Using Auto Europe
 

Since 1998 I have used Auto Europe as my rental agent. This year was no exception. On the occasions when I was overcharged, AE has always been successful in negotiating a refund for me.

I have had similar incidents in the US with Hertz and Avis and I did not do so well in obtaining a refund.

So given the results to date, I will continue to use AE. There may be better options, but I have not yet found them.

I agree, Bob.
I have rented cars at least 20 times with AE and they have come to my rescue after the fact 5 times to resolve problems to my satisfaction. Their customer service is the best.

I agree tooo! Always have had great experiences with them !!!

More than 100 rentals, and I have zero complaints.

I am part of the choir, Bob!

Another enthusiastic endorsement for Auto Europe. We do on average 4-5 European rentals with them each year and have not one complaint.

Yes, AutoEurope has also obtained refunds for me.

I will also mention that one of my colleagues has been using Auto Escape, which I'm sure is also a good company, but she is using AutoEurope next time, because their price quote was lower.

All of our AutoEurope rentals have been booked through gemut.com and, fortunatley, we've have no issues thus far. But I have always felt better knowing that if I did have any problems, there was somebody to call to help sort things out.

AutoEurope were great when we had a little incident that resulted in a lost hubcap. No bother, no charge!

Hi,
Has anyone used Auto Europe for their long term leases? Are there any other long-term leasing agencies or should I stick with Auto Europe?

Also, just curious...say we get in an accident and the car is totaled...I know ...worse case scenario..but are we responsible for purchasing the car now or does the insurance that comes with it cover us for that kind of loss?

Thank you all for your continued help as we plan our trip,
Michele

I sometimes get lower rates from Kemwel, the sister company, and from others if the car is returned to the original location. Since I have a pre-paid contract in my hand, I have never been over-charged.

Yes, look at Kemwel for the buy back program.

I made a reservation this October through AutoEurope and then through Kemel for the exact same car, etc. Kemel was about 15% less. I called both 800 numbers and they are the same place. The gentleman told me that AutoEurope is really for travel agents and the reason their rate is higher is for commission. Kemel is supposed to be for people booking without a travel agent. If what he is saying is true then it makes sense to book through Kemel.

Thank you for your replies. I will research the Kemwel site tomorrow. I will be leasing at the end of our stay in Paris and returning before our time in Rome...if that makes a difference.
Thank you again,
Michele

Hi...me again!
I just checked the Kemwel site and it's about $75 cheaper than the Auto Europe site, even though the form you fill out on both sites is identical except for the coloring. It is the same place!!!

Thanks for the info...that's one more dinner out we can have. Yippeee!!!
Thank you,
Michele

We used AutoEurope five times and for the last two summers have used Kemwel...either way we have been totally satisfied.

I would like to know though--how much time before your trip do you usually make car arrangements?

That's very interesting info. We have booked through AutoEurope most times we have traveled (Spain, Ireland, France) but I've never checked out Kemwel. Booked directly through Avis one time to get a cute little Peugeot 207 convertible in Spain that wasn't available through AE and also in Spain have used Nova, which had a better deal (despite the whole No Va irony.)

Hi again...
Wren,
I tried to enter our dates for our trip, August 22 - October 28, 2009 but the Auto Europe site would not let me enter anything past February or March 2009. The phone representative at Auto Europe told me I could make the reservations now on the phone when I called them to inquire.

I like to try and book everything as far in advance as possible. I just made my flight reservations, 331 days out from our departure so we could use award miles, so now I am contacting my first choice apartments and hotels to book. But that is just me...we've been planning this trip for five years and now it is within reach.

Molloy95...That is what we want to rent is the Peugeot 207 convertible! How did you like it. Did you do any climbing with it? One of the main reasons we want to lease it, besides being a cute convertible, is that it appears to have a decent trunk on it. When it is in convertible 'mode' are you still able to utilize most of the trunk or does the top take up a bit of the trunk room?

I looked up the specs online at the Peugeot site but still couldn't quite tell. Please let me know your thoughts.

Thank you,
Michele

Another fan here.

I have called Auto Europe with a lower quote from another agency and they have always matched it.

Hi Michele D!

Oh we loved our little car. But it is very little. We don't travel "heavy" -- I'm trying to remember exactly what our luggage was. I'd say a wheel duffel (the same one I just mentioned the wheel falling off of on the "what should you bring" thread) and maybe a carry on size? It was just the two of us but we did have to put our luggage in the back seat (or at least part of it) when the top was down. So, no, not much trunk space with the top down. But we loooooved the fun of driving it on the winding coastal roads of Spain north of Barcelona. We still laugh about me saying I felt like a Bond Girl :-).

