 Poster: A snowHead
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Beware AutoEurope/Megadrive.
I used Auto-Europe and it's supplier Megadrive in March this year from Innsbruck airport. I later received a c/c charge for £346 for "damage". I had returned the car in same condition, one or two corner scratches, as I had on collection and as per damage sheet. I paid an additional charge for out of hours attendance, my return flight was due to depart Innsbruck 9 am Sunday.
I parked the car in a designated space on Sunday at 7am, I had plenty of time, online flight check-in, etc., so I walked round the car carefully checking for anything, anything that might have been added in my possession. There was no additional damage.
Megadrive had nobody in attendance, so I deposited the keys.
When I received the charge I immediately challenged it and was supplied with photo evidence of the damage, a mark by the driver's door near the roof line, it looked suspiciously like the sort of mark made by a black felt tip marker. The photo was timed dated Saturday 1800hrs! The car was still in the resort 100 miles away at that time and would be for a further 12 hours. Accompanying the photo was a Megadrive car return check sheet dated and timed Monday 1122am, some 27 hours after I had returned the car. The damage might have occurred in that period, but it is unrealistic and dishonest to expect the client to be held responsible for the car in that intervening period, anything could happen to it through a day and a night.
I did ensure that the car was left in a designated space next to empty spaces.
Now a clever scam operator would have made sure dates and times checked, Megadrive obviously didn't.
On their website, Auto Europe, unlike the more reputable consolidators, do not name some of their suppliers, merely referring to them as "local suppliers", so clients are unaware that Auto Europe use "rogue" suppliers.
I came across similar complaints from other people using Autoeurope, Niza car rental in Spain being one.
I have challenged Auto Europe but to no avail. Autoeurope seem either to be complicit or irresponsible.
There are some pretty damning reports/reviews for both Autoeurope and Megadrive on Tripadvisor and other review forums.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Contact your card holder.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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davidthornton, I have used megadrive several times and found them to absolutely fine, and indeed helpful when I had a problem. (just for balance)
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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This happened to Timberwolf too from Munich last summer. Also took 3 months to get a notification. But it was a different company I think.
The pictures sent to him were not time stamped.
The card provider will probably refund you but the point is that they will not chase it up with the rental place. IMO it stinks!
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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davidthornton, extremely annoying. On the positive side, we had a problem with a Europcar through Holiday Autos, which I rented from Geneva for son and family. The roads were bad, plenty of nasty potholes, and one damaged a tyre - irredeemably. We were very annoyed to find there was no spare wheel, which would have solved the problem in 15 minutes (and there was a designated space for one). Needless to say the tyre repair gunk made no impression at all, though we thought we ought to try it, in case we were accused of not having done so. Having rescued driver and four tired kids I phoned them and was told all tyre damage was down to us. So we arranged to have it repaired locally, but this was expensive, as two new tyres were needed (because of the need for matching pairs  ). Cost over €500 with towing charges etc and also some inconvenience.
My son chased it up on arrival back in the UK as I had paid all extra charges for damage waiver etc and after a bit of effort and chasing £493 was refunded.
Just reinforced my determination never to drive a car, especially in the Alps in winter, without a proper spare!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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davidthornton, follow Filthyphil30k's advice.
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davidthornton, I had a problem with a well known brand some years back, the chain of communication went something like:
Letter from "Hert/vis/alam", "you damaged our car, we're taking cash"
Me, "How?"
Them, "you destroyed the brake lines".
Me, "Don't be stupid, I drove from <well> to <insert> down mountain roads. I couldn't have done that without brakes"
Them, "Ah, no. you're right, we've re-checked, the car was missing its hub caps"
Me, "1. it had winter tyres with bare black steel rims, so there were no hubcaps to be missing. 2. How does 1-4 hubs caps equate to replacing 1-4 brake lines?"
Escalation, me writing letter to Visa, the rental HQ in Europe, personal copies to MD, head of marketing and the Sunday Times travel Editor.
Them, "Hi, it's Sue from complaints escalation in Paris, please explain problem..." - done-
Them, "Hi, it's Sue from etc. apparently you scratched the roof with the ski rack?" Me, "I didn't have a ski rack. Isn't this beginning to be a bit stupid?"
Them, "Hi, it's Sue from etc. OK, we've fired the local branch manager, we've refunded the claimed money and we're sending you compensation."
I believe it's an extension of the "tourist tax" and they can all be at it.
