Goldcar car rental Spain, crazy prices?

Phibsboro

Hi,

This is one of those alerts where I got an amazing price for my specific requirements, I am not sure if there is a sale on, if it was a mis-quote or what the story is. Also note I am not particularly recommending Goldcar, although I do mostly use them these days when I'm in Spain.

Sooo, pickup/dropoff in Seville Airport, 16 days over late June/Early July, Polo/208 type car, Full/Full (i.e. not getting ripped off on their petrol prices) - Unlimited mileage 29e total(!). Limited mileage (90k a day) 19e, again total for 16days. There are a few categories at these kind of prices, it then ramps back up to normal for larger size cars.

I have triple checked the booking and can't see that I'm doing anything stupid like booking for next year or something.

Screenshot attached.

Hope this helps someone

Edit - sorry the website! https://www.goldcar.es/en/
Note that I am a registered user of the site, if that makes any odds.

djivide_

if its anything like Malaga airport I would not touch them. I have seen people wait over 3 hours to get through
the queue to actually pick up they keys, i don't care how cheap it is i wouldn't go near them, every time i have
been there even in the off peak times of the year there is a 40+ people waiting to get keys

Phibsboro

djivide_ wrote: »

if its anything like Malaga airport I would not touch them. I have seen people wait over 3 hours to get through
the queue to actually pick up they keys, i don't care how cheap it is i wouldn't go near them, every time i have
been there even in the off peak times of the year there is a 40+ people waiting to get keys

Absolutely, Malaga is a nightmare. Last time I came through Malaga I paid the extra w Goldcar for the Express pickup service, totally skipped the queue (although Murphy's law there wasn't much of a queue that day). In Seville its not too bad as Seville is a much smaller airport. The main in-airport cheap providers are Goldcar and Firefly and they both tend to much of a muchness in terms of queues. The best option obviously is to book a business rental provider like Hertz or Sixt who rarely have any punters but they are just so expensive.

Note Goldcar don't do the express service in Seville (or at least they didn't offer it to me on this booking).

Berty

Goldcar have okay cars as long as you can deal with the queues to get them.

Goldcar and Record are disasters to deal with because of the queues. Been there done that, I now book with international companies and pay a slight premium higher to avoid the queues and the very hard sell for insurance etc when you eventually get to the desk.

randombar

I got caught with gold car too for not going with their super duper insurance so had to pay with my visa debit 2k which was refunded. if I had a cc it would have just been on hold

There was also an airport fee that wasn't on the main bill.

cruhoortwunk

Don't touch them, they charge you way over the odds for their fuel, and insist that you pay for a full tank of that overpriced fuel, even if you are not going to use that much.
Scam artists, they get people in on their lower base price, but you end up paying way more. It explains the long queues too, everyone falls for it.
See here too:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=92071718

Stick to the well known international ones, Alamo, National, Enterprise, Hertz

Eponymous

cruhoortwunk wrote: »

Don't touch them, they charge you way over the odds for their fuel, and insist that you pay for a full tank of that overpriced fuel, even if you are not going to use that much.
Scam artists, they get people in on their lower base price, but you end up paying way more. It explains the long queues too, everyone falls for it.
See here too:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=92071718

Stick to the well known international ones, Alamo, National, Enterprise, Hertz

Stay well clear of Goldcar!

http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews236975.html

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g1-i12290-k5496473-Gold_car_rental-Bargain_Travel.html

yoshimitsu

Rented from Goldcar in Spain and will never do it again. They try to find every excuse to screw you, like the Ryanair of the "good" old days. Need to be super careful to check the car when they give to you; gave the car back with a full tank and they told me I should show them a receipt of where I refueled as the indicator doesnt move for the first 40km and the want you to refuel max 10km away (is that my problem?); if you happen to get a parking or speeding ticket the admin charges from Goldcar will be more than the ticket itself.
If the price is too good to be true, usually it is!

Phibsboro

I figured this particular gift horse might get a good auld mouth examination

Spanish car rental is a game, and if you know how to play it then there are great deals to be had. I rent in Spain maybe 3 times a year so I'm pretty much on top of the current situation. I would say the following :

1. Always rent Full/Full - i.e. you return the car full at your own cost. Some places, like Goldcar, will get you to prepay the initial fill at their exorbitant rate and will then refund you when you return full. I have rented from GC in this situation and they have always refunded (and yes I checked ). As for having to show a receipt, I've never been asked for that (and I rented as recently as April this year). In fact in April I did chance my arm and had at least 50k off the full tank - apologies to whoever got it after me!

