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Holiday car hire case studies

Communication problems

It may be reassuring to rent your car from big-name multinational companies but bear in mind that most do run all their car rental offices themselves. They may also expect you to deal with the local office - rather than the UK - if there are problems, which can be frustrating if there is a language barrier or if paperwork has not been passed across.

•  Mark and his girlfriend Charlotte booked and paid for their hire car online well in advance of their holiday to Portugal. Everything was fine until they decided to extend their holiday and the hire period. They phoned the company's UK office and were told this would be no problem and a voucher would be sent via e-mail. When nothing arrived, they called the office repeatedly but there was no answer. They eventually spoke to someone who apologised and promised that everything would be arranged. A voucher then arrived with the wrong car hire company named and the whole process started again. The couple spent precious holiday time making and waiting for calls that were never returned. They were anxious about using the car in case they were not covered. They had good reason to be concerned. Not long after the mess was finally untangled and they were given more apologies and assurances that everything was OK, they had a nasty shock when they returned the car. The hire company refused to return their deposit and gave them ad additional bill for late return, saying they had not be informed of the extension. They have now contacted the company's head office requesting an apology, an explanation and compensation for their time and telephone bills.

•  Michael rented a car in advance for a trip through the South of France. The hire went well but on return to the UK, he found that the company had double-charged him in error. It took dozens of phone calls and letters to obtain a refund because the UK base said the money must come from the French office. Both denied responsibility and it took more than a month to get results.

Infant car seat problems

When James and his wife Jo took their two-year old twins on holiday to Malta, they were horrified to discover the incompetence of the car hire company when it came to car seats for their children. Hiring the car was quick and easy, but when James requested the pre-booked child car seats he was told the office only had two booster seats for children over 4 years old. James' paperwork confirming the infant seating booking was met with a shrug. He was told they could have one car seat and wait for another to be sent over from another depot.

'I was utterly astounded,' says James. 'I then asked for assistance with fitting the only car seat and was told that the company only provided the car seat and it was our responsibility as the customer to fit the car seat. I think it is unreasonable to expect customers to fit unfamiliar baby car seats into an unfamiliar car'. James proceeded to fit one car seat, to the best of his ability and one booster seat for their short trip to their villa. Neither seat was suitable and they decided not to use the car again until the problem had been resolved. The following day James headed to a local branch of the hire company and found staff very helpful. They accompanied him to a depot where a company mechanic tried - and failed - to fit the child seats according to the manufacturer's instructions.

In the end, the car seats were ‘fitted' in a haphazard way and the family decided not to use the car to drive their children at all. It was hard for the family not to let this and the inconvenience caused through obtaining the seats in the first place, to spoil their holiday. 'It is patently obvious why the hire company will not fit car seats,' says James. 'They clearly want to limit their liability in the event of an accident.'

James has taken up his case with the company concerned and has been in touch with the Maltese minister for tourism to highlight the wider issues.