Review Time
Deceptive business practices – legal action may be necessaryWe are Swedish customers who prepaid a car rental via CarTrawler/Norwegian (provider: Goldcar, Milan). Despite presenting valid ID (passport and driver’s license), the car was withheld due to a sudden and undocumented demand for a national ID card — not stated in the rental terms.We rebooked a new car with the same dates at a much higher cost, based on CarTrawler's assurance that a refund would be possible. After over six months of delays and contradictory responses, our claim was rejected.This appears to be a recurring pattern, with many similar reports. We filed a claim through the Small Claims Court in Dublin, and after service of process, CarTrawler quickly refunded the full amount, including interest and court fees. Please note this is for EU citizens.We share this to prevent others from being misled and having their holidays ruined.If you’ve experienced the same:You can file a complaint using the EU Small Claims Procedure. It costs €25, is handled entirely in writing, and you take no risk — you won’t be liable for the company’s legal costs if you lose. No lawyer is required.More info & form: Search for european small claims procedureCarTrawler company details for the form:Company name: Etrawler Unlimited Company (trading as CarTrawler)Company registration no.: 93433Registered address: Classon House, Dundrum Business Park, Dundrum, Dublin, IrelandCourt where we filed our claim:Dublin District Small Claims OfficeFirst Floor, Áras Uí Dhálaigh, Inns Quay, Dublin 7, IrelandEmail can be found online.
I had a fully paid reservation through CarTrawler for a 7-seater car from Sixt in Porto. When I arrived at the Sixt desk at the airport, I was told that my car simply did not exist. No assistance, no responsibility, no alternative. Because the booking was specifically for seven people, replacing the vehicle was impossible, and it completely ruined my trip.It has now been a month and a half since this disaster started, and I still have not received my refund. Every conversation with CarTrawler feels like talking to a wall. Their representatives are consistently unhelpful, unprepared, and entirely ineffective. The explanations they send me are absurd, contradictory, and make absolutely no sense — at times it genuinely feels like I’m dealing with bots rather than a real customer-service team.I have e-mail correspondence that clearly shows how chaotic and unreasonable their communication is. One absurdity follows another, and nothing ever gets resolved.Do not use CarTrawler. Ever. Choose them only if they are the last rental company left on Earth — and even then, public transport is likely a better option.My trip was ruined, my group was stranded, and I am still fighting just to recover money I paid long in advance.
I'm writing this to encourage others to push for refunds and for someone to pick this up as a legal challenge. I rented a car through EasyJet for 3 days in Naples, Italy. Car was provided by B-Rent, but I've since discovered CarTrawler are the intermediary. Long story short, B-Rent took an extra £100 from my credit card without permission and without explaining why. The Italian lady at the desk spoke very good English, she could have explained, but chose not to. I've been going around in circles sending emails repeating my demand for a refund each time CarTrawler says they cant not help/refund. But, every time I email them it opens a new case for them to have to deal with.
Quick update: Refund received from CarTrawler after follow-up. Thanks to those who advised the EU Small Claims route—preparing the claim helped resolve this quickly.CarTrawler kept my full prepaid amount even after Europcar confirmed a refund — I’ve started EU Small Claims today.CarTrawler sits between Jet2 and Europcar as a commission-based intermediary. In my case, they didn’t just keep a commission — they kept the entire booking amount after classifying me as a “no-show” because I couldn’t show a return flight at the desk. That requirement is impossible when you’re moving to the country where the rental was supposed to happen, which was my situation.Europcar acknowledged this at the counter and later by email, confirmed the hire failed on their side, said they weren’t holding funds, and that I should receive a full refund.CarTrawler still refused, repeatedly quoting generic T&Cs. If they’re an intermediary, at most, they should keep a commission — not everything. Keeping the full amount feels like unfair retention and deeply undermines trust.I’ve started the EU Small Claims process in Dublin today against Etrawler Unlimited Company (trading as CarTrawler).If you’re in the same situation, here’s the fast pathGather proof: your voucher/terms, the supplier’s email confirming refund/that they hold no funds, and CarTrawler’s refusals (emails/chats).File EU Small Claims (Ireland – Dublin) against Etrawler Unlimited Company (t/a CarTrawler) at their registered Dublin address.Form choices: Claim Basis = Services → Claim Goods = Other Services. Claim amount = your prepaid total (principal).Case Party Information (Defendant)Party Type: Registered CompanyRole in Case: Defendant / RespondentCRO Number: 93433Name: Etrawler Unlimited CompanyTrading As: CarTrawlerSolicitor Firm: (leave blank — you’re a Litigant in Person)Solicitor Address / Email: (leave blank)Address of Party (Company)Registered Office: YesAddress Line 1: Classon HouseAddress Line 2: Dundrum Business ParkAddress Line 3: Dundrum RoadTown/City: DublinCounty: DublinPost Code (Eircode): D14 X9F9Country: IrelandEmail: customercareTelephone: +353 1 499 960Mobile Phone: (leave blank)Contact Consent: NoExplain clearly: service not provided; supplier accepted responsibility and confirmed refund; intermediary kept the full payment.Screening first: the Small Claims Office must accept your claim before you pay anything.After acceptance: pay the €25 fee only then, and upload your documents (or send them by email if instructed).Outcome: once served, many cases settle quickly — refund + fee + statutory interest — without needing a lawyer.CarTrawler’s handling here is not how a fair intermediary behaves. If your supplier has confirmed a refund but the broker keeps your money, stop the back-and-forth emails and use EU Small Claims.
