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UK car hire CDW fees

UK car hire CDW fees

Old Jul 11th 2017, 8:32 am
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Default Re: UK car hire CDW fees

Thanks to all. Husband was at the desk for ages with other daughter I was sitting some way away. He was arguing with them.

Called Customer Services: they had received the email and will respond in 10 days.

I will update as to outcome.
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Old Jul 11th 2017, 1:26 pm
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Default Re: UK car hire CDW fees

Originally Posted by Snowy560
Thanks to all. Husband was at the desk for ages with other daughter I was sitting some way away. He was arguing with them.

Called Customer Services: they had received the email and will respond in 10 days.

I will update as to outcome.
You should insist, when customer service get back to you, that you need a 20% discount on the entire rental fee for the unnecessary pain and suffering that you have been subject to as a result of the poor customer service you were offered by their front-line agents. Ask to speak to a supervisor when (as will inevitably happen) the first line agent says they can't do that.

I usually rent through Avis - even though they're often not the cheapest - mostly because of longstanding loyalty and convenience, but also because my experience of their customer service operations, when there has been an issue to resolve, is very good.

Like the time when clouds of oily smoke coming out from under the bonnet were my first indication that the spanner-check guy had failed to replace the oil filler cap... I stopped at a petrol station, found the cap (it had been securely wedged in by the closing bonnet), put in a litre of oil, and carried on. I called Avis to let them know I'd be billing them for the oil and a carwash; their counter was simply to knock two days' rental cost off a 5-day contract.
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Old Jul 11th 2017, 2:19 pm
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Default Re: UK car hire CDW fees

My husband has read this post and will do that. In the emails we sent we referred them to their own website as Siouxie suggested as well. Such a lot of good info from this thread. I learnt a lot thanks to all xx I was tired yesterday because flying is very stressful for me so wasn't in a good state to figure it out myself.

Last edited by Snowy560; Jul 11th 2017 at 2:22 pm.
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Old Jul 11th 2017, 3:46 pm
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Default Re: UK car hire CDW fees

It seems quite clear that their agents are simply lying about it being required and using, 'you can't take the car without it' because they know they've got you over a barrel.

The rental company may or may not be aware that their agents are using this tactic to upsell. I wouldn't be surprised either way.

Forewarned is forearmed so bringing this practice to the attention of people is a good thing obviously but it doesn't do you much good to find out now that what they did was probably illegal Snowy560 and certainly against the industry's Code of Conduct.

You do have recourse however after the fact that you can pursue. There is an organization called the British Vehicle Renting and Leasing Association (BVRLA) to which you can complain if Europcar doesn't resolve things to your satisfaction.

I would add one note of caution for readers however. The BVRLA rightly point out that while you have the right to refuse the rental company's excess waiver, there are some other considerations you should be aware of before doing so.

Let's say something happens and the rental car is damaged when you return it. The cost of that damage being repaired will be IMMEDIATELY payable by you. You will then have to make a claim against the third party insurance your credit card provider includes. This means time and hassle you will have to accept and in the meantime you are out of pocket for the repair. Whereas, if you took the rental car company's excess cover, you just report the damage and walk away. The BVRLA site makes this difference clear if I haven't.
Search | BVRLA

To register a complaint, see here: Using the BVRLA’s conciliation service | BVRLA
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Old Jul 11th 2017, 4:12 pm
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Default Re: UK car hire CDW fees

5 or 6 years ago, we made a trip to England and hired a car at Gatwick (Avis, I think).

When we returned it, we arrived early (7am-ish) and the office was still closed. We went and checked in for our flight and came back after they were due to open (7.30am) but they were still closed. We dropped the keys in the out-of-hours box and left.

A few weeks later, I got a £200 charge on my credit card. I called the Gatwick rental office and was told they found damage on the vehicle. When I objected due to the office being closed, she claimed SHE had inspected the vehicle and noted the damage and had been in the office on time. I protested but realized she would not budge.

I emailed their customer service explaining the situation, that she was clearly lying and I didn't expect a positive outcome as it was my word against theirs. I stated they should not be employing lyers.

