Goldcar has been named Europe’s worst car hire firm, with customers reportedly complaining that their holidays were ruined by pressure-selling, rude staff and shock charges.
Consumer body Which? said the Spanish firm had been “rooted to the bottom” of its annual car hire survey rankings for five of the last six years.
While Goldcar’s headline prices remained cheap – users reported paying an average of £13 a day, which was less than half the amount some other major firms charged – some 40% of customers reported experiencing a problem, most often relating to “terrible customer service or spurious credit card charges”, the consumer organisation said.
Goldcar’s overall customer score was 39%, while Cicar (Canary Islands Car) was named the best car hire firm, with a score of 97%.
When it came to the big-name firms, Enterprise and sister firm Alamo were rated as the best by customers.
Hopes that the situation regarding Goldcar might have improved after it was bought out by car hire giant Europcar in 2017 “have been dashed” as the firm’s overall score had actually got worse, Which? said.
The findings mirror Guardian Money’s postbag. Goldcar is by far the most complained-about European car hire firm among readers, with one family losing their booking and deposit after their flight was rescheduled by 11 hours. The company recently started offering cars at UK airports.
Last year, another Which? investigation reported that some car hire companies had overcharged customers for damage by as much as 300%.
For this survey, Which? members were asked, in January 2019, about the 2,178 car hire experiences they had had in the last 12 months.
Rory Boland, the group’s travel editor, said: “One wrong turn at airport arrivals could easily make or break your holiday. In an industry dogged by unscrupulous practices and interminable add-ons, making the right choice is paramount, so it is good that customers can rely on companies like Cicar and Enterprise to deliver a quality service.”
He added: “Our advice is: don’t fall for headline prices, vet your car hire firm and, whatever you do, avoid Goldcar – it could end up not being a bargain at all and leave you wishing you’d stayed at home.”
Goldcar did not respond to requests for comment.