"Do not use this company. We were forced to pay €270 for an extra insurance at the airport, even though we had already paid for insurance when booking. We were given the choice to pay or lose the car and forfeit the rental fee. Afterwards, they simply say that we signed for the full insurance, so they refuse to refund our money. This is a complete scam company hiding behind another company!!!"
This company is a scam and will get you to pay double insurance for the car you are renting!!. Their insurance is especially a big scam because they are only a middleman who give you false information about what they actually cover. When you are on vacation, you will feel helpless when you find out that the company which owns the car, would charge money directly from you for any damage if you can't provide them a "police report" for it. So basically, if you park car and go to hotel and someone damages it, this company won't pay a penny unless you have a police report on it. Imagine you are in a foreign country, would you really use your time or days wandering around a police station where people dont even understand english. But this company never tells you about it. They will only tell you to buy "premium" insurance from them where they promise to cover everything, but its not true. Their price is much higher then the actual price from the owner of the car, you dont get the car which you are suppose to get and you will end up paying double insurance for no reason when you go through this company. They will not even refund you even if you tell them that you were "forced" to buy insurance directly from the owner because they hide information from you in the begining! All they say, "Sorry, we don't refund for insurance or investigate matter when you buy insurance directly from the owner". This is how they scam people, based on information they hide from you. I was suppose to get a fully insured car from these scammers for 250 € total for 7 days, but ended up paying around 430 €. I dont want other people to experience the loss like i had so please, stay far away from this company! I will tell everyone about what this company is all about! If i knew that the insurance i am paying them for, is totally USELESS, i would rather buy insurance and car directly from the owner and never pay a single penny to this company.
4 Months, No Refund – Trawler/Holiday Autos Is Not to Be TrustedIt has now been 4 months since I cancelled a car rental through Holiday Autos (run by Trawler), after my flight was cancelled. The rental provider, Dollar, confirmed that the booking was cancelled, the vehicle was never picked up, and no services were provided. I followed the steps. I provided every piece of documentation they asked for—multiple times.Trawler has still not refunded me.Worse, they publicly replied to my review claiming they already refunded me. This is false. They also emailed me to say the refund had been issued. Again—false. I have the emails. I have the screenshots. I have the case number.What’s happened over the past four months: They ignored evidence from both me and the rental company. They claimed my case was "new" even months after it began. They demanded I re-send documents that were already sent and acknowledged. They closed the case prematurely. They lied—in writing and in public—about issuing a refund.This company uses delay, denial, and dishonesty as strategy. Their system is designed to exhaust customers into giving up.If you're thinking about using Trawler, Holiday Autos, Argus Car Hire, or any of their white-labelled brands: don’t.You risk paying for a service you’ll never receive—and then fighting for months to get your money back.
Just rented a car via Norvegian homepage, in connection to a flight from CPH to Montpellier, FR. During the ordering process I was prompted to apply for an insurance via AXA. It appeared natural and the price was fair. I paid 712 dkr. - close to 100 €. At the pick-up in Montpellier at Hertz, Hertz would not accept this insurance, and I had to pay a similar fee to Hertz to be insured. CHEATED. AXA will not refund me and claims that I should have contacted them at the airport. Has anyone ever been in a que at a car rental, and contemplating that trick? Most people just pay and moves on with their holiday. CONCLUSION: Always order and pay the insurance directly at the rental company.
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