Which? car hire survey results – Goldcar finishes bottom
Consumer association Which? has revealed the best and worst car hire firms and brokers – as Goldcar once again finishes bottom in its annual survey.
Which? is warning travellers to be wary of car hire rip-offs this summer, as Goldcar’s ‘pressure-selling tactics and dire customer service’ left it languishing at the bottom of the consumer association’s rankings.
Which? carried out a survey of over 2,000 members of the public and Which? members, asking them to assess their experiences using car hire firms and brokers based on a range of criteria including customer service, value for money, clarity of extra charges and vehicle condition.
Which?’s latest survey revealed that travellers continue to face a range of issues and rip-off practices when hiring a car, and nearly nine in ten (86%) respondents reported concerns about being taken advantage of.
Common issues reported feeling under ‘a lot’ of pressure to buy additional insurance at the desk, affecting one in six respondents (17%), being charged more than initially quoted, affecting one in ten (11%), and issues with the condition of the car (6%).
Among the worst-performing firms in the survey, these figures are even higher.
Goldcar has taken last place in Which?’s survey with a customer score of just 52 per cent, its sixth time at the bottom of the table in recent years. Alarmingly, one fifth (20%) of respondents who used Goldcar said they had issues with the condition of the car and a quarter (23%) reported being charged extra either when they picked up or returned the car.
The firm received just two stars for how well the description of vehicles matched reality, customer service and value for money, and three stars for age, condition and mileage of the car.
Which? warns holidaymakers to avoid rip off insurance excess waivers
A separate Which? analysis of car hire insurance policies (see above) found Goldcar’s to be among both the most expensive and poorly-rated of any it checked.
Other car hire firms that failed to impress include Dollar, which received a customer score of just 56 per cent, Record Go (57%) and Budget (61%).
Dollar received just two stars for customer service, and three for the age, condition and mileage of the car and value for money. One respondent complained that “the car condition was poor, key fob battery dead, service light on dash illuminated, marks and scratches all over”.
Worryingly, three in ten (30%) of those who used Dollar reported being charged extra either when they picked up or returned the car, one in seven (13%) said their car had a fault and a quarter (27%) reported waiting 30 minutes or longer to collect.
Record Go (57%) scored just two stars for customer service and how well description matched the reality, and three stars for the age, condition and mileage of the car, and value for money. A fifth (19%) of those who used the firm reported they were given a different car to the one they booked, one in five (22%) said they were charged extra when they picked up or returned the car, and a quarter (25%) had to wait more than 30 minutes.
At the other end of the table just three companies managed to earn the prestigious Which? Recommended Provider badge – Canaries based car hire firms AutoReisen (92%) and Cicar (91%), as well as broker Zest Car Rental (90%).
Respondents gave AutoReisen an impressive string of five star ratings in key categories including communication, clarity of extra charges, ease of opting out of extra charges, clarity of final hire cost, clarity of fuel policy, age, condition and mileage of the car, and value for money. At a reported average price of just £21 per day, AutoReisen was the cheapest firm in the survey – showing that excellent service doesn’t have to come with a hefty price tag.
Other high scoring firms include Centauro (83%), Alamo (73%) and Enterprise (73%), but these fell short of earning Which? Recommend Provider status which was only awarded to companies with a customer service rating of 4 stars and above. With the only two recommended car hire firms based in the Canaries, holidaymakers heading elsewhere may want to consider using Which? Recommended broker Zest Car Rental to find reputable local car hire firms.
The company received an excellent customer score of 90 per cent and a run of impressive five star ratings for communication, clarity of extra charges, ease of opting out of extra charges, clarity of final hire cost, clarity of fuel policy, clarity of information on provider, and customer service.
Says Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel:
“Booking car hire should be straightforward, but all too often it feels like the wild west, with travellers lamenting fraught experiences, poor customer service and spurious fees. Goldcar in particular is best avoided, with customers repeatedly reporting serious issues from pressure selling to poor customer service.
“To ensure you have the best possible experience this summer, make sure you book with a reputable firm. Our Which? Recommended Providers are all excellent choices, and if you use a good broker like Zest Car Rental, they’ll also be able to advocate on your behalf in the unlikely event of issues.”
