Feedback on Autoeurope?
 

I'm heading to Barcelona and I need a car for a few days. I live in the US so Hertz was the natural first choice, but they're VERY expensive. A quick google search brought me to autoeurope.com which has a VW Golf for about $250 for all three days. I'd appreciate any feedback on autoeurope out there...are they reliable, vehicle condition, etc.

There are probaly a thousand threads on here mentioning AutoEurope (maybe only a slight exaggeration)

AutoEurope is not a car rental agency - they are a broker handling several firms. In fact your AutoEurope booking may end up being w/ Hertz.

They are very good and often have the best rates anywhere . . .

Countless satisfied autoeurope customers have posted here - - some, like myself, repeatedly - - from years ago, to as recently as last month.

Best wishes,

Rex

No problems with five rentals, the most recent in April, 2005. All went smoothly every time.

I've found that the service from the U.S. centre is great, but not always with the agencies they contract with in Europe.

Make sure you have copies of all your correspondence w. Autoeurope, their contact number you can call fr. Europe, keep copies of all the paperwork when you hand in the car and call Autoeurope if there is any problem so that they can start a file on you. Also, if you check on the internet and find a cheaper rate, let Autoeurope know. They'll usually beat it by 10%.

I've also found that taking photos of the car at the beginning of the trip, from different vantage points, is a good idea. Or insist on a thorough pre-hire inspection before you leave the airport/lot with agency signing off on any dints, etc.

When nothing goes wrong, any rental company is great. You want to protect yourself against the times when the
*@(# does hit the fan.

No problems, but agree that you should have a copy of all paperwork with you and pay close attention. When we were getting our car from Avis in Kelsterbach, the agent said "You are using your credit card insurance, I assume"? Actually, we had paid for the insurance since there was so little difference and it showed that on the booking form.

I recently rented thru AE in Italy. I have a problem where Auto Europa, which is the Company that AE rented the car thru, has now charged my CC some 2 weeks after the rental - for no apparent reason. AE is looking into it - hopefully it will be resolved. Issue here is that the car company has your CC (required at rental) and you are at their mercy - so to speak. When I returned the car in Venice the counter agent took my paperwork refused to give me anything as a receipt. That should have been my first clue. I sent a note about that process to AE upon my return to the US but never got a response. Be very cautious with Auto Auropa in Italy.

I have used Autoeurope only in Austria and Switzerland. In all cases, the contracts have been through either Hertz or Avis. Before signing anything, make sure you check exactly what is included and how much it will cost for any extras like a second driver, taxes, and insurance.

Also, I do a little comparison shopping before accepting the offer. My standard approach is to check 5 agencies on the web: Hertz, Avis, Europcar, Sixt, and AutoEurope.

Europcar often has a better inclusive rate than AutoEurope, AE can place the contract at a convenient location because it deals with multiple rental agencies.

This summer I rented in Interlaken with Hertz through Autoeurope although Europcar had a slightly better rate. I was staying in Lauterbrunnen and the nearest Europcar agency was in Thun. The difference in overall cost was not enough to compensate for the inconvenience of going to Thun.

None of these rental arrangements are without a few problems. I remember one rental with Avis where I got clipped for a relatively high second driver charge. I rented in Salzburg and neglected to ask. I knew an extra charge would be assessed, but I was astounded at the amount. But, my negligence. Lesson learned. The next time I asked!

On the other hand, rentals with Avis via Autoeurope out of Lausanne and Interlaken have been good experiences.

This summer in Interlaken, I went through Autoeurope and had a rental car with Hertz. No problems. I asked how much a second driver would cost, was told it was $10 a day extra, and declined.

I think some of these bargain rates may look good up front, but watch for gimmicks to up the price.

I did note on my contract this year that some collision damage was included in the price. My total liability for the vehicle if I creamed it was around $700. I don't think I had the option of declining because the charge was built into the contract.

I did not argue because the AutoEurope price was substantially below what the one I was quoted when dealing directly with Hertz.

Another thing I have found is that in Switzerland at least, a 4 day rental is only slightly cheapeer than a 7 day rental and a 5 day period was the same price as a 7 day contract. The one and two day rates were so high that the marginal difference between 2 days and week was almost negligible. I took the weekly contract and made good use of the car.

I used AutoEurope to rent a car in Munich last June. I spoke with a young man on the phone who was very helpful. My car was rented through a major company at the train depot in Munich, either Avis or Hertz.

When our family of four arrived on foot to pick up the car, after we'd been walking around all day, we were denied it because they insisted on seeing our ORIGINAL passports, which we had locked up at our hotel on the other side of town. We had color Xerox copies of our passports on us, but they would not accept them.

We did not expect this problem, and other rental agencies at the depot did not have the requirement, but they also did not have a car available anywhere near the price we'd reserved.

So, we ended up not even getting a car at all. Which was serendipity, because we discovered the Bayern Pass and much enjoyed our day-trips by train anyway.

Bottom line, my concern was that I had paid in advance for the car rental which I did not get. When we returned home, I called AutoEurope and spoke to the young man (Andy?) who was very concerned and surprised at how we'd been treated. He made sure we got every penny of our money credited back immediately to our account.

So, I would highly recommend AutoEurope.

I've rented from AutoEurope more than 50 times. No problems, no complaints. Always got the best price and very good service. Sometimes the in-country affiliate has caused problems, but AutoEurope has always been right on top of it.

Still waiting on a response from AutoEurope for a mysterious charge to my CC from the rental company in Italy. Thus far - not impressed.

Just heard from AE. AutoEuropa had charged a mysterious $65+ to my CC. Turns out the charge shd have been $2.50 for road tax. No indication why the $65+ was billed instead. When renting in Italy watch your CC closely after the rental and let AE know if you see unexplained charges. AE has indicated that they will be crediting the error to my account.

AE does a great job. They handled the one issue I had promptly and to my satisfaction. Highly recommend them.

Okay, just curious... why did you top this two year old thread? just to re-affirm their satisfactory working out of a problem?

Really?

Best wishes,

Rex