Comments on: Is Easycar reputable?

By: Brian McAllister

Brian McAllister — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 07:34:43 +0000

I will never use easycar again, booked a car with them at Faro airport and when I arrived they had nothing at all, asked me to get a taxi to my hotel and then come back the next day to pick up a vehicle if they could find one, in the end i hired from another company at the airport and they told me that easycar often let down customers by not having enough cars to cover the bookings, two weeks on and i still dont have my money back. easycar claim this can take upto 4 weeks!!!!you have been warned, avoid at all costs

By: Annette

Annette — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 03:19:53 +0000

Thanks so much everyone! Our family, from Perth Western Australia, were contemplating hiring a car from Easycar in the UK – Not Now!!

By: Kwab

Kwab — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 06:59:34 +0000

I have had a really torrid time with Easycar. I rented a car last December in Malta via their 3rd party agent Europcar. The car was in a terrible state with dented doors, blocked wiper jets and would only start with the accelerator fully depressed.
Anyway that was one issue, the second issue was an erroneous charge placed on my credit card 5 days after the rental. No explanation was offered for this via mail or email.
I raised both points with Easycar but only the first issue was dealt with. They offered sincere apologies and £30 off my next rental. The credit card issue was not even mentioned by them
I eventually got in touch with my credit card company who refunded the erroneous deduction. However after 2 months the decision was reversed and the money taken off my account again. The reason was apparently due to Europcar informing them of a “traffic violation” I commited during the rental.
Nice of them to tell the credit card company. It would have been even nicer if they had told me or provided me wtih legal evidence. No supporting documents were ever offered for this and it seems highly dubious that a traffic violation could be processed 5 days after a rental. Even giving them the benefit of the doubt regarding this matter, why was I never informed of this?
Anyway for me the £30 offer is risable. Why in the light of such shoddy service/treatment would I want to use this company again?
46 euros is not a vast amount of money but on principle I feel consumers deserve much better treatment than this and will not drop this matter until I receive some satisfactory answers.

By: Andy

Andy — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 00:23:09 +0000

Well the problem I had with easy car was easy to fix. Easy car was impossible to deal with. Even after many e-mails etc they were totally evasive and did not listed to us! I contacted my credit card company and they reversed to charge back to Easy car. I got my money back. Good old VISA came to my aid!

By: Gary

Gary — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 22:19:04 +0000

I recently booked a car through Easycar to Christchurch, New Zealand. I did not realize but they do not actually have an operation there like the others (Hertz, Avis, Jucy, Maui), but instead work through a third party contractor. The third party company did not have a car for me when I arrived, and would not pick me up at the airport for me to even talk with anybody as they did not have any cars (there is a direct line phone in the airport to request pickup).

They said that they sent an email back to Easycar saying they did not have any vehicles but I never received any notification from Easycar. They also said that I should not be charged and not to worry about it. However when I got home yes indeed the charge was on the statement. I replied to my initial confirmation email from Easycar to request that they remove the charge but they are saying I will have to send a copy of my confirmation and my credit card bill through the post to their offices in England as their email system cannot handle attachments. I replied with the date, amount, and reference number on the credit card statement but they responded saying that I would need to provide physical copies of everything, otherwise they will not look into the issue. (Note also that if you need to call Easyjet customer service– to correct their screwup– you must pay for the call.)

By: Ivana

Ivana — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 20:01:53 +0000

I just recently had a first (and I believe last) encounter with Easycar. Had I read this thread I would have never booked through them! (Serves me as a lesson).
To make a long story short:

my husband and I booked and prepaid a car rental
at Venice Airport via the easycar website.
At the time of booking we selected the
car pick up time as Wednesday 25th February at between 21.00 and 22.00 hours at Venice Airport.
On 25th February we landed at Venice airport and arrived ad the
Thrifty/Dollar rental office (the actual rental company) at approximately 20.50 only to find it closed. We enquired at the other car rental offices who told us that the Thrifty/Dollar office closes at 20.00. We also tried contacting both the EasyCar customer service and the Thrifty customer service but they were both closed at this time.
We waited from 20.50 until 22.20 in front of the car rental desk, in the vain hope that the front desk clerk would show up.
We had to find alternative arrangements for the night, taking a a bus and a train and sleep in a b&b and then return to Venice airport the next morning, all at our own expense. (Forgot to mention, I am also pregnant which doesn’t make things easy either!)
We had also left a note for the Thrifty front office requesting that they call us in the meanwhile, but they did not, and matter-of-factly said that they had written down that we were to collect the car on 25th February at 12.00.
I also called your Customer Service on the morning of 26th February, and the lady I spoke to told me that she/her colleagues would be looking into this matter and would call us back, but have so far received no call or email from anyone.
Actually, I managed to find the Easycar email in the meanwhile and sent a formal complaint, only to discover that I already had a “complaint account”, and they had noted my phone call query of 26th Feb as “solved”…yeah right! Their comments were only half true- missing the whole bit where I was requesting an investigation, refund and also to be called back with a plausible explanation.
After my email I have now received a reply from one of their clerks saying that they will be investigating the matter.
They better investigate it pretty quickly as a pregnant woman is one not to be messed with… what with all the hormones and all!
Will keep you posted on the progress!
Actually, here’s a good website that might help anyone who has a claim: http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/redress/ecc_network/car_rental_report2005.pdf
It contains different examples of claims against car rental companies, and at the very end there is a full list of addresses of regional European Consumer Centres!
Cheers!
Ivana