2. Just decide to only pay the advertised price. This is a huge one. I am always astonished at the amount of people who feel they''ve been ripped of a car rental counter. If you understand the game you'll never pay more than the advertised amount. Even better is to prepay and get a voucher and just assume you wouldn't go over that. So no to everything else.

3. Get your own insurance to cover the damage waiver. The big thing people get pressured into buying at the counter is the extra special insurance which mainly reduces your excess if there is any damage to the car. I always refused it but in the last couple of years I've gone a step further and organised my own insurance to cover the excess. For example https://www.carhireexcess.ie/ has a product for 50e a year that gives 5000 cover for excess and personal belonging theft. That really does take the sting out of any minor collision that the rental company tries to screw you for.

4. Avail of any queue jumping services available. So when I did a lot of business travel I was a hertz Gold member and my key was waiting for me when I landed, no need to queue or fill in any forms. Goldcar has the express service (in Malaga at least) and they are trialling a new service called Key n Go where you collect your keys from a self service machine (and it actually looks like they have it in Seville, I should have got it!) - https://www.goldcar.es/en/goldcar-keyngo-car-hire-without-queues/

5. Understand that a rental company isn't going to hand a car over to you without some form of deposit. This is becoming an increasing issue as more and more people don't have a credit card. Historically rental companies put a hold on your CC for a significant amount of money in case you fecked off with the car (or didn't pay the excess in the case of any damage). This would be in the 1000's. Fine if you have a CC but a right pain if you don't. The reality is that renting without a CC is always going to be problematic, at least for a while longer until the rental companies figure out how to work in a CC'less world. Many rental companies simply wouldn't rent to you without a credit card (I would imagine the large business ones like Hertz would be in this category). The smaller places have taken to trying to sell you insurance to cover the risk the deposit is designed to alleviate - this is a big seller at Goldcar counters where they say something like 'I can take 3000e off your card now or you can 250€ with the extra insurance, which would you like?' If you have a CC, you want the 3000 off your card! But the way they word frightens people and they buy the extra insurance.

Remember, this is bargains alert, Goldcar may well be the Ryanair of car rental (though like Ryanair they seem to be trying to improve things in the last year or so), but that is what bargain hunters are all about - know the game and play it to your advantage.

Finally to illustrate the savings possible - that 16 day rental for 29€ is over 400€ with Hertz for the same car category.

thebiglad

Phibsboro wrote: »

Finally to illustrate the savings possible - that 16 day rental for 29€ is over 400€ with Hertz for the same car category.

Do the maths - car is worth €12k less some resale value to the hire company then add on a cost for the maintenance and the infrastructure to rent it.

There are x number of days per year when that car can be rented and only so much time (or mileage) the car can remain on the fleet.

If it is hired for €2 per day how on earth is that sustainable.

Goldcar must be making the money somewhere and it will have to be on fuel or other up selling at the counter.

Sometimes hire companies (even Hertz) will give you a good rate if you are effectively moving the car from one of their locations to another - it saves them transporting it...

Baby01032012

Not a BA...but as far as car rentals in Spain go after using malagacar.com for 10 years now ive never had a problem with them...pick up and drop off at airport...no delays..especially with dropping car back..good prices..nice service...anyway not a BA but worth the money.

Phibsboro

thebiglad wrote: »

Do the maths - car is worth €12k less some resale value to the hire company then add on a cost for the maintenance and the infrastructure to rent it.

There are x number of days per year when that car can be rented and only so much time (or mileage) the car can remain on the fleet.

If it is hired for €2 per day how on earth is that sustainable.

Goldcar must be making the money somewhere and it will have to be on fuel or other up selling at the counter.

Sometimes hire companies (even Hertz) will give you a good rate if you are effectively moving the car from one of their locations to another - it saves them transporting it...

I assume it is a sale, possibly reacting against a competitor's sale. And yes I always check against the majors as I prefer Hertz Gold service if possible Note that for the majors, use a price comparison site, you rarely get decent value directly on their sites. But for the cheaper places like GC or Firefly it is worth checking any comparison price against the website as it may be better. Also note that price comparison offers that don't name the company are almost always off airport which can mean a very long wait for transport to the rental company site.

thebiglad

Phibsboro wrote: »

I assume it is a sale, possibly reacting against a competitor's sale. And yes I always check against the majors as I prefer Hertz Gold service if possible Note that for the majors, use a price comparison site, you rarely get decent value directly on their sites. But for the cheaper places like GC or Firefly it is worth checking any comparison price against the website as it may be better. Also note that price comparison offers that don't name the company are almost always off airport which can mean a very long wait for transport to the rental company site.

