Beware of Auto Europe
 

I thought that I would take a few minutes to relay the horrible experience that we had with a car rental service called Auto Europe on a recent trip to Spain. <BR> <BR>Being typical American's, my wife and I were not well versed in driving standard automobiles. Therefore, reserving an automatic car was very troublesome and expensive. However, we were able to get a fairly good quote from Auto Europe, so we sent them a downpayment and life was good - so we thought. While in Spain I called to confirm that the automatic was available. To our surprise, they told us that no automatics were available at the Avis office where we were supposed to pick up the car. But they assured us that an automatic would be waiting for us through Budget at the airport. After paying for a cab ride out of our own pocket we arrived at the airport and were told that there were no automatics in the entire city of Seville available for rent. Needless to say we were rather frustrated. To further the pain, there were several automatics sitting out in the parking lot of the airport. However at the ticket counter we were told that all the automatics were reserved for their customers who had reserved them. And because Auto Europe was simply a middleman, they had no clout to obtain one of those cars for us. So that day, we spent half the day on the phone with Auto Europe and trying to decide whether we dared try our luck with a standard. Luckily for us and the citizens of Spain, an automatic finally showed up through one of the other car rental services before we left the airport. We quickly went to their counter and rented that car so we could get on with our vacation. <BR> <BR>To date, I have made several phone calls, and have written letters to the company, yet have received no reimbursement for our troubles. I did receive two letters from the company, one which suggested that I had used their service and therefore would not be reimbursed. The other promised that my account would be credited in their next billing cycle. A couple of billing cycles later, it still hasn't shown up. Surprise, it never showed up. <BR> <BR>I thought for a while that we were simply unlucky and that this bad service was simply a fluke. However, after dealing with Auto Europe on several occasions since our trip, I question the credibility of their company. <BR> <BR>I appologize for the long and winded story, but I thought that I would try to persuade those considering Auto Europe for their rental car needs to look elsewhere towards a more reputable, big name rental car service. Best of luck in your travels.

I have used Auto Europe exclusively for about 7 years now and I find that uncharacteristic of them. Each time I got what I wanted with no real problems. <BR> <BR>One time I did get overcharged by Avis in Italy and when I returned home Auto Europe took care of it and I got my money back the next billing cycle. <BR> <BR>I am going to Germany in November and will be using Auto Europe again. This trip I have specifically requested a BWI and they noted it on my invoice and have sent the request to Avis in Germany. I don't expect a problem. <BR> <BR>Automatic transmissions are not a big thing in Europe and I suspect that that was the biggest contributing factor to your problem. My recommendation is to learn how to drive a stick and go with the flow. You don't want you vacation ruined by something that you couldn't control. Adapt and overcome.

Dear Len, <BR> <BR>Words are not enough to show you my deep apologies when reading your complaints about our services. <BR> <BR>Auto Europe prides itself with providing a quality service. <BR> <BR>In this case, as I may understand, we did not show you a quality service. <BR> <BR>Please forward to me your reservation number and I will make sure I will deal with your complaint and inconvenience personally. <BR> <BR>Sincerely, <BR> <BR>Imad Khalidi <BR>President/CEO <BR>Auto Europe

Wow!!!!!

I must agree with Chris. I have used AutoEurope in Barcelona and had no trouble except that they closed one of the offices in Barcelona which left us confused. We found another one in Barcelona and had no trouble. I agree with Chris in the fact that automatics are not the norm. I use AutoEurope because of the good prices and the car we got was almost brand new (spain). I will only use Auto Europe.

Len, I completely empathize with your dilemma and the stress it caused. This very same scenario happened to me with Hertz in Barcelona. Was perpetually reassured of the automatic car etc. No such thing when I got to the office. They offerred a refund. Meanwhile, it left me stranded and unable to reach my planned destinations. It was a nightmare and ruined the trip. Next time I ever reserve a car which is an automatic, I am calling directly to the office where I am to pick it up. These central reservation offices are no damn good. I too have not heard from hertz as I demanded money returned. <BR>Ellen

Len, <BR> <BR>So you can't drive a standard transmission, eh? Then learn. It's about as difficult as cutting salami. And by the way, speak for yourself. Many Americans have no trouble with a standard transmission. You are generalizing your personal ineptitude.