By: Jayne

Jayne — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 22:12:53 +0000

Hi, can anyone recommend a reliable/reasonably priced car hire company for Paphos Cyprus?

By: constantine

constantine — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 13:28:20 +0000

What we must understand once and for all is that Easy Car are acting as agents and in order to offer cheap prices they sometines act as agents for the worst of the worst car renting companies.
If you have to use EasyCar or you think the price is too good to resist first check the company involved or else go with a reputable firm ,something I will DEFINETELY do from now on , I WILL NEVER EVER use EasyCar again for reasons very similar to the ones mentioned above

By: Chris

Chris — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 16:54:15 +0000

I was thinking of using Easycar to hire a car in Florida next year. Not any more! I’m glad I came across this blog before making what could have been a big mistake. I’ll be booking direct with Alamo, even if it does cost more. Thank you everyone for your comments.

By: Robyn

Robyn — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:22:56 +0000

Wow! I just heard about easycar on CNN in the USA. They were recommending it as a great alternative car rental service. I went on line to check it out since I need a car for Thanksgiving weekend next week. I certainly NOT be using them now. Taking money up front and not immediately refunding when there is no car? That’s just awful.
I will continue to pay a few dollars more for Hertz (I have been using them for over 20 years). Yes, they cost a bit more but they are totally reliable. You get what you pay for. I hope CNN sees this site before they continue to praise this company.

By: Bamboozled

Bamboozled — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 10:16:16 +0000

@ Peter Curran – can you recommend a good car hire firm?

By: Peter Curran

Peter Curran — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 21:25:03 +0000

I had the same problems as Jason , re the Insurance “Zero Risk” options . I had to pay TWICE for the insurance . Easy car are brokers . Best book direct wite a good car hire firm .

By: Dan Goldthorp

Dan Goldthorp — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 09:56:57 +0000

Benjamin, No matter how many times they fob you off (and it will be many), or ignore you (a very popular tactic), delay you or stone-wall you, DO NOT GIVE IN. I pursued my greivance for 6 months, and they finally relented. I think their training involves “grinding down” tactics, in the hope you will give up, even when they know they are wrong. My advice would be a) Do everything by letters in the post, as emails are fobbed off or ignored (they will probably say they never recieved the letter, so do it registered). b) Involve Customer Direct, part of Office of Fair Trading. They are fantastic, and will gladly add their clout on your behalf. You can give EasyCar a seven day ultimatum to give you a final answer before Customer Direct follow it up for you. c) Shout from the roof-tops about how awful EasyCar are. I am seriously considering setting up a group of disgruntled customers, but wouldn’t know what to do with it.
Good luck.
Ditto Jason.
Cheers
Dan

By: Jason Dainty

Jason Dainty — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 17:02:41 +0000

I had the same experience as Robert Herrick (4/3/2008) in that I paid for the zero risk option and was then charged for insurance on arrival in Ljubljana at the Alamo desk. I explained that I had already paid for the insurance but I was pressurised in to paying for more as the staff dismissed easy cars insurance.
I did contact easy car on my return and dealt with Jean Marie. Unfortunately I was not happy with the response I got. I was advised that it was beyond easy cars control if I chose to ignore what the website stated regarding not buying anymore insurance. I was made to feel that I was entirely responsible and no one at Alamo was. My argument was that why were the staff at Alamo not aware of the fact I had paid for the zero risk option. Or maybe they chose to ignore it as I am sure they are aware of this insurance. I had never used easy car before and I certainly wasn’t expecting a hard sell on arrival. I would also like to point out that when I made the above points to Jean Marie, they were not answered and I was told the matter was now closed.
Jean Marie, unfortunately I was not happy with the way you dealt with my complaint as I was made to look like I was stupid and that easy car bore no responsibility.
IN A NUTSHELL IF A CUSTOMER HAS PAID FOR ZERO RISK OPTION INSURANCE THERE SHOULD BE A ZERO RISK OF THEM HAVING A HARD SELL ON INSURANCE WHEN COLLECTING THE CAR.
I would still like to be refunded for the insurance I paid for with Alamo. They may not be easy car staff but they are still representatives of them.