I know my husband had fun driving it. And, you know, we weren't moving from place to place that much so we didn't have the roof down with luggage to lug that often. When we did we just put the roof up and moved the luggage back to the trunk and locked it all up whenever we had to stop anywhere.

We still have a laugh about that trip and say we're going to get a little 207 someday. Of course, I want a Mini as my next car -- The 207 definitely had more power than that, but not a great deal bigger, not sure how you would fare on climbing, but we were on some winding, inclined roads.

I think there's a 307 convertible too which would give you more room. Hope that helps -- probably not too much, but I guess if I still have fond memories of the car five years later and can't remember what we rented on our last trip that says a little something :-).

Hi Molloy95,
I think we will run by a Peugeot dealer in Los Angeles this Friday when we visit our son. Maybe I can see the size of the car to know for sure if our luggage will fit. We will have two 22" carry ons and two smaller totes. (If I can cram everything into these for three months).

Yes, I agree, if the car still sticks out in your mind after all this time it must be a pretty good one.
Thank you,
Michele

The first photo is of a 207 trunk, but that was a couple of years ago and it may have grown since, as car models tend to do:

http://europetogo.yuku.com/reply/8810#reply-8810

My recent experiences with Auto Europe have been HORRENDOUS. I do not believe there is ANYBODY at this forum who have, in the past, recommended Auto Europe more than I have....until recently.

Mid last year I traveled to Ireland. As usual, I reserved online with AutoEurope as they had a Match Policy. I checked others and Auto Europe came on top. Upon return of the vehicle, there were about $478 extra from the original quote. I contacted their Customer Service in Portland, ME. After about 3 weeks, I received a reply; turns out Auto Europe is actually a venue for Travel Agents in Europe and my voucher and quote is Auto Europe's NOT THE ACTUAL VENDOR. When you rent from Auto Europe, they are a broker; you could get charges by local car rental agency whom are real venue. I submitted a complaint to the Better Business Bureau, who determined Auto Europe's match policy was actually a Bait & Switch practice. The quote was low because it is ultimately NOT the price. I received compensation and I noticed Match Policy no more.

Late the same year I traveled to Spain, this time business. Travel arrangements were made for us by our Travel Admin. Flights: Delta; Car Rental: Auto Europe (Oh, Boy...). Guess what? the company still fighting a bunch of extra charges made by the Spanish car agency who were the actual venue. Auto Europe answer to their complaint? Well, they can provide you a quote, but they are the broker, the local agency could add other charges they are not aware of. So, they are still at it.

In many years of overseas travel, car rentals, rental properties, etc, etc... I honestly could be considered a dream customer; always pleasant, respectful, informed, and fair. Auto Europe WILL NOT GET MY BUSINESS AGAIN. They are set for Bait & Switch and I will no longer take the risk.

Last month (August 2008) we rented a car from AE in Salamanca, Spain, and returned it at the airport in Madrid. We picked up the car on a Saturday, just before the rental office closed, and had no time to do much of an inspection before we drove off. Once we had the car for a short time, we saw that the interior was stained and pretty ratty (and smelled really funky), and that the roof antenna had been broken off, so the radio had no signal at all. Also the passenger power window was on its gasping last legs, so we didn't open it again after finally getting it to s-l-o-w-l-y close - not the best thing in August in Spain with a low-powered AC system and a smelly interior.

When we returned the car, we were a little concerned that they might charge us for the antenna or the window, so we pointedthe defects out and told them the car had been rented to us in that condition. We also "gifted" them with an aerosol can of air freshener we had purchased for the smelly interior.

I remained a little concerned about exactly what we might find ourselves billed for, but when the charge came in on our credit card, there were no extras.

All in all, I think we probably could have asked for a better car had we allowed for more time when we picked it up, but the car we had ran great and got us everywhere we wanted to go, so I wasn't unhappy. I always figure everything is a part of the adventure whenever I'm traveling ...

(A little postscript to the "smelly" interior of the car: We bought some Manchego cheese and a loaf of bread and ate them in the car while we drove through Castilla y Leon ... figured that was probably exactly what the previous renters must have done, as we made the car even smelly-er!)

<<Auto Europe is actually a venue for Travel Agents in Europe>> Viajero - could you please explain what you mean here?
The strength of AE IS that they are a broker, not the actual rental company. They have a toll free number... why not phone? Every voucher that I have ever received from them contains an explicit listing of what you are paying for. I don't see how any charges beyond what are listed could be levied.

"we rented a car from AE in Salamanca, Spain," I was unaware that AE had rental offices. Are you certain it was Auto Europe?

I will admit that my rental experiences with AE have been in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria for the greater part.

