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Never Rent from Auto Europe... or Dollar.... Never!

PostPosted: March 8th, 2010, 5:38 pm
by Liv
auto_europe_com.jpg


So I've got a bit of complaining to do. Deal with it, I'll try to keep it rational... but this is my complaint thread against Dollar Rent-A-Car and more importantly.... Auto Europe. I'll be fair, Roberto at the Dallas Fort Worth Rental Car center was super empathetic apologizing for the fact he couldn't accept my pre-paid reservation.... but his a-hole of a boss who refused to honor my reservation should be hung by his testicles.... because after-all your f-ing company left me stranded in what can only be described as DFW purgatory. See the rental car center is isolated away from the airport, and you're bussed in from the airport... So you can suspect my dissatisfaction with having no car, and no way to my hotel. In fact no way to nowhere...

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Again this was prepaid. I had found the reservation through Momondo, a U.S. based travel reservation site. When I found a rate of about 90 dollars, I jumped at the chance. Clicking through I ended up on a website called AutoEurope.com. I followed along with typical web-cart to check out filling out the form with my U.S. address and information. There was even a drop down menu box requiring you to choose the country of origin (me) which I carefully chose United States of America. I submitted the form and moments later received my reservation and my card was charged in Euros. "No prob." I thought. I'm familiar with Europe, even been there... and my bank doesn't charge an international fee so I'm good. So I printed out the reservation, and smugly grinned even when Auto Europe; a few days later, added their own international fee to my card. Again "No worries" I thought, it's still a lot cheaper than anyone else in the rental car business. This was more than a week before my flight. No one called me telling me anything was afoot with my reservation... nothing, nobody...

The day I landed in DFW all was going smooth when I stepped off the bus and got in line and waited. Roberto, who looks like Angel Batista (David Zayas) from Dexter asks where I'm from?

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I'm like "North Carolina" with my fake southern accent. He's like, "Do you have an International Driver's License?" I'm like "I've been international and drove, does that count?" He goes on to explain that the rate and the reservation is only for people of Europe and that he can't rent me a car for that price. "WTF?" Serious. Some Irish dame can rent a car for a 1/3 of what we can in America at our own freaking rental car prices? What? Like the Euro is stronger than the dollar already? Seriously, What? This is Texas!!! I'm about to go Tea Party on your ass. I demand to see you boss. So Roberto... kindly goes back to his boss who I had caught a glimpse of earlier and who looks like he touches underage children on the weekends at church, and then returns and says "No can do." However they could rent to me at the regular rate of $340 and I would have to seek a refund from Auto Europe on my own.

This is when I broke out my mobile phone and called Auto Europe's customer service. Oddly I received some chick with an American accent who said she could cancel my reservation and place a new one for me at a higher rate but....

... there's always a but.....

I'd incur a penalty charge equal to the amount of the reservations....

So basically, no car, and I'm being charged 3 times as much money because my family immigrated from Wales. This by an American company; Dollar, and the reservation company basically got paid 60 some Euros for shoving their big long muffler up my rear and twisting it. I hung up, thanked the actor playing Dollar Rent A Car's puppet and said "you're not getting my money." No not really, more a long the lines of "Guess I'll be requesting a chargeback from my bank!"

Thank you Roberto, I know you're just the middle man, but you company is crap... Apply at Enterprise.

Because that's just what I did. I pulled out my business Enterprise card, ripped open the mobile web on my phone and got a quote for $180. Why didn't I book with them in advance? I don't know. I was enticed by the savings.... Enterprise has always treated me like gold and I'm going to remember that next time. In fact I walked to the counter asked if they had cars, and hit the send button on my phone while being handed a bottle of cold water, a soothing smile and more than just empathy... but a lovely, and beautiful set of keys to a Nissan Sentra....

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Mind you, the beautiful and wonderful Enterprise staff upon hearing of my situation upgraded my vehicle, (originally a clown car) and did everything they could to make it so I got to my hotel carefully and without any further trouble.