Nice Mike, very nice. "Generalizing your personal ineptitude"? The guy doesn't know how to drive a stick, it's not a moral failing. I drive a stick, but I bet Len is right when he says the typical American does it poorly, or not at all. He made a reservation, didn't get what he paid for, and expressed his frustration here. The company (or someone purporting to represent the company) apologized. What's up with the salami-cutting ire?

I've also used Auto Europe often and have nothing but praise for them. Cheap rates, courteous employees and nice cars. Perhaps the fault wasn't so much Auto Europe as the oversees provider. And as far as driving a stick shift, I learned in 5 minutes in the car parking lot with a little help from a Hertz employee. Unless you're driving on the hills of San Francisco, it's extremely easy.

Mike, I can drive a standard transmission too, but that is not the point. It is not ethical to contract with a customer for an automatic and ignore that contract when the customer arrives. Would a bike or a horse been OK with you too? Grow up!

Your heading certainly caught my eye as I would wholeheartedly agree with it! To the extent of never dealing with AutoEurope again! We booked a car with them for 5 weeks in France in May of this year through Karen Brown Travel. Don't know if the fault was with Karen Brown Travel (a DISTINCT possibility, but that's a whole other story!) or Auto Europe. After having paid a $500 deposit in January, we showed up in Avignon on the appointed day and they had NO record of a car for us!! After waiting for an hour, all they could come up with was a weird Fiat Multipla--a van-type thing with three bucket seats across front and back. It would be perfect for a large group travelling on major roads as it is BIG--for 2 people going to remote areas of the Gorge du Tarn and "backbackroads" of Provence and the Dordogne, it was less than ideal. But we were stuck with it for five WEEKS! To add insult to injury, they overcharged us by some $700 on the final billing, and we had to make several phone calls and take the TIME to deal with straightening THAT out.....they did finally credit our card with the appropriate amount. This experience was a marked contrast to our monthlong Hertz rental in Spain which went exactly as arranged--and we got the exact kind of mid-sized car we had booked, plus our reservation was there and waiting for us. We're not hard to please and just wanted a standard, non-automatic, mid-sized car. You'd think for a 5 week rental, they could come up with that! Won't use THEM again!

Len, I have used Auto Europe at least <BR>10 times in probably 5 countries and <BR>think they are the best. Of course, using third party vendors can cause a <BR>problem sometimes, but in both cases <BR>when I had minor problem they made it <BR>right after my return---as evidenced by <BR>the Presidents message. I am curious--- <BR>he must have a staffie perusing these <BR>forums for comments---you talk about <BR>customer sensitivety. <BR>

Kathy -- just curious, with which rental company did AutoEurope make your reservation?

Mike, thank you for your wonderfully sensitive comments. Your remarks really show how astute you are at assessing the situation at hand.

I am pleased that the big gun of Auto Europe responded. However, I am using them again for an Avis car. As for stick shift, even my wife can slap a 5-speed around and get on with it. <BR> <BR>

Another very satsified Auto Europe customer. We have used them at elast four times in the past and will be using them again in Ireland in the fall. Have always found the reservation staff to be friendly and helpful and have had no problems on pick-up. Both my husband and I drove stick shifts for many years so we always rent a standard. Don't want to get into the back and forth on the "rightness or wrongness" of not driving a standard but would agree since most European cars seem to be standard, they're probably easier to locate. Absolutely, agree, however, that a confirmed reservation MUST be honored. Was very happy to see the quick AutoEurope response.

Bob,is saying even your wife" can slap a stick shift around and get on with it",an attack on women drivers? <BR>It was also another put down for Len.

Mike, Why the rude attitude? I think Len already got enough agravation... <BR> <BR>Bob, are you implying anything with the remark -"...even my wife...-"? C'mmon, not you, not an (apparently) educated man...

Len, <BR> <BR>Would you mind posting the outcome of this? The fact that Auto Europe posted such a concerned note must account for something... <BR> <BR>I have used and recommended them plenty. Hope it turns out OK for you as well. <BR> <BR>Side note: Mr. Brown, what's up with that remark? Not you!?

Very timely post! I'm just about to rent two cars for our trip to France this fall, and AutoEurope seemed to have the best rates. I will take extra precautions (forewarned is forearmed, thanks, Len) if we do rent with them. <BR>What women lack in ability to drive a stick is more than made up by our ability to ask directions instead of driving around aimlessly for hours.

