A holidaymaker was shortchanged by a car rental company that pocketed most of the deposit (Image: Squaredpixels)
Terry Gardner, a business owner and no slouch when it comes to figures, was furious to find that although he had put down £1,114.26 (around 1,299 euros) when he hired his vehicle for a week, only 1,194 euros were refunded. But after he challenged the shortfall, he was smartly rebuffed with “the refund of the deposit has been processed correctly and the amount charged has already been returned”.* ++ If you've been affected by this issue or feel you've been a victim of injustice, please contact consumer champion Maisha Frost on [email protected] ++
With no resolution and because there were also other aspects of his experience that he was unhappy about, a few weeks ago Terry contacted Crusader, saying: “It’s not a huge sum if a one-off, but there’s still the principle.”
Terry hired his vehicle through comparison site DoYouSpain.com for pick up at Murcia airport. The short journey to a holiday home is one he does often and needing unlimited mileage in his contract has never been relevant, he says.
He paid the deposit by debit card. In retrospect this was a mistake as it left his account less protected and open to further payments being taken than had he used a credit card. With this method deposits taken are blocked or ring fenced for the hire duration, then unblocked.
A couple days after payment Terry got a warning from his bank Santander that a further small sum had been withdrawn in Spain.
Santander warned the victim a further sum of money had been withdrawn in Spain (Image: Getty)
“That transaction wasn't me and Santander cancelled my card. I’m so glad they were vigilant as who knows where the trickle might have ended up,” he says.
The confusion continued however and although Goldcar refunded 16 euros (£13.92) in late April, Terry was angry to find an unlimited mileage charge had been added to his contract.
Crusader tackled the company, which did not respond, and also DoYouSpain, which confirmed it was asking Goldcar to reinvestigate and that currency exchange fees and
