50 euros for a banana skin?!?!
 

Just wondering what peoples car hire experiences have been thus far this summer.

I am increasingly uneasy about leaving a blank cheque (authorised credit card transaction) with some of the companies.

Last week Budget in Olbia seemed be up to every trick in the book to squeeze more euros out of us. We were given a car and a copy of the hand over inspection sheet which showed no scratches. It was dark but I did actually bother to check the car with the light on my phone. it was covered in dents and scratches. I took the inspection sheet back into the office and pointed out their omission, the pretty uncivil assistant just took has pen and scribbled all over the image of the car with the words "whats the problem do you not trust us".

On our return after two weeks , we handed back the car and the staff didn't interested in inspected. We had to nearly force them to come out. They then tried to charge us 50 euros as it was dirty. It wasn't, there was just bits of sand over the carpets. The assistant said I had left a banana skin the drivers door. I had (just forgot to take it out, as I had eaten the banana on the way to the airport).

I was then told if I paid cash now the cleaning fee would be reduced to 30 euros. I asked why the car was regarded as dirty. He simply said " you left in in a disgusting state with the skin". I simply removed the skin and asked if that was better. He then backed down and told me there would be no charge.

I asked how they would have treated this had I not asked for a physical inspection, I was told they would have charged my card with 50 euros for the banana skin.

I have hired 100 plus cars in Europe and never been charged for them to be cleaned. Some in all honesty have been in a pretty bad state due to one too many dirty road trips.

I am fairly sure that, had I not checked the car on arrival, Budget would have tried to charge me for the scratches.

Has anyone else had a bad experience with aggressively charging hire companies this year?

I photo the whole thing when i take it out, i photo it when I bring it back. I show the peope that I'm doing it. Never get any problems as they can see I have quality records.

Had an Advantage car at Paris CDG this summer (some crysler rubbish) car was filthy when I picked it up, it was filthy when i brought it back with fewer miles than they had on their records. Photos proved me right

Have rented many cars allover Europe, i never heard about a fee for giving back a "dirty" car....

Maybe this is a way for Budget to make some extra money?

When dropping off the car, i always insist on an inspection, so that i/they know that everything was ok, and no extra charges are to be expected.

We always do a flight check before taking a car out (after getting one with a damaged driver's side wiper that we had to bash back on with a rock). Check all lights, door and trunk locks, gas cap, wipers and everything else we can think of.

Also check the whole outside and note any marks or dents on the contract and have them initial. I do this in the US as well as europe - after Avis tried to charge me for a major dent in the fender (that I had noted and had them sign on the agreement when I took it).

bilbo

The idea of photographing the car is a good one. I had no faith in the integrity of Budget at Olbia.

...and yes clauser, charging for a (non) dirty car was a whole new concept to me. Particularly, as the 50 euro charge would have appeared on my credit card statement on my return home, has I not asked for the inspection and queried the charge.