Car hire - forgot my driving licence!

Yorky

I booked car hire from a company beside Malaga airport. On arrival at the desk, I realised I'd forgotten to bring my driving licence but I said I could get a copy emailed to them.

Initially the rep said they couldn't release the car but after he spoke to the manager they said they would accept a copy of the licence provided I took out full insurance cover with them at the cost of €72.

I'd already taken an excess insurance policy (costing £7) and had the certificate with me but they woldn't accept it as it wasn't their policy.

I acknowledged to the rep that I should have had my driving licence with me but I couldn't see the connection between not having the original and having to take out their insurance. Their response was essentially No Insurance, No Car.

I reluctantly paid the €72 and took the car without any further problems.

I'm now back home and still think I shouldn't have had to buy their policy and would like to get a refund.

Any advice or details of a similar experience would be appreciated.

Yamanoto

You were fortunate to secure a rental without your license tbh.

You accepted the terms on the day, so the fact you think a refund may be in order is frankly preposterous.

Mrs OBumble

If you were in Ireland a no-license-no-car policy would have been strictly enforced. I actually think it's outrageous that they gave you the car without one.

Yorky

Yamanoto wrote: »

You were fortunate to secure a rental without your license tbh.

You accepted the terms on the day, so the fact you think a refund may be in order is frankly preposterous.

It's a query - please excuse my preposterousness

eezipc

To be honest, you got the car in the end and they did not need to give you the car.
If I forgot my licence and they asked me to pay 72 quid for the car, I would be delighted.

coylemj

Yorky wrote: »

...... I couldn't see the connection between not having the original and having to take out their insurance. Their response was essentially No Insurance, No Car.

Since it hasn't yet occurred to you, let me explain the connection....

The attitude of the staff at the counter clearly was: 'You buy the insurance and we get our cut of the commission in return for us bending the rules and giving you the car without the actual licence'.

Which sounds like a reasonable deal to me. They would have been well within their rights to refuse to give you the car but as they had you over a barrel, they clearly decided to exploit the situation for their own gain. With Photoshop and other s/w it would be absolutely no problem to produce a fake 'scanned image' of a valid driving licence with the photo of anyone on it so frankly I'm amazed that they accepted any such copy.

Hang on, you said it was a rental company 'beside Malaga airport' - so clearly not one of the mainstream companies who have desks in the basement. That explains it then - cowboys.

theteal

coylemj wrote: »

Hang on, you said it was a rental company 'beside Malaga airport' - so clearly not one of the mainstream companies who have desks in the basement. That explains it then - cowboys.

I've used malagacar and the place next door (whose name escapes me just now) multiple times. I don't know what makes them cowboys. Good clean cars and much cheaper than the brand names.

kirving

You were extremely lucky to get the car, and I bet that €72 was far less than you otherwise would have had to pay with busses and taxis.

From their point of view, their insurance could allow anyone over a certain age with any countries licence to drive the car. And on balance they give you the benefit of the doubt since the vast majority of adults do have a licence.

At least then if you were lying and presented false info to their company, they would have some recourse in the fact that the car would be fully covered and you'd be getting sued.

With your own insurance, they'd have no comeback at all.

mickoneill31

This is an annoying thread.

Guys could have just stuck to the letter of the law and said no car for you. I'm sure in their terms and conditions they would have kept some or all of the rental fee.

They bent the rules and you got slightly punished for it. To the tune of €72. Now you feel hard done by. How about next time you don't forget your license.
I've forgotten my license before and had to lose half of my rental fee. €72 would have been great.

AndyBoBandy

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

If you were in Ireland a no-license-no-car policy would have been strictly enforced. I actually think it's outrageous that they gave you the car without one.

I blagged a car from Hertz in Dublin airport last year while my licence was off being renewed, it probably helped that I'm a member of their presidents circle, but still, it's always down to who you get at the desk at the time. But it's not as strictly enforced as you suggest.

coylemj

theteal wrote: »

I've used malagacar and the place next door (whose name escapes me just now) multiple times. I don't know what makes them cowboys. Good clean cars and much cheaper than the brand names.

Try this then - one of them is prepared to rent out a car with no third party insurance.

If the OP had crashed into someone, wrecked both cars and killed the other driver, the €72 insurance he bought (or his own personal excess policy) would have paid to replace the rental car but the third party insurance would have been void as he did not produce a driving licence when renting the car.

Gatica

I guess then it rests on whether the renting assistant on the day believed that the OP's photocopy was genuine and not a dud. It may require extra work to get all the papers to the insurance, but that's not to say they'd not pay out. Also, AFAIK most claims are dealt with over phone, fax and scanned emailed copies. So the OPs photocopy would be just as good for that purpose. Just my guess of course.

IMO, you should be glad they allowed you to rent their car. Chances are the booking fees were non-refundable and you would've lost a lot if not all of your booking charges with whoever you booked. Unfortunately, as much as it sucks, it's not their fault you forgot your licence. Yes, maybe they're trying to make an extra buck off your back in this unfortunate scenario, but they're a business and it's their prerogative, since they didn't have to rent you out anything at all without a physical licence. Also, as another poster pointed out, you signed the contracts so it'll be assumed that you agreed to the terms of them, and I can't see any "court", let's say, acknowledging that you got screwed over when you agreed to it in the first place. Write it off to a learning experience...

finbarrk

Jesus, I can't believe you got the car without a licence.

naughtysmurf

finbarrk wrote: »

Jesus, I can't believe you got the car without a licence.

Me also, if I was the OP I would have been doing backflips of gratitude, €72 or shanks mare, I'd say you got a serious result there OP

Cianmcliam

naughtysmurf wrote: »

Me also, if I was the OP I would have been doing backflips of gratitude, €72 or shanks mare, I'd say you got a serious result there OP

Agree with this. However, I hope you took some before and after photos of the car before leaving it back. Watch your credit card bill, if they take that kind of risk for a few euro commission they might find some convenient damage too.

ProudDUB

naughtysmurf wrote: »

Me also, if I was the OP I would have been doing backflips of gratitude, €72 or shanks mare, I'd say you got a serious result there OP

Me three. Jesus, if I turned up to rent a car with no license, I'd be willing to do every single back flip in the book to get me a car and, probably some that haven't even been invented yet. If the sum total of all those back flips was a whopping 70 quid, I'd consider myself to be a very, very lucky bunny indeed.

vienne86

naughtysmurf wrote: »

Me also, if I was the OP I would have been doing backflips of gratitude, €72 or shanks mare, I'd say you got a serious result there OP

And me four. I have hired cars in France dozens of times, and with their officialdom and love of form filling, I would definitley be expected to be left without a car, and probably without a refund as well!