autoone.it

Avoid at all costs: A confusing, unsafe, and dishonest experience

I experienced problems from the outset. My booking confirmation instructed me to go to the Green Motion desk in the airport terminal; however, no such desk exists. Other rental companies hadn't even heard of Green Motion, and the contact number provided was "not in service." At this point, I genuinely thought I had been scammed.After the airport help desk suggested I take a shuttle to the P3 car park, I received a WhatsApp message mid-journey telling me I was in the wrong place. I returned to the airport, where I was sent a confusing photo of their "office" followed by a Google Map pin. This led to a 1km walk through an unmarked underpass to a supermarket car park. I was met there by a man in a private car who drove me the rest of the way to an office for AutoOne, not Green Motion. I found the entire process highly disconcerting; I certainly wouldn't have been comfortable with my wife or daughter being asked to follow a stranger into a supermarket lot. The car provided was a Seat Arona, not the VW I’d booked. While substitutions are common when hiring cars, the Seat was a downgrade from a VW. No pre-delivery inspection was undertaken, nor was I asked to sign for any existing damage. Sensing the lack of professionalism, I took my own photos of the significant damage I found. 50km into my drive to Tuscany, the car’s oil service light came on. Not a great start! A week into my three-week hire, I was stopped by the Carabinieri, who pointed out that the front tires were illegal. After I contacted AutoOne, they instructed me to drive to Florence to swap the vehicle. Upon arrival—and before even addressing the exchange—the staff ignored the safety issue and instead spent an hour forensically examining the car for damage. They demanded I prove every mark wasn't my doing, which, fortunately, I could do using the photos I’d taken at the start. However, they eventually found a tiny 5mm stone chip on the bonnet that I hadn't photographed, for which they spent another hour demanding €600. I suspect these high-pressure tactics were used because I had opted for my own external insurance rather than theirs. It felt like an attempted robbery and, judging by other reviews, is clearly a deliberate strategy to scam customers. Ultimately, I refused to pay, pointing out that since they failed to conduct a collection inspection, they could not prove the chip wasn't pre-existing.They eventually exchanged the vehicle for another Seat Arona—it seems their entire fleet consists of this model, regardless of what you book. The replacement was hardly an improvement: by the following day, both the service light and the airbag fault light had illuminated. On the "plus side," the tires were marginally better than the illegal ones on the previous car, though only just.When I returned the second car to Bergamo, I explained it was a replacement vehicle. When the representative, Luca, asked why, I told him the original car had been hired to me with illegal tires. He incredibly asked me what I meant by "illegal," at which point my frustration became evident. I firmly but calmly explained that the tread depth was below the legal minimum and therefore dangerous. I questioned how someone in the car hire industry could fail to understand the term "illegal" and told him I believed the company was unprofessional and deliberately endangering lives.Luca did not take this feedback well. Instead of apologising for the safety breach, he became visibly aggressive, repeatedly swearing at me and accusing me of being "disrespectful" and trying to "cause a scene." It was unlike anything I have ever experienced in a customer service environment; he was an absolute disgrace and is clearly unfit for a public-facing role. Despite his outburst, I remained calm and insisted that he inspect the vehicle in my presence and document "no new damage" on the return form. Once that was secured, I left.AutoOne is, without question, the worst car hire company I have ever dealt with. They provide poorly maintained, dangerous vehicles and employ unprofessional, incompetent staff who use high-pressure tactics to scam customers over insurance and pre-existing damage. They simply should not be in business. Avoid them at all costs.

Date of experience: Jan 29, 2026