special product because there had been a dog in it. I asked why I had not been informed of this charge when picking up the car in Girona with the dog, 'not my problem' she said. I also asked why nothing was said when picking up a car from Madrid Airport 3 weeks earlier with the same dog to go to France 'that was 3 weeks ago' she said.

Totally scandalous how some companies rip you off given the chance and of course they have your credit card details so there is nothing you can do. I will never use Hertz again.

[AngloDutch]

I have always used Europcar and found them very good all around the world.

Following a car breakdown in Madrid recently I was ripped off by Hertz, the partner of my breakdown insurers. I arrived at the airport in Madrid to drop off the car and took out my baggage and dog. 'Oh you have a dog' they said and wheeled out some young dragon who informed me that I had to pay 100 euros extra cleaning (121 with the VAT) I opened the back door, explained that the dog had been in a plastic basket for the whole journey and brushed off the two hairs that were on the seat.

She said that they had to clean the whole of the interior of the car with a special product because there had been a dog in it. I asked why I had not been informed of this charge when picking up the car in Girona with the dog, 'not my problem' she said. I also asked why nothing was said when picking up a car from Madrid Airport 3 weeks earlier with the same dog to go to France 'that was 3 weeks ago' she said.

Totally scandalous how some companies rip you off given the chance and of course they have your credit card details so there is nothing you can do. I will never use Hertz again.

What we have experienced in Spain is that if you don't want to have to go through an ordeal and get ripped off then you have to rent with one of the larger international car hire companies, BUT you still shouldn't expect to find the experience as smooth as renting from the same company in the UK or Germany for example, because it often appears that these companies are just the best of quite a bad lot operating at some of the Spanish airports. As I posted here earlier, when we rented from Avis at Malaga we were shocked that they could give us a car that was so battered and worn out (it wasn't cheap either), although they treated us much better than the poor people who were standing next to us in the Goldcar line....