I was surprised to get a response back saying they would refund the charge.
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Old Jul 11th 2017, 4:29 pm
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Default Re: UK car hire CDW fees

I had the issue with Europcar last March 2016 at Glasgow Airport. Said they would not accept 3rd party insurers anymore. When I called customer service later they said I should have booked through their own website where all prices quoted include the CDW and would have worked out a lot cheaper. I hate getting off a flight and hiring a car.

I won't go to Florida anymore because they totally lie through their teeth and that's a whole other story.
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Old Jul 11th 2017, 6:15 pm
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Default Re: UK car hire CDW fees

Reeders now I'm seeing the other side of it too!

Well I'll get husband to read the posts here and make an "informed choice" although he'll say "I don't want the insurance". Car is annoying. It beeps when you are too close to other cars which is all the time in London and it has a button for the handbrake. I'm sure many of you have experienced these things before!!
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Old Jul 11th 2017, 6:47 pm
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Default Re: UK car hire CDW fees

Originally Posted by Reeders


Let's say something happens and the rental car is damaged when you return it. The cost of that damage being repaired will be IMMEDIATELY payable by you. You will then have to make a claim against the third party insurance your credit card provider includes. This means time and hassle you will have to accept and in the meantime you are out of pocket for the repair. Whereas, if you took the rental car company's excess cover, you just report the damage and walk away.
This hasn't been my experience. I've been in three rental car mishaps (that I can recall), one a total loss. In two cases Amex dealt with the claim without involving me. In the third case I waived all coverages thinking I was charging the car to Amex and then realized, after I'd crashed, that since I wasn't paying for the rental, Amex wasn't involved. The rental company, Enterprise, agreed to have the car fixed and to bill me later.
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Old Jul 11th 2017, 10:34 pm
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Default Re: UK car hire CDW fees

No doubt things will vary depending on how the third party coverage someone has works dbd33. Some may require you to phone them and then they will deal directly with the rental company. Some will expect you to pay up front and then put in a claim. Only reading the policy will make that clear. But one thing is for sure, the rental company will want to know where the money is coming from before they watch you walk away. Your agreement is with the rental company, not your credit card company or third party insurance company. So what happens is entirely between you and the rental company. The rental company only let you walk away because THEY accepted that Amex would pay them. Know what I mean?

So, I do think the BVRLA is correct and fair in trying to make it clear to the person renting, that relying on third party coverage MAY have its drawbacks.
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Old Jul 16th 2017, 7:28 am
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Default Re: UK car hire CDW fees

Originally Posted by Snowy560
Hi we just picked up a hire car at LGW and they're loaded an extra £20 a day on top. Last time we managed to avoid paying this.

We have 24 hours to prove to them we don't need it. I can't remember what we provided last time but it was something to do with our Canadian credit card (HSBC) but I can't recall. Can anyone please tell me what I need to do so as not to pay these charges.

Thanks very much.
We have hired a car at Gatwick twice in the past 2 weeks and once in Santorini. We have had no problem with our HSBC World MasterCard insurance. You don't have to prove anything providing you have the required cover. They will ask you to sign a waiver declining their optional insurance.
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Old Jul 16th 2017, 7:44 am
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Default Re: UK car hire CDW fees

Originally Posted by Collie
Had the same experience with EuropCar in Dublin - my credit card insurance covers me, but they wanted a letter stating this. I said that I'd be happy to pay the full cost of any loss or damage (and my credit limit was large enough to authorise this) but the sales-git then said that that would not work as there was no 3rd party insurance included in the price I'd been quoted. I'm pretty sure that couldn't be the case. But it ended up costing me $800 to take out their crap insurance. Moral of the story - don't prepay for car hire, then you can walk away when they try to rip you off! And avoid EuropCar
We always prepay and ensure 3rd party insurance is included in the deal. They always try and get us to upgrade and we always say no. We had a great deal on a Mercedes C class diesel last time and got an E class instead. It was fabulous. This time I ordered a standard manual petrol Mondeo for 2 separate weeks and have got a free upgrade to a Volvo XC60 diesel auto and a Nissan X trail auto diesel. No complaints at all.
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Old Jul 16th 2017, 8:13 am
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Update: We got an email with notice of a refund and a dire warning we were now liable for the entire cost of the vehicle £18000. Thanks to all on this thread xx
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Old Jul 17th 2017, 3:03 pm
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Default Re: UK car hire CDW fees

Motorists could win £30m compensation from Europcar - BBC News
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