As far as confirming directly with the rental office goes, that may not work either. I rented from a private rental agent and confirmed directly with him at least three times by e-mail that an automatic would be available and even so, on the day we arrived, we were informed that their ONE automatic had been returned broken the night before and couldn't be fixed for three days. Rick Steves recommends learning to drive stick before going to Europe and I wish I had listened. The episode did force me to learn stick, so it had a good outcome. It wasn't all that hard either, even jet-lagged with three juvenile back-seat drivers.

We just used Auto Europe and it was good with the small exception of the drop off spot in Orleans. It was way off in the suburbs far from anything and no cabs. I had heard that you shouldn't count on getting an automatic in europe, they are such a rare commodity there. Therefore I learned to drive stick right before i left and we had no problems -well, except for crazy french drivers :)

Kudos to AutoEurope for their amazing response here on this post. We are renting an automatic from AutoEurope in September, but from what I've read today I know not to take anything for granted. Although the percentages lean toward a good experience, we are nonetheless going to practice our shifting skills before we leave. There's no reason to be left in a lurch...one should be prepared for problems and if things go wrong, deal with it and consider the experience part of the "spirit of adventure."

In response to Helen's query above about our (non-existent, as we it turned out!) reservation with Auto Europe, the reservation was made for us by Karen Brown Travel and the deposit was charged through Auto Europe in Portland, ME. The final bills and dealings in France were from/with Europcar France.

For those of you questioning my comment about my wife and a 5 speed: Well, you were not with her the first time she tried to drive one! Nor the second, nor the third. I was!! Fortunately, so was the transmission. <BR> <BR>Just to set the record straight: <BR>We rented a 5-speed Fiat, exact model now forgotten, from Avis, through Auto Europe, last summer in Interlaken. <BR>My wife drove it up and over the Grimsel Pass, and down, with no problems. Also, she drove a 5-speed Nissan Stanza for 12 years, and only had to have one new clutch, after 75,000 miles. So yes, my wife can slap a 5-speed around and get on with it. She and a fellow faculty member (female), who pushes an Acura Integra (5-speed) to the limit, lead the league in charming cops out of speeding tickets. And the lady who was our maid of honor when we got married 41 years ago drove a fire truck one summer when she was a NPS Ranger at Mesa Verde. <BR>The park was on fire and everybody had to pitch in, but a couple of the male rangers were reluctant to drive it. <BR>So she tackled the job because it had to be done. <BR> <BR>

I know nothing about Auto Europe, but my sister had the reserved-but-nonexistent-automatic trick pulled on her when she was traveling on business for a major corporation. It seems to be almost as standard as European transmissions.

In 10 years of renting through Autoeurope, our only problem was last year when they booked us with Europcar. The voucher from Autoeurope clearly showed we were taking the car into the Czech Republic, but the Europcar clerk in Munich neglected to put it in the rental agreement and so we were delayed at the Czech/Austria border until it was squared away. Moral, request not being booked with Europcar.

To Bob B.- Yeah, I am sure that Air Force Col. Eileen Collins, NASA's first female space shuttle Commander, who by the way, just carried the world's most powerful X-ray telescope safely into orbit, can provide a couple more examples of women's capabilities...

Len, <BR> <BR>We also had excellent service from Auto Europe picking up the requested car in Seville and dropping it in Cordoba a week later without problem. I, too, am hoping that the speedy response you received from the President will resolve the difficulties...keep us posted, Maria

Ellen, don't count on confirming availability of an automatic directly with the rental agent either. Tried that last year. confirmed three times directly with the agent and when we arrived, we were informed that the ONE automatic they had was returned broken the night before and couldn't be fixed for three days. Rick Steves recommends learning to drive stick before going to europe and I wish I had listened to his advice. On the plus side, I did learn to drive stick, and very quickly too (though I would say 5 minutes is a bit of an underestimation) in spite of jet lag and three juvenile "back seat drivers". I promised the rental agent I would not plaster his name all over the travel forums if he would adjust some charges we disagreed on, so I will not tell you where I rented from. Bottom line, learn stick before you go.