A completely dissatisfied customer!!

By: Benjamin

Benjamin — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 08:54:14 +0000

I’ve just found this blog having been treated like something on the underside of your shoe by a customer service team leader in Lisbon. I cannot believe a company can be so un-customer friendly and down right rude. I have escalated the issue to the head of customer services Janet Garner as I will not back down on this. If I don’t have any luck with her I will be taking them to court. My correspondence so far has gone as follows:

Message 1:

Dear easyVan / easyCar,

I attempted to collect my pre-booked van this afternoon only to be informed by staff at the rental company that they could not rent it to me as I had a total of 9 points on my licence in the last 5 years. In the terms and conditions on your website it specifically states that:

“The driver can have no more than 6 penalty points on their licence (minor offences only)”

I would like to clarify that points are only active/live (which is the definition of “on your licence”) for a period of 3 years from the original date of offence. After that time the points are dropped from the licence. In my case I only have 6 active points (all minor offences) and thus I fully conform with your terms and conditions and I should have been able to rent the van.

I spent a total of 2 hours driving to and from the rental company only to be told I could not have the van which has now put me in a serious and unfortunate predicament. I would like to request an immediate full refund, compensation for my time/petrol going to and from the rental company and an apology. Please be assured that legal action will be taken if necessary.

I would appreciate your urgent attention to this matter.

Regards

Reply 1:

Dear Mr Jones

Thank you for contacting us.

Unfortunately, in accordance with the Driving Laws, the points that you have are expired after 5 years and not 3 years, thus you unfortunately did not qualify to collect the van from this location.

On the page of the booking where you select your extras and are advised of the deposit, there is a panel near the top which states: “Booking Details (View terms and conditions)”. There is a link there to the terms and conditions. This page is before any of your details have been taken.

Furthermore, before your card is debited for the booking, you must also tick a box which states: “By checking this box I acknowledge the terms and conditions detailed above.” There is a link to the terms and conditions just in case you had not read them previously. To view the terms and conditions without making a booking, go to the homepage of the website and click on the icon marked ‘Our Ts&Cs’, then select the location.

I regret that I must remind you that these terms and conditions advise you that easyCar operates a no refund and no cancellation policy in some cases. You can however, cancel your car hire free of charge within seven days of placing your booking as long as the cancellation is made up to 24 hours before your pick up date and time. Credit card fees are non-refundable. When cancelling after seven days of making the booking you are not entitled to a refund. However, for just £7.50 per rental, we offered you the option to cancel your booking after seven days of booking and up to 24 hours before your pick up date and time. This was shown on the booking page where your details were taken.

I am sorry for any inconvenience but I am unable to cancel and refund your booking if it does not meet the criteria as outlined above and I hope that this clarifies the situation.

Kind regards,
Dann Campbell
easyCar Customer Care

Message 2:

Dear Dann Campbell,

Unfortunately for you having done some more research on this I have discovered the followings facts. On the following official government UK driving laws website in section ‘Endorsements codes and penalty points’ it states that “An endorsement must stay on your driving licence for the following periods of time: Four years from the date of offence”:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/DriverLicensing/EndorsementsAndDisqualifications/DG_4022550

Now the penalty points in question on my licence have an offence date of 26th April 2004 so in accordance with the official UK driving law I had only 6 points on my licence at the time of rental and thus fully conformed with your terms and conditions.

I say again I would like an immediate full refund, compensation for my time/petrol going to and from the rental company, compensation for calling your 60 pence per minute telephone number (for over 60 minutes) and an apology. Please be assured that legal action will be taken if you do not comply.

I would also appreciate a phone call to confirm the above actions.

————————————-

They are now arguing that actually I don’t have to comply with their T’s & C’s but also Northgate’s who were hiring the van to me. I never heard such bull. Not a happy customer and I will fight this until I get my money back.

By: William Creech

William Creech — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 00:02:25 +0000

Prior to reading this blog, I reserved a car with EasyCar for October 12th to 14th at the Malpensa (Milan) airport. Fearing the worst, I was presently surprised. EasyCar had a desk at the airport and there was no line. The car was great, much better than the one I had reserved and paid for in advance. I would use EasyCar again.

