europcar.co.uk

Poor response by company to car problem

We rented an MG HPEV yesterday. The check-in at the Milton Keynes depot was relatively smooth. So we drove off assuming all was well. Since it was the hottest day of the year so far, we specifically wanted AC. We followed the instructions and then realized that the AC was working but only blowing in the footwell. There was no cold air coming from the face (upper vents)--in fact no air at all. Given the heat, especially after the car has sat in the sun, it was uncomfortable to endure and possibly unhealthy, given the risk of heat-related issues. So we drove back to the depot, only to be told by Amanda that she already had two people with the SAME issue. They also wanted different vehicles because the AC in their cars (also MGs) was not working either. So Amanda said there were no other cars now available so they could not offer another. She also said there was no recompense since the AC is "not guaranteed," and that we were lucky since at least there was cold air and the customer who did get a replacement car had no AC at all. From this customer's view, it seems churlish if not deceptive that a car hire company is happy to take £1000s and rent a car that is not 100% functional. Moreover, when we called to complain, customer service confirmed no recompense and suggested we take the car to the service department for them to "take a look." At that point I decided to write this review, given that after they rented us a faulty vehicle, they expected US to be inconvenienced and take time from OUR vacation to resolve THEIR problem. Last year we rented an Audi from Sixt here in MK and it was flawless, with zero problems. We made mistake choosing Europcar and will not be using them again.

Date of experience: Jul 29, 2024