crckwc1

My husband and I arrived at the airport in Heraklion, Crete, around 9 p.m. expecting to pick up a rent car booked through Kemwel (although our reservation paperwork listed "Auto Europe/National" as the vendor.) When we got to the desk, we were told that there would be a hold placed on our credit card in the amount of 15,000 euro "for insurance." We explained that our Visa card covered the insurance and produced the letter and documents from Visa to corroborate this. Fell on uncomprehending ears. No amount of arguing would reduce this exhorbitant amount to be held on our credit card (which, incidentally, didn't have that much credit line). A call to Kemwel -- t.g. for our Mobal phone -- didn't resolve the issue completely, but all agreed that we should just buy the CDW and that would reduce the amount of the hold. When my husband produced his driver's license, he was denied rental due to his age (76). The infuriating thing is, we were aware of this possible problem and spoke with Kemwel about it before booking, and we were assured there was no upper age limit in Greece. Still at the airport in Heraklion, we placed another call to Kemwel, and the rep acknowledged that yes, there was indeed an upper age limit in Greece (from National) and that he was very sorry for our situation. OK. Car down the toilet in Heraklion. Our next thought was that we had a car reserved in Athens as well and was that going to be a problem? Another call to Kemwel and yes, there is a problem in Athens because that is the same vendor, National. However, to Kemwel's credit, or to the specific rep who dealt with us, within less than 24 hours we received a call from Kemwel that another car agency, Acropolis, had been booked for us in Athens, so our week-long driving tour of the mainland was saved. One good thing came of this experience in Heraklion: it's a blessing we didn't have a car that first night because even the taxi didn't know how to get to our hotel! We would have been driving around utterly lost, in the dark, late at night, because that's just about what the taxi did before he called for additional directions.

Of course we had to alter plans for our stay in Crete. After a couple of days in Heraklion we took a bus to Chania, where we got around using city bus and taxi which worked out fine. While we missed the freedom of having a car, the alternative was ok.

Anyway, that's not quite the end of the snafu story. When we returned home a month later, we had a charge from Kemwel on our credit card for a car rental in Heraklion. Apparently they failed to cancel the non-rental. Another couple of phone calls to customer service and, after profuse apologies, they credited our account.

The moral of the story is, I think, that if you're "of a certain age" -- anywhere over 65 -- no matter what the rep tells you over the phone about age limits, check for yourself by telephoning the specific rental location in question and ask them. Then call again on another day and ask again.
Kemwel fouled up by giving us incorrect information in the beginning but, to their credit, they did just about everything possible to help us salvage the trip on mainland Greece.

I plan to put together a complete trip report soon, but I wanted to get this information out, especially to older drivers who plan to rent in Europe.

Ackislander

Just what you need after a long day!

It is hard for us in the US, where middle age seems to last until 70, to realize how differently age is viewed in some other countries.

The credit card block is not that unusual, though the amount is a bit stiff. Hotels often block the entire amount of the stay. What happens when the agency and the hotel both block? That's why I carry more than one credit card. I have had it happen.

A very well-written report about what must have been an unpleasant situation. Congratulations for remaining calm.

crckwc1

Has anyone ever had 15,000 euro (almost $25,000) held on their credit card for a car rental in Europe? With our Visa card we have never had more than 700 euro held, and in Italy where CDW is mandatory, only 400 euro was held.

Of course, the age thing settled the issue once and for all, but I'm curious about the very high amount that would have been held.

Ackislander

We had 2000 pounds blocked in the UK in 1981, when that was real money.

HappyCheesehead

Hi crckwc1 - I recently posted the following to another thread about car rentals. Our situations are similar, both having to do with AutoEurope (Kemwel) rentals in Greece with National Car. My story:

I just ran into this exact situation on Chios, Greece and never had it happen before.

I rented a car thru AutoEurope, as I have in the past, and they set me up with National Car Rental on Chios. I chose the basic option and paid with a credit card that covers me when I waive CDW.

When we arrived the local National agency INSISTED that we either take the CDW for 15 euro per day (and with an amazing 800 euro deductible) or that they pre-authorize the entire value of the car, 9,000 euro, which would have been what - $15,000 US or so. I have a much higher limit than that on my card but there was no way I would agree to that kind of pre auth.

I refused both options and called AE's toll free number from Greece. It took about 1.5 hours for it to get worked out, but AE called National, and National called the local agency. There was quite a bit of unpleasantness as the owner of the franchise was yelling and screaming into the phone at both AE and National Corporate. He was really wild and it was amazing to me he would act that way in front of us. I did keep my cool though, and a smile on my face, and in the end we agreed to a pre-auth of 305 euro and got our rental car.

I was very glad to have had AE to act on my behalf as I never would have been able to resolve it on my own. The agency refused to back down until National Corporate intervened. It was probably the single most unpleasant experience I have ever had while traveling.

crckwc1

My! What a scene! Sounds like National is the culprit in all this and that perhaps next time we should specify "Not National." I'm certainly not impressed with their attitude.

HappyCheesehead

I am with you on that one crckwc1!

The National Car agency tried to tell us that was the "way it works" in Greece for car rentals. We rented another car a few days later on Santorini (also arranged through Auto Europe) we had no such requirements or issues.

crckwc1

I think National was right that "that's the way it works in Greece." That's exactly how it works for National in Greece. However, Acropolis Car Rental in Athens didn't have an upper age limit nor require a huge hold, and we too rented on Santorini with no problem so, no, that's not "the way it works in Greece" for all car rentals.

tableronde

Hi crckwc1, I hope that your trip was still worthwhile, and relaxing in the end.

A general observation from my European travel experiences: one needs to understand the difference between the local agency's business rules (or their current mood) and what all the go-between folks tell you (or don't tell you).

Auto-Europe or National, or your online booking page can't guarantee contract terms. And given my experiences with attempting to book anything ahead in Greece, I've come to look at it probabilistically: I MAY get something, POSSIBLY at the estimated rate, with no hidden cost. Better to have a back-up plan, or wait and book on location. So I give myself plenty of time, and don't expect too much reliability by my standards, let them surprise me in a pleasant way.

As for deposits, here is what happened to me years ago in Canada: the credit card company charged a hefty currency exchange fee on both sides of the transaction, hence the deposit - refund was higher than the rental. The fix is to insist on the deposit transaction not going through, or that the refund cancel the deposit transaction.

eslrachel

i never believe a taxi driver in greece who says they dont know how to get to a hotel...it happens all the tme..that is their gimmik to keep on driving.my plan is to always ask about how much it would cost before i get into the car..if he says he doesnt know where it is,get another cab.I speak greek fairly well but i am sure you can try pigin english to get this point across.
also,i have arrived in greece,sleepy from the airport,usually with a couple of babies in tow and after the taxi sped away i found he had not given me all of my luggage!!always always double check the taxigees in greece.