What I've learned: Don't rent from AutoEurope, ever. Don't rent from Dollar (though you can high five Roberto and tell him Dexter is a serial killer.) And if it's too good to be true, it probably is.

Re: Never Rent from Auto Europe... or Dollar.... Never!

PostPosted: March 8th, 2010, 5:44 pm
by Sanjuro
Yes yes yes.. Enterprise all the way. They have bent over backwards for me on multiple occasions. Fantastic company.

Re: Never Rent from Auto Europe... or Dollar.... Never!

PostPosted: March 8th, 2010, 6:03 pm
by Serendipitous
Crap. I still have to send a letter to Enterprise about the branch we've dealt with on several occasions. They ROCK!

Re: Never Rent from Auto Europe... or Dollar.... Never!

PostPosted: March 8th, 2010, 8:49 pm
by triadwatch
might want to submit this to rip off report . com

Re: Never Rent from Auto Europe... or Dollar.... Never!

PostPosted: March 9th, 2010, 4:21 am
by SouthernFriedInfidel
Weird. Still, it always helps to read the fine print when you see a deal that's surprisingly good. This business of having a special rate just for Europeans... sounds like a pathetic effort to boost tourism from outside the country, get currency flowing from Europe.

2 things: the checkout should have had a question for the renter verifying that the renter was from a country authorized to get the deal. And I agree -- once the agreement was made and paid for, the company should have honored it and made a point to correct their check out process.

Liv and learn, eh?

Re: Never Rent from Auto Europe... or Dollar.... Never!

PostPosted: March 9th, 2010, 4:23 am
by SouthernFriedInfidel
Serendipitous wrote:Crap. I still have to send a letter to Enterprise about the branch we've dealt with on several occasions. They ROCK!

I hates Enterprise. They ripped me off when I needed a car while mine was in repairs. Handed me a crackin' PT Cruiser, to boot.
:angry-cussingblack:

Re: Never Rent from Auto Europe... or Dollar.... Never!

PostPosted: March 9th, 2010, 8:53 am
by Liv
SouthernFriedInfidel wrote:2 things: the checkout should have had a question for the renter verifying that the renter was from a country authorized to get the deal. And I agree -- once the agreement was made and paid for, the company should have honored it and made a point to correct their check out process.

Liv and learn, eh?


The did have a question verifying residency... and I did choose U.S. I'm sure there's some verbiage somewhere on their site suggesting I'm an idiot, but I missed it apparently. Honestly, I think this should be illegal personally. What if this was a company charging white people less than other minorities?

Re: Never Rent from Auto Europe... or Dollar.... Never!

PostPosted: March 9th, 2010, 11:08 am
by A Person
It is very common to get rental deals from outside the country at far less than for locals. Last time I went to the UK I checked using my sister's address in the uk and mine and found I could rent the vehicle for about 30% less from outside the country.

What is wrong is that their web site should not have accepted your booking - and they should have refunded your fee if the rental place refused to accept their booking. If you word the request right they probably will. But you knew you were gaming their system :P

Re: Never Rent from Auto Europe... or Dollar.... Never!

PostPosted: March 9th, 2010, 12:21 pm
by Former Expat
I've only done it the "legal" way by actually coming from Europe and renting a car in America. I did get strange looks and even had to pull out my return ticket to Europe a couple of times, but I stuck by my guns and they gave me the car without paying anything extra.

I do know, that it does say in the very tiny tiny print, you should have a foreign address and or foreign DL. Read that fine print, çause it gets you everytime! :roll:

Re: Never Rent from Auto Europe... or Dollar.... Never!

PostPosted: March 9th, 2010, 3:25 pm
by A Person
Medium sized print sctually :)
carrental.gif

Re: Never Rent from Auto Europe... or Dollar.... Never!

PostPosted: March 9th, 2010, 3:54 pm
by SouthernFriedInfidel
Damn internet -- always providing those blasted FACTS.... :mrgreen:

Re: Never Rent from Auto Europe... or Dollar.... Never!

