lololamoto

I would like to share my first and bad experience I have with Autoeurope.

I call Autoeurope to make a booking in Malpenza aiport, Italy. I book by phone because I was looking for a rental company situated in Terminal 2 and the car to be park in teminal 2 as well. 2 weeks before, I spend half an hour to link terminal 1 from terminal 2 to collect my Hertz rental car and I decided to make the booking with Autoeurope to make sure the rental company and car will be situated in Terminal 2.

The agent on the phone confirmed twice that the car and the front desk of the company was in Terminal 2. Once when I make the booking and a second time upon the voucher reception with "call on arrival" wroten on it.
As I was really short on time, I recall the agent to understand what does it mean "call on arrival". The guy said that I didn't have to worry, he caleld the company and yes car and front desk are in teminal 2.

Unfortunatly, their was no Front desk either in terminal 1 and 2 and the phone number "call on arrival" was a taxi company!

I contacted Autoeurope italy, explain the situation, but the unsupported guy just told me that if I'm not happy I should contact the customer services! He was able to reach the rental car company and told me to find out a pharmacy and to wait there!

So finally, after one hour, I was able to get in the rental car. I lost 20 minute trying to find out where was the rental front desk, 10 minute on phone with the taxi company "call on arrival" given on my voucher, 10 minutes to wait for the rental company to pick me up with a van, then10 minutes arround the airport to link to the rental company front desk, then 15 minute to fill up the contract.

I was looking to speed up my rental car process and I end up by a double waiting time.
I paid 10€ less than the last time with Hertz, but the car has a broken air flow (no AC/ no air flow at all). But luckyly, I was able to open the windows, very unconfortable and noisy on the motorway, but beter than nothing.

I was not looking for a price but for an efficiente service, I got the reverse, a better price and a very bad service.

Gretchen

I think getting in a rental car in a foreign airport in an hour is a pretty good length of time. Maybe if you hadn't stipulated so much and just gone to the desk wherever it was, it would have been less.

adrienne

If you knew this was a Hertz car you should have called Hertz and asked your questions.

If the car's AC was broken, that is Hertz's fault as they are the rental agent. AutoEurope is only the booking agent - they did not rent you the car.

I believe your complaints should be addressed to Hertz.

In Italy, you did get efficient service for picking up a rental car.

ira

Hi lolo,

A: I think that you are right. AE made promises it could not fulfill.

B: >10 minute on phone with the taxi company "call on arrival" given on my voucher, 10 minutes to wait for the rental company to pick me up with a van, then10 minutes arround the airport to link to the rental company front desk, then 15 minute to fill up the contract.<

In less than an hour after arrival in Italy you were on the road? Amazingly fast service.

zoecat

Was the rental car company Hertz?

Was your reservation made through Auto Europe or Auto Europa? Some people confuse the two.

lololamoto

Thanks,don't get me wrong, I share this just because It is clear that the 2 guys on the phone lie under purpose because they want the booking to be settle.
If the guys told me the true, no Front desk and no car into the terminal 2 , I will have book again with Hertz as I knew where was the front desk, knew with bus to step in and exactly where was the front desk in Terminal 1.

I had been looking online without sucess wich rental company had a Front desk and car in terminal 2 and I wrongly believe Auto europe as a broker will now better and find the good rental company. The way they act was really looking like they check it (I wait several minutes while the 2 guys reach the rental company Advantage). Both of them asked me to wait on the line because they want to reach the rental company to make sure the car and the Front desk is in terminal 2.

The booking has been done through Auto Europe by phone.
The rental company was Advantage, not Hertz.

As per the AC, right it is the rental company responsability, and probably part of the 10€ discount compare with Hertz!

StCirq

You would have had to take a van to get to the car no matter which terminal you came into: https://global.advantage.com/Car-Hire-Milan.html

hetismij2

A quick look at the airport website tells you that no car hire companies have a desk at terminal 2.
http://www.airportmalpensa.com/car-hire.html

clausar

That is why i never do bookings on the phone !!
Afterwards you cannot prove anything, it would have been better to have the confirmation about terminal 2 in written from them ( maybe even stated on the voucher)

chartley

There is a regular and frequent free bus service between Terminals 1 and Terminal 2 at Malpensa, as the terminals are about 2 km apart.

Our Easyjet flight in 2009 landed at Terminal 2, but I checked both terminals on the AutoEurope website and renting from terminal 1 was significantly cheaper for some reason.

I live in the U.K. and do all my bookings online.

adrienne

I can't believe that you would call someone a liar without proof. Perhaps they were misinformed or made a mistake. Or perhaps they did not understand what you were asking.

lololamoto

There is actually Europcar and avis on terminal 2 and I saw their cars on the parking on terminal 2. Next time I know were to get the car from.

What change does it make if the liar is the rental company or the broker? At the end it's the client that suffer from it and the service is provide by Autoeurope. I simply paid for a service that has not been provided.
Anyway, end of the topic.

sundriedpachino

lololamoto that sounds like a frustrating experience. Part of the reason for the mixup may be that the booking person on the phone doesn't really know much about what actually happens at the airport, since they are merely sitting in front of a desk in an office somewhere.
We had a similar experience in Rome trying to find the address to return our rental car at Termini Stazione. Turns out the parking lot was 3 or 4 blocks away in the bottom of an office parking garage, although the address given us was at Termini.
In this case, I had rented through a travel agent, so I left my complaint with her.
Try sending a short but specific email to their customer service; ask them for a credit or whatever it would take to make you happy. Consider how you might word your complaint without getting personal, ie the person 'lied' to you. At the least, you will get an apology.

Gretchen

I think sundried has it right--they don't know what the desks look like at a particular airport. You didn't actually pay for any service you didn't get. You paid less, actually.