The one thing, however, is that any deviations on the spot from the original contract negotiated with AE leave you open to various extra charges.

I know one year before going to Austria, I negotiated a contract with Avis through AE. The pre rental terms stipulated a single driver.

After arriving at the rental office in Salzburg, I opted for a second driver. Dumb move. Because it was an alteration to the original contract, I paid the price for the decision.

One year we rented in Lausanne and returned the car at the Zürich-Kloten airport. One day we drove to the end of Lac de Moiry and struggled up the cliff to Cabane de Moiry which overlooks the de Moiry Glacier in a most spectacular fashion.

After returning to our car, which featured a feet first slide down a long, granular snow bank, we had to stop for a herd of cows.

For some reason I have yet to identify the cows came up to the car. One old bossy stuck her drippy nose in the driver's side and nuzzled my wife. Other cows started licking the paint and clanging those huge bells into the hood and fenders.

We got quite a few superficial scratches from the bells. When we returned the car, the agent just shrugged and said, "It's minor." I never heard another word.

What did my wife do with the nuzzling cow? She just pushed her nose aside and rolled up the window.

Any of you dairy farmers out there have any idea what there was about the paint that inspired the cows to lick the hood and fenders?

I have two guesses. One, even though the car had just been washed before we got it, there was still salt residue from winter driving.
Two, the car was green and the cows were trying to eat it because they thought it was moss.

Research by Dr. Dabrowska and colleagues indicates that cows can distinguish all colours from a grey background except blue so the cows might have thought it was moss or short grass. The road salt residue hyothesis, however, is a more likely explanation. They thought the car was a salt lick.

Once in Colorado high in the Saguache Basin west of Mount Elbert we camped at River's End which was in the middle of hundreds of white-faced cows. We saw a cow licking a red and white ice chest. My son claimed she was licking the ice chest thinking it was a calf. My wife said it was salt that the cow was finding.

How I to cows licking paint is a little off the subject, but that line of thinking is more fun than thinking about having to fuss about money. Those incidents were funny; battling unfair charges is not.

robjame wrote >>The strength of AE IS that they are a broker, not the actual rental company.<<

It is for sure THEIR STRENGTH, but it certainly NOT to the advantage of the customer. Since Auto Europe is a broker they can (and do) write on their vouchers that the quote is subject to ADDITIONAL CHARGES from the actual venue as they, AS BROKERS, may not have access to the venue's full pricing scheme; other local charges can be added. We were lucky many times that the local outfit did not added any other charges as those in the AE voucher. However, we found out the hard way to better watch out when AE advertises a Match Policy; more likely than not, their local venue has some local charges and AE is not obliged to include in the quote because they are only BROKERS. They are obliged to include a one liner, the tinier the better, that local charges by the actual rental agency could be added. HERTZ, AVIS, etc... will include those because they are the ACTUAL car rental agency... Again, the Better Business Bureau evaluated the practice to be Bait & Switch. By the way, I ALWAYS, ALWAYS check online, but the actual reservation is ALWAYS, ALWAYS made over the phone.

Thank you Michael.
That was very helpful, especially with luggage already in the trunk. Viewing an empty trunk makes it very hard to judge what will fit.
Thank you again,
Michele

<<can (and do) write on their vouchers that the quote is subject to ADDITIONAL CHARGES from the actual venue as they, AS BROKERS, may not have access to the venue's full pricing scheme>>

Viajero you have me quite confused. I am looking over my rental agreement right now and I do not see that sentence.

I do see "except local fees which may include local toll, highway fees or travel stickers". I do see a bit about optional equipment. But I would expect this.

I also see &quot;This is a reservation invoice. When payment has been applied it serves as a confirmation of reservation. <b>All car rates are guaranteed in US dollars.</b>&quot;

What was the $478 charge for?
Also I fail to see how it was a bait and switch... did they upgrade you to a different car?

Sorry for the questions but I find your experiences confusing and troubling.

robjame - You are right! We actually rented from Europe Car in Salamanca, but we made the arrangements through Auto Europe. I hadn't even realized that until you pointed it out and I re-checked my credit card transaction records. The names are so similar, I didn't even notice.

Hmmm ... I learn something new every day. Thanks!

Yes, AutoEurope is a broker. DUH! I thought everyone was well aware of this. But what do you mean, Viajero2, when you say they are Travel Agents? HUH?

You do have to deal with the AutoEurope affiliate company on certain matters - such as when you add a driver on the spot, which I've done a few times, to the tune of $25 per extra driver, and such - but I am just not getting what your bait and switch issue was with AutoEurope.

Can you explain?