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PITA consequence of the European Car Hire model. In the US where you can just get zero excess insurance bundled in doesn't seem to be as much of a problem. On return the guys seem only to give a cursory glance before signing off on the basis that there is nothing to extract from you anyway. Where there's a risible 1000 Euro excess on a Fiat Panda there's plenty of incentive and I'm sure local managers are incentivised on damage recoveries in places even where they aren't actively scamming straight into their own pocket.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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In fairness, I did thank my CDW insurance that one time when we doughnutted the poor wee car into the river.
Oops.
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| fatbob wrote: |
| In the US where you can just get zero excess insurance bundled in doesn't seem to be as much of a problem. |
That "zero excess insurance bundled" adds considerable cost 25-50% to the hire (for US residents). The hire shops got enough form Americans they don't have to get it from you! You were being subsidised by the locals
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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abc, nothing stopping you booking your car hire through an all in Eurp consolidator. Unless they catch you on country of credit card.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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I've never heard of Megadrive...I have used AutoEurope on the odd occasion and only from Geneva and have never had a problem, a worrying tale though, it has crossed my mind before that its their word against ours.
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I have very fond memories of a month spent driving round the states in 1970 - unlimited mileage Hertz car, $99 a month. And in those days there were $2.40 to the £1. Magic.
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You know it makes sense.
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We always take out separate CDW insurance, usually through these people:
http://www.carhireexcess.co.uk
We've only ever made one claim. It was for £800 for a replacement windscreen, which genuinely needed replacing (a turkey flew into it at speed.....). The £800 was a clearly inflated figure from the car rental company, but there was no query at all about our claim.
Whilst it's wrong that the cowboys in the car rental world can charge at all for made up damage, at least this insurance protects you from being their victim.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Good morning all.
Yes Swissie, that's the problem. at the end of the day, it is just your word against theirs and they've got your money. For that reason alone if there is any suspicion of fraudulent or disreputable practice then companies like Autoeurope and Megadrive should be avoided. No doubt there will be satisfied customers out there, but the circumstances of my experience and others suggest that it is better to play safe and choose other companies, in particular U.K. based, subject to U.K. consumer laws. Neither Autoeurope nor Megadrive are U.K. based, so out of reach of U.K. authorities. Auto europe are U.S. based.
I have many years experience of renting cars, I check everything with a fine tooth comb. On collection before I drive off I even go back into the rental office to have the minutest of marks indicated on the damage sheet, in addition to any that are already indicated. I check the lights (cracked/broken lens), wipers, interior, the headlining, under the bonnet, the boot, especially the spare wheel.
Megadrive are not located in the main hall at Innsbruck but over in the multistorey. There are reports of Megadrive being investigated by the Austrian authorities. If Autoeurope are so reputable and responsible what are they doing dealing with companies like Megadrive?
IMO Autoeurope certainly not reputable.
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Poster: A snowHead
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These days I always take my own pictures of the car on return. If possible, I make a great song and dance about it too so the guys on the desk see what's going on. Not been stung so far.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Quote: |
IMO Autoeurope certainly not reputable
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My experience makes me hope/believe that Holiday Autos are reputable. But insurance, as suggested by sj1608 seems good idea I think some travel insurance includes this, doesn't it? Worth having.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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For £1.99 a day it has to be worth taking out that sort of insurance. It actually sounds ridiculously cheap.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I do have car excess insurance from which I will be able to claim and are now in the process of doing so. I wouldn't do travel/car rental without an annual policy for car hire excess.
My experience with Auto-europe occurred on March 24th and subsequent billing item two weeks later. I have been waiting for Auto-europe to come to their senses - respond and refund. I wanted to give them every chance, fair enough. I emailed them and they initially auto-replied, gave me a report reference and that was that. I have sent reminder emails but to no avail
I have also posted a report on Tripadvisor, yesterday. Interestingly, there have been replies to my posting on Tripadvisor, from so-called "destination experts" who have tried to claim that I might have be confusing Auto-europe with other similarly named companies. There is another reply purporting to come from an "innocent" bystander. Am I cynical?
Auto-europe are not U.K. based, so I think that it is advisable to use companies that are.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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To avoid any confusion with names, the auto-europe under discussion is www.auto-europe.co.uk. It's logo is "ae".
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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davidthornton, You've certainly had a bad experience, but tbh if Auto Europe or Megadrive had the best deal I'd still choose them and claim on my excess insurance if necessary. I would dispute charges if that was appropriate and use my legal cover if necessary, but overall (and based on my own experience) I consider the risk to be small
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Last year I took out CDW insurance from a third party for car hire in Spain. When at the collection desk the hard sell was put on by Gold Car (Gold something anyway) and told all sorts like "no insurance is valid except out own / you'll have to may €lots / you're uninsured unless you take out our totalCDW etc etc"
We resisted getting their CDW but spent the whole holiday terrified we weren't actually covered and wouldn't be able to claim back anything on it if something happened!