Last summer I rented from Auto Europe directly, and they were great! I arrenged for an automatic in the outskirts of London (I've never driven a standard and didn't want to learn in Britain while also learning to drive on the right!). We did have a glitch, but it turned out for the best. We thought we were getting a Renault Cleo or something like that, but when we showed up they said we were booked for a Mercedes, at an extra charge! After a call back to Portland on the 800 line we were offered a Rover 821i for the price we'd agreed upon for the Renault! It was the best car we'd ever driven in our lives (and we found out the US equivalent is an Infinity Q45 with a price tag in the $60,000 range!). My husband spent the whole week saying "this is the souvenir I want to take home" and he wouldn't let me drive at all. I would use Auto Europe again and reccomend it as well.

I have used Auto Europe twice in England and both times was upgraded to a luxury car (which made for a fun time driving through the Cotswolds), because of the limited number of automatic transmissions available from Europe Car. On my last trip, we had to call Auto Europe's 800 number from London to the U.S. because we realized that it would be easier for us to rent the car in downtown London instead of backtracking back to Gatwick. (We spent our first 4 days in London w/o a car.) The agent in the U.S. promptly changed our reservation for no fee and faxed to our hotel in London our new reservation for downtown London. I will definitely use their service again the next time we rent a car in Europe.

Well, you all have convinced me to learn to drive a 5-speed before my next European trip. It is also ironic that yesterday I heard from Hertz about my rental car fiasco. I did get $100 credited back to me, out of the $153 I paid for my rental. So, at least they credited me for my inconvenience! <BR>

I have used AutoEurope twice, the first experience was great, we even got a car with a sunroof as requested. The second time, we had no problem with car but with the costs. There were extra fees at the signing of the contract at the counter than what we were told about. I understand that the rental was through Avis, (AE being the middleman)but some of the costs I had to agree to at signing were well over 50% higher than we were told. I tried to straighten this out and the fact that the car was turned in a few days early. We tried to get some credit for the unused days and informed them about the higher costs. The rep told us that they would credit us for the higher charges and unused days but we never did. After a few calls I gave up. I will say that the biggest issues I have had with AE are with billing and getting a rep on the 800 number who is fully knowledgable about setting up a rental. Overall, they seem to be reliable.

LEARN to drive a stick shift car if you wamt to drive in Europe. Or stop whining.

My comments on this: <BR> <BR>Whilst Manual Gear cars are far more common here there are still a large number of Automatics sold and driven. <BR> <BR>It _is_ a big difference driving a manual (what you guys call a stick shift) and an automatic. As _you_ are the customers I see it as your prerogative to stick with automatic should you wish. <BR> <BR>Mike's comments and Smaker's are juvenile and irrelevant. <BR> <BR>Whether manual is easy or not is not the issue. The issue is getting what you want and what you paid for. <BR> <BR>As someone who drives both alternatively I say go with what you prefer and ignore the ignorants. <BR> <BR>Kavey

Both of us drive standards and automatic transmissions. We use standards in Europe. The only suggestion we have is this--learn where the reverse gear is located and how to use it ! While driving in Italy on the <BR>Amalfi Coast, a huge tour bus came directly at us on a narrow sharp curve--the reverse was only located by pushing down hard on the stick and throwing it to the back right. Luckily we found it, or we would have been flattened. So, whenever we rent an unfamiliar car--we check out that important reverse.

Second the excellent advice on locating reverse----luckily for us we've never made it out of the pick-up location without having to locate reverse---although it has on more than one occasion required a sheepish trip back to the rental desk. Another always check for us is the location of the headlight on/off switch. we realized the importance of this in a tunnel in Italy where all illumination suddenly disappeared----most terrifying 30 seconds of both our lives.

Asking for an automatic in Europe is like asking for eggs for breakfast, american coffee, a good steak, delicious ice cream, a nice public toilet in a southern European country, and an honest cab driver in Istanbul.

We are renting a car this fall through DER. I checked out several car companies and their reservationist asked all the right questions. DER and Auto Europe had exactly the same prices. However, earlier we had been told that for insurance purposes, generally manuals are required for Eastern Europe. Since we were going to Praha and Budapest, and all 4 of us knew how to drive a stick, it was not a problem. Also a stick was cheaper. I booked with DER because they seemed more knowledgeable on the front end. Time will tell well when we get there in September. We did request a diesel, but they indicated that they cannot guarantee since you never know what will be available. And by the way, several year ago both our cars were sticks. When our daughter turned 15 and wanted to learn to drive, drivers education in the US through the public and private high schools only taught automatic. We told her she had to learn the stick if she wanted to use the cars. It was amazing later how impressed the guys were that she could drive the stick since most of the guys could not!!!