Driver fights loss after car hire contract confusion - The Crusader

He thought his car rental had been sorted weeks before travelling, but a driver found himself plunged into a shock quandary when picking it up at an airport in the Canaries.

“I had checked that I had full cover but on collection I was warned the excess on the damage insurance was really over double I thought I had and to be properly protected I should take out a more expensive package,” holidaymaker Mike Caswell told Crusader.

“Strikes had been threatening coach transfers to resorts, I needed the car and was caught between a rock and hard place. The seeds of doubt had been sown and the pressure of going through all the fine print of my contract at that stage was too much so I agreed.”

Mike’s trip last October to Fuerteventura passed without incident and he returned the car. But while he had chosen to pay the additional £197, he wasn’t happy about the way it had transpired.

++ If you've been affected by this issue or feel you've been a victim of injustice, please contact consumer champion Maisha Frost on maisha.frost@express.co.uk ++;

He had travelled on a package with Jet2 Holidays, then hiring a car through them with their third party supplier Rentalcars after the strikes warning. Vehicle collection was from Europcar’s airport desk.

Like insurance generally, car hire is full of third parties, intermediaries, end suppliers and legalities sometime expressed in opaque language that consumers can find confusing and puts them at a disadvantage. Then there are the excesses and deposits to contend with too.

“I thought the original £126 cost of the hire fair because it was to help with any coach strike, but I would not have taken it had I known how much I ended up paying,” Mike added.

Jet2 Holidays first responded to his complaint saying it not responsible for what had happened, which is legally correct.

Mike was told “we mention on our website Full Protection covers the deposit, you’ll leave when you pick up the car, all exterior parts of the car that aren’t covered  by the basic cover your car rental comes with and also any towing or admin fees. This information is always presented to customers at the time of booking.”

However after Mike contacted Crusader we raised the matter of the service he had received with Jet2, Rentalcars and Europcar and things moved for the better.  Jet2 commented: “Our terms and conditions make it very clear that we work with a third-party car hire provider. Our full protection is sufficient. We have spoken with Rentalcars about this matter and understand they are working to resolve it.” 

Rentalcars contacted Mike and he has now received a refund for the extra £197 he paid. Europcar said: “The rental station would have offered the customer the Protection Packages that were available in order to improve their level of coverage. The customer purchased our Premium Protection Package which is an excess waiver product and reduced their excess to zero so that they would not be liable to pay in the event of damage.”

 “Persist if you think you have been treated unfairly,” is Mike’s advice now to travellers, “and before clicking to agree always go through a contract again, and then afterwards, so when you are about to collect you absolutely know all the details of the cover. Check excess amounts especially.”