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Use them all the time. Only issues I`ve had were they were cheaper about a month after Id booked. No problem cancelled the first one and rebooked the cheaper option, saving about £100.
Always ring them and speak to them. They are beginning to know my voice, but certainly if you build up a rapore with them they`re fine.
I always ask who they are putting me with before agreeing(even on an online reservation, they can tell you who it would be with) and as long as Im happy away we go. They also offer a no quibble 100% refund policy up to a certain time before arrival.
I generally only use the airport providers so that theres no driving involved.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| Quote: |
at the end of the day, it is just your word against theirs and they've got your money.
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Not really. With a credit card, you're in the driving seat, as it were. I've not had this issue with cars, but I have had hotels try to charge me for minibar items, which I never touch, once or twice.
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| fatbob wrote: |
| abc, nothing stopping you booking your car hire through an all in Eurp consolidator. Unless they catch you on country of credit card. |
That too.
But the real catch is it's still a lot cheaper to hire as a local resident, without the "zero excess insurance"!
(the point, which I think you've missed, is all local residents who own cars already have insurance that covers car hiring, WITH THE USUAL EXCESS. The car hire company were sneaky enough to demand an amount typically below the usual excess on people's insurance -- $500 is the most common excess)
Oversea driver is a special case which the car hire company probably don't bother with. It's a much smaller fraction of their business
Last edited by Ski the Net with snowHeads  on Thu 6-06-13 16:41; edited 1 time in total
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| flangesax wrote: |
This happened to Timberwolf too from Munich last summer. Also took 3 months to get a notification. But it was a different company I think.
The pictures sent to him were not time stamped.
The card provider will probably refund you but the point is that they will not chase it up with the rental place. IMO it stinks! |
Yup, and even flangesax's considerable powers were no match for the Thrifty / Dollar revenue maximisation scheme. I was so upset, I had to go to Les Arcs 
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| abc wrote: |
| fatbob wrote: |
| abc, nothing stopping you booking your car hire through an all in Eurp consolidator. Unless they catch you on country of credit card. |
That too.
But the real catch is it's still a lot cheaper to hire as a local resident, without the "zero excess insurance"!
(the point, which I think you've missed, is all local residents who own cars already have insurance that covers car hiring, WITH THE USUAL EXCESS. The car hire company were sneaky enough to demand an amount typically below the usual excess on people's insurance -- $500 is the most common excess)
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Really? I rarely pay much more than £100 a week for car hire in the US up to compact including all CDW and taxes and depot surcharges- you get rentals for under $20 with all that in?
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| altis wrote: |
| These days I always take my own pictures of the car on return. If possible, I make a great song and dance about it too so the guys on the desk see what's going on. Not been stung so far. |
Spot on. Have rented cars in a few countries and ALWAYS film the returned car, making sure i have milage and a confirmation of date. This is after being stung in london (my fault in a rush and didn't check properly) for a few quid. Since then haven't had a problem, touch wood, as have rentals booked in the next few months in Austria and Japan.
If you think they are trying it on then make as big a song and dance that you can and, a big and mind you, they might back down
Good luck.
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You know it makes sense.
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altis, ADESki, did all that as usual, counts for nothing with rogue operators. As I say they have your c/c details, moneys in their bank, that's where it will stay.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| fatbob wrote: |
| abc wrote: |
| fatbob wrote: |
| abc, nothing stopping you booking your car hire through an all in Eurp consolidator. Unless they catch you on country of credit card. |
That too.
But the real catch is it's still a lot cheaper to hire as a local resident, without the "zero excess insurance"!
(the point, which I think you've missed, is all local residents who own cars already have insurance that covers car hiring, WITH THE USUAL EXCESS. The car hire company were sneaky enough to demand an amount typically below the usual excess on people's insurance -- $500 is the most common excess)
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Really? I rarely pay much more than £100 a week for car hire in the US up to compact including all CDW and taxes and depot surcharges- you get rentals for under $20 with all that in? |
Yes, without CDW. No with. That being the biggest difference.
For subcompact, typical airport rental can easily be had for <$20/day and 5 days cost for a week. CDW typically adds additional $10/day. That's like a 50% premium! (adding taxes and location charge though, brings a weekly up to anywhere between $120-150 depending on exact location). I typically hire a slightly bigger car (fits skis inside) and usually end up with a bill around $150 without fail.
During the Epic Gathering this past April, some "bear" got an SUV for a week at less than $200 all in (but without CDW).
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FAQ