By: dan goldthorp

dan goldthorp — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 10:51:38 +0000

I feel it only fair to let you know that after threats of involving Customer Direct, Easythief have accepted responsibility and are refunding my account for the phantom charges they/Europcar took from my account. Thanks. But without wanting to sound un-gracious, it really never was about the money. It was only a few quid each time, but what I objected to so strongly was the practice that rental companies freely indulge in of stealing small amounts from customers in the hope that no-one will bother going through months of admin hell for just a few quid. Over time and with many many customers, this will add up to a healthy sum. No explanation was offered by Easythief / Europcar, so I imagine the practise will continue. I urge everyone to boycott them, or if not, then to pester them relentlessly for even the smallest amount they steal. Right, I’m off to book a holiday. Can anyone suggest a decent car hire company?

By: dan goldthorp

dan goldthorp — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 08:17:18 +0000

And another thing, Jean Marie, clicking on your friendly-looking lady in the bottom corner of your home page does take you to a support page, but I bet you can’t tell me how to navigate to any page that shows your address to send a complaint/enquiry to, for anyone who is bored of sending emails that fail to be resolved.

By: dan goldthorp

dan goldthorp — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 08:12:08 +0000

Jean Marie,
My intitial complaint about phantom charges was in March. As requested, I sent documentation in the post. I heard nothing back, but decided the amount stolen was not worth pursuing. It was not until another phantom charge was taken in August that I decided to contact you again. Every email I send to you is either ignored, or a reply is sent saying you need between 5 days and 21 days. Well, it is now 40 days since you sent your first email requesting beteewn 5 and 21 days, so your responses are about as useful as being ignored. I have sent all the documentation again by recorded delivery, including a copy of the letter I posted back in March which was ignored, so let’s see if you carry on your policy of ignoring. Customer Direct will be pursuing this on my behalf after 7 days. If Easythief spent half as much time sorting out their operation properly as they do fobbing off complaints, they would be a lot more popular.

By: Jean Marie Feddercke

Jean Marie Feddercke — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 07:35:13 +0000

Hello all,

I have been on Holiday and my goodness you have been a busy lot! I still say that this is not the best place to contact us, but the website for easyCar is.

And with respect to what Dan said above, it IS easy to contact us through the website. On the HOME PAGE of the website which is http://www.easycar.com, on the left, near the bottom, just under where you select your dates etc, there is a picture of a woman in a headset, showing our telephone numbers and just next to that in capital letters it says ONLINE SUPPORT Click here, and if you click there, you are taken to the page where you can do so by email. This shows without even scrolling down, and is visible at once when you go to the Home page.

And further to Dan’s comments, the charges that he is complaining about were NOT MADE BY EASYCAR, but by the supplier of the car, who is independent from us and is called Europcar. We asked Dan for documentation of those charges way back on 25 March 2008, but he did not send in anything to help us find out what the charges that Europcar had made until late August! That was a delay on his part, not ours, of five months. This means that both we and the supplier do have a more difficult time tracing what the charges might be.

As well as myself, a colleague of mine Lisa, has been in contact with Dan by email since August, before he went on the Blog here, advising him of what was happening. As soon as Lisa hears from Europcar she will update Dan on the charge, which was not made by us.

Now, who’s next? Per, there is no booking under the name of Per Andersen, therefore I can only comment in general. The terms and conditions to which you agreed do highlight the no cancellation policy, but if you contacted us as much as four weeks before your booking was due to begin, you could have changed it to a date in the future. If you provide your details, THROUGH THE WEBSITE NOT HERE i will investigate this on your behalf.

Kirsty, i cannot comment, because with only a first name i cannot find you on our system (which records all contacts), but i guarantee you we do not wait a whole 21 days if it is at all possible to respond sooner. That time frame is set by the suppliers, not us and we cannot respond to you until they respond to us. We often get answers from suppliers the same day we contact them, and that makes the customer complains that they don’t think we investigated at all, so we just can’t win!

Finally, Kestuis. You booking was not with us. We are sorry but the Italian company E@syCar Palermo is not part of, or connected in any way to, easyCar.com or the easyGroup and therefore we cannot help you. The website for E@sy Car Palermo is http://www.easycarspa.com and we suggest you contact them directly. I hope that this information is useful for you.

I have provided all the correct contact details for easyCar several times on this Blog, but here they are again:

Post-rental Query
Customer Care Department
easyCar.com
Highbridge, Oxford Road
Uxbridge UB8 1HR
U.K
http://www.easycar.com

Jean Marie
easyCar Customer Care Supervisor