As I said in my original post, I've done more than 100 rentals with them and I have no complaint at all - and I've busted mirrors, headlights, tail-lights, had dents in the bumper, the hood, etc. - all taken care of at no charge THANKS TO AUTOEUROPE BEING THE BROKER.

Just booked my car rental in Spain through AutoEurope tonight. If it hasn't already been said, don't book through the US site--go directly to their Europe sites as it's much less $$$$.

There are plenty of possible extra charges, like the refueling charge if you don't return the car with the tank full. There is no way this could be included in advance on any voucher.

Also, all of the rental companies offer extra insurance, which I always refuse. Some people may unwittingly say yes to it.

I have mostly used Herz Car Rental or Sixtus, because in Estonia www.all-about-estonia.com there are not Auto Europe offices. I'm going to Spain next summer, maybe I'll try there, if you say it's the best :)

I didn't even know what Bait &amp; Switch was until I handed over my Auto Europe complaint to the Better Business Bureau (BBB). It appears that a Match Policy shall, at a mimimum, include those charges that could reasonably be quoted at the time of inquiry. OF COURSE, nobody with half a brain would expect that fuel, tolls, etc...be quoted at the original quote (DUH!). Most of the the charges that were added to the final invoice by Murphy's Car Rental (LOCAL TRAVEL AGENTS for wich Auto Europe was the USA BROKER) were charges that could had been established at the time of inquiry, i.e. highway access fees, Airport Access fees, etc.... Once again, if the fee needs to be in the quote, we were more than willing to pay it; it was left out as a Match Policy strategy, and it was found to be A FRAUDULENT PRACTICE.

Again, I shared experiences. When AE did good, I stated so. Recently, they were found to have acted fraudulent and I share that as well. This is a no brainer for me from now on.

I don't know what the problem was with Viajero2 rentals, but we have been using Auto Europe since the mid-80s without a problem. They actually refunded more than $400 for a three-week rental in the early 90s because they had given us the wrong rate based on two different cars.

We generally deal with Auto Europe 4 to 5 times a year, often with multiple rentals over a period of 3 to 5 weeks. The rates are always very reasonable and they do match or beat competitors prices, except with Kimwel. If Kimwel is cheaper, then we book with them.

I checked the BBB website. There have been a total of 9 complaints against autoeurope over the past 3 years. Most were dismissed administratively. This is not very many complaints for a company involved with car rentals--domestic or foreign.

It took me 42 seconds to find the following data in the BBB national web database:

&quot;The Better Business Bureau processed a total of 22 complaints about this company in the last 36 months, our standard reporting period. Of the total 22 complaints closed in the last 36 months, 13 were closed in the last 12 months.

These complaints concerned:
1 regarding Advertising Issues
1 regarding Bait &amp; switch advertisement
6 regarding Contract Issues
2 regarding Failure to honor a contract or agreement
2 regarding Invalid or false contract
2 regarding Unauthorized changes to the contract or agreement
8 regarding Credit, Billing or Collection Issues
6 regarding Failure to correct billing errors
1 regarding Failure to substantiate charges
1 regarding Unauthorized credit card charges

2 regarding Refund or Exchange Issues
2 regarding Failure to honor refund, exchange or credit policies

5 regarding Sales Practice Issues
1 regarding Sales presentation did not disclose complete pricing information
1 regarding Sales presentation did not disclose key conditions of the offer
2 regarding Sales presentation misrepresented the service
1 regarding Sales presentation not consistent with the written agreement

These complaints were closed as:
13 Administratively Closed
2 BBB determined the company made a reasonable offer to resolve the issues, but the consumer did not accept the offer.
11 BBB determined that despite the company's effort to address complaint issues, the consumer remained dissatisfied.

9 Resolved
4 Company resolved the complaint issues. The consumer acknowledged acceptance to the BBB.
4 Company resolved the complaint issues. The consumer failed to acknowledge acceptance to the BBB.
1 Company offered a partial (less than 100%) settlement which the consumer failed to acknowledge acceptance to the BBB.

BBB is considered a last resource as typically customers either reach an agreement with customer service or give up. So, 22 complaints in 36 months is a respectable amount. The fact that they are responsive speaks to the fact that they know what they were doing....

Actually, several other car rental agencies had hundreds of complaints over the past 36 months. You must have found a different BBB website than I found, so maybe on that website other rental agencies have thousands.

I have used Auto Europe and Kemwell several times and have never had an issue.

I just made a reservation today and asked if they could beat a quote I had received from Nova Rental Car. The original quote from Auto Europe was $678, with a ~ $700/$1200 deductable. The quote from Nova for the same coverage was $490. Auto Europe note only beat Nova's offer but also through in zero deductable. I am now paying $482 with zero deductable. This was for rental in France for 14 days.