Whenever we hire a car in England, the process is straightforward. At the time of pickup, a rep inspects the car and we agree any damage on the car. When the car is returned, it is inspected again and any damage is noted. We then agree any charge that will be made to cover the cost of repair. As we walk away, we know the total cost of hire for that trip.
Things operate quite differently here in Spain. When you pick up a car nobody bothers to inspect it and no record seems to be made of any damage that the car has already sustained. When you return the car, you simply hand over the keys and again no inspection seems to be made.
You may suppose that means that the car rental companies do not care about any damage to their rental vehicles but that is not necessarily true. There are cases where visitors to Spain have returned home to find hefty charges made to their credit cards to cover damages which they are supposedly responsible for. There are even cases where the renter has handed over the keys to a rep in the car park only to find that they are later charged as if the car has been stolen i.e. not handed back.
The excess charges that these companies make can amount to thousands of pounds and therefore cause a lot of anxiety especially since, by the time the problem is realised, the renter is usually back in England faced with having to pursue the matter through their credit card provider.
Most of the problems arise because when they arrive at the airport, after their flight to Spain, most people want to get their luggage and children into the hire car and be at their holiday destination as quickly as possible. Often there is a queue at the car rental desk so they have to wait. By the time it is their turn, they are hot, tired and sweaty – all they want is to be given the keys. Checking the fine print of the agreement and examining the vehicle for damage are the last things they are interested in. On their return to the airport, they just want to drop the car off, get the luggage and children out and get to the check in desk to beat the inevitable queue there.
The companies are well aware of the situation and play on it. By trying to expedite the process of collection and return they can leave the renter open to agreeing to all sorts of extra charges like the fuel scam that Goldcar, one of the largest in Spain, operates. Every customer pays for a full tank of fuel but very few people use it. The companies know that customers are unlikely to return a car empty and so they make a profit on the unused fuel because the next customer gets charged for a full tank again. Actually, they make more than that because their fuel costs twice the price of any garages. The company we use in England checks the fuel level when we pick the car up and the deal is that we return it at the same level – that is a lot fairer.
The other thing to watch out for is the fact that none of the obligatory safety equipment seems to ever be supplied with rental cars e.g. spare bulbs, warning triangles, first aid kit, florescent vests etc. I don’t know what would happen if you were stopped by the Guardia Civil, I dread to think!
Read the reviews of car rental companies and you will see what I mean.
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