AVOID!!!!!We booked the Europcar standard package online prior to our trip. When we arrived to Bristol airport to collect the car, we made it very clear to the rental agent (Shreya) that we did not want any upgrades or additional extras. Shreya passed my husband the rental agreement and asked him to sign the highlighted areas. He was then asked to insert his visa card into the machine to pay a £100 deposit. As he removed his card I seen a transaction of €671.11 had been approved. I immediately queried why there was a discrepancy between the amount we had been charged and the rate we had pre booked (€263.86). Shreya stated that the difference was due to vat and tax not being included in the online rate (this information was incorrect). This explanation didn’t seem right, so I later reviewed the agreement and discovered that the extra charge was actually for Premium Protection and Roadside Assistance, services that we explicitly declined and were never informed were being added. This practice feels misleading and dishonest. We should not be charged for optional extras that we didn’t consent to, and it’s unacceptable to disguise these charges as taxes or unavoidable fees. I have requested a full refund of the unauthorized charges and have asked for Europcar at Bristol Airport to review its sales practices to ensure transparency for future customers. We booked in good faith and expected to pay the advertised price, not to be misled at the counter. I rang on Friday regarding this matter and was told by the agent that she completely understood why we were upset and asked if we could hold the line so she could speak to her manager. She then said that her manager (Aaron Goldsmith) had been informed and he would call me back on Saturday to issue the refund, she then said “he can get very stressed and is quite forgetful so if you haven’t heard from him by 12pm/1pm please call back”. On Saturday I rang again at 11:12am and it was Aaron who answered. He stated that Shreya wasn’t in work today and that he would have to have a conversation with her first before he could proceed, he stated that he would try to make contact with Shreya and then call me back later in the day. At 4:22pm I called again as I had not heard anything. This time Aaron said that he still hadn’t managed to speak to her so it would be later that evening or tomorrow morning when he could call me back to have a conversation regarding the problem. On Sunday at 16:55pm I called yet again, as Aaron had failed to make contact despite saying he would. He said he still couldn’t reach Shreya and that she wouldn’t be returning to work before our departure. He said as soon as he spoke to Shreya he would call me to discuss, this did not happen instead my husband received an email at 14:50pm from a Monique Burrell stating that “after speaking to the colleague in question and reviewing the paperwork done at the time. I have found that our procedure was followed and all paperwork/correct signatures of adding protection to the rental were signed and understood”. From reading the online reviews of Europcar (specifically Bristol Airport) as recent as a week ago another customer has had the exact same problem, so there clearly is an issue with staff following their “procedures”. Signing a contract that includes additional protection does not mean you consented, if they were not properly explained or were misrepresented, which in this case is exactly what happened. If you were misled or charged for extras you didn’t agree to, you have the right to request a full refund for those items. This applies even if the rental company claims you “signed for it”, the signature is not valid consent and does not override your consumer rights if information was omitted or misrepresented. Shreya failed to explain what we signed for and when queried she misrepresented the costs. I have yet to receive a response from Monique or Aaron at the time of writing this review. Their level of customer service is inexcusable.
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