PostPosted: March 10th, 2010, 9:51 am
by Liv
TOS? Come on... Isn't it Apple that has a TOS with nuclear weapons in it? And Aerosmith contracts require all the green M&Ms removed. It's B.S. Though I do take responsibility of my actions, I firmly assert if you can't give me a product or service then I shouldn't be charged...

I even offered to take the car at the American rate given they apply what I had pay towards the rental... they refused.

Re: Never Rent from Auto Europe... or Dollar.... Never!

PostPosted: March 10th, 2010, 9:59 am
by SouthernFriedInfidel
Liv wrote:TOS? Come on...
I even offered to take the car at the American rate given they apply what I had pay towards the rental... they refused.

Seems THAT is covered in the first point of the TOS. They may be bastards, but at least they're up-front with their bastardity. :?

Re: Never Rent from Auto Europe... or Dollar.... Never!

PostPosted: March 10th, 2010, 10:13 am
by Liv
Doesn't matter. I've been in customer service. You just don't do this. I'm a generally very understanding customer, and I'm admitting my wrong to some degree, but a lot of people wouldn't go that far. What they effectively done is turned themselves into a machine by which they generate non-customers for them and their clients they offer the rentals too. I will forever remember this for the rest of my life, and neither of these companies will ever receive my business. In addition I will hopefully compel enough people by this post to not rent with them because "who knows?" they could get screwed too. All this over $90.00 that they could have refunded, applied to the American rate, or simply refused to accept the reservation because their website is poorly built, and I clearly stated I was American. (Block I.P.s, American Addresses, etc.) They effectively misled me by selling through a U.S. website, then continued to sell to me knowing I could not rent. This would appear to put the ball in their court for misrepresentation, fraud, or at the very least ineffective and poor business practices which I'm committed to making transparently clear even if they're not.

Everyone on here knows me. I'm a fair person... I admit I'm not perfect, I admit I overlooked TOS, but in the same respect it's a business's responsibility to provide some level of service when the business is partially responsible and this did not happen in this case.

I recommend AutoEurope purchase give em the piclkle.

Re: Never Rent from Auto Europe... or Dollar.... Never!

PostPosted: March 10th, 2010, 10:29 am
by A Person
I agree they should have refunded their fee or not considered it a cancellation. I have used AutoEurope when travelling to Europe and was quite happy with their service. There wasn't an agency/reservation fee - or at least not one that was broken out separately.

I expect if you write a nice email to them explaining the issue they will give you a refund. Tell them you used their service in your travels to Europe and how happy you were before your naivety was cruelly abused in this one incident that was so unlike your prior experience.

Re: Never Rent from Auto Europe... or Dollar.... Never!

PostPosted: April 26th, 2010, 12:09 pm
by SouthernFriedInfidel
I see that Hertz is buying Dollar/Thrifty. That might improve the old customer service rep a bit.
:pray:

Re: Never Rent from Auto Europe... or Dollar.... Never!

PostPosted: April 26th, 2010, 6:00 pm
by Liv
I'm sticking with Enterprise... at least until I can find a place to live that has no car and no streets.

Re: Never Rent from Auto Europe... or Dollar.... Never!

PostPosted: July 7th, 2010, 7:57 am
by world wide webb's
Hi, I am from England and visit America many times a year - Have rented from Dollar, Enterprize, Avis, Budget & Hertz - Sorry guys but Dollar are the Best - Always get a new (ish) american car - none of this recalled Jap Crap that the others keep rolling out (look at the owners book and you will see that Nissan, Toyota still own the things).

Like all things - If one thing goes wrong then 10 people know about it - BUT you need 10 things to go right before ONE person knows about it.

Peter

Re: Never Rent from Auto Europe... or Dollar.... Never!

PostPosted: July 7th, 2010, 9:00 am
by Liv
world wide webb's wrote:Peter


Instead of them 'Robbing Peter to Pay Paul", they robbed Liv to pay Peter.