Firefly is actually a Hertz brand but I think they only make it available on comparison sites.

Frisbee

I have used Goldcar in Malaga airport 4x times and will be using them again in a few weeks. Three times were absolutely fine, had they keys within 10 minutes. The other time we were queuing for 90+ minutes, but this wasn't their fault, our flight was delayed and got in at the exact same time as a flight from Manchester & Berlin and every single person seemed to use Goldcar as the queue went the whole way down the terminal while every other car rental place was totally empty.

They have a lot of bad reviews online but I haven't had an issue with them, have always rented full/full and always had the difference back in my account within a day or two, have never once had to chase them.

Phibsboro

thebiglad wrote: »

Firefly is actually a Hertz brand but I think they only make it available on comparison sites.

Yes Firefly is an interesting one. It is Hertz's attempt to get into the leisure market without diluting their business brand. They have gone wholeheartedly into it as well, no obvious sharing of facilities even in a small airport like Seville. Firefly have a *dreadful* reputation online for spurious after the fact charges and chasing up the tiniest scratch on the car, but I've used them a few times in the last few years and they were grand.

JoeA3

I used them in Portugal last year and I wouldn't recommend them either. I felt I got rail-roaded into paying over the odds for insurance cover when I arrived to pick up the keys. Also, we had a child seat reserved and they gave us a really crappy old seat and refused to help us fit it into the car (I was used to using isofix at home and trying to figure out how to secure the damn thing with the seatbelt was a major ballache).
I had been promised that my credit card would be refunded all (or part of - can't remember) of a holding deposit within a couple of days. Which didn't happen. So I had to make several calls to their helplines after I got home. Eventually I was refunded...

I'd also advise not renting from the airport if possible. Better deals to be had once you get to the town / resort.

SomethingElse

I once rented an escort in Malaga. Got stung badly with the hidden stuff after I got home

soundsham

SomethingElse wrote: »

I once rented an escort in Malaga. Got stung badly with the hidden stuff after I got home

You probably need to use better protection with the old escorts......

Don't pick them up at the roundabouts no matter how much cheaper they are than the other escorts

Should reduce the bit of stinging your bringing home

Geranium40

Hi
Do you know if this price covers your insurance, or would you need to arrange this yourself before you go/
Thanks

The Orb

All that glitters is not gold. Don't touch them, they will find some way to hit you with a hefty bill after you leave the car back. Avoid avoid avoid.

grogi

thebiglad wrote: »

Do the maths - car is worth €12k less some resale value to the hire company then add on a cost for the maintenance and the infrastructure to rent it.

There are x number of days per year when that car can be rented and only so much time (or mileage) the car can remain on the fleet.

If it is hired for €2 per day how on earth is that sustainable.

Goldcar must be making the money somewhere and it will have to be on fuel or other up selling at the counter.

Sometimes hire companies (even Hertz) will give you a good rate if you are effectively moving the car from one of their locations to another - it saves them transporting it...

Rental companies buy cars at bulk and with huge discounts. When they sell them a year later, they typically get better price than what they initially paid (A friend of mine got a one year old Fluence from a rental company and have found the invoice that felt behind the glove box). Ryanair is doing the same with the planes BTW.

Majority of the money they make comes from upselling the additional insurance.

jkb_dub

Google Goldcar and scam and see some of the feedback.

I got hit last month. Dropped car back and all was confirmed ok, fuel checked etc. Next day I get an invoice for 850 euro for damage. This included 300 euro for rim damage to a wheel on an Opel Corsa.

I was too complacent dropping the car off, didn't get anything in writing. Goldcar customer service is very poor, you can only deal with their website. I've requested my credit card company to reject the charge before I talk to my claims excess provider.

If you're going to use them then be extra vigilant.

Video/Photo every panel of the car and wheels when you pick up and when you drop back. If you're picking the car up late at night, use a torch.

Ensure any slightest mark is recorded on your contract before leaving the parking lot.
Request a signed receipt to say all was ok at drop off.
Also, keep receipt for fuel top-up.

You could apply the above to any low cost rental when not taking out their insurance.

khamilto

grogi wrote: »

Rental companies buy cars at bulk and with huge discounts. When they sell them a year later, they typically get better price than what they initially paid (A friend of mine got a one year old Fluence from a rental company and have found the invoice that felt behind the glove box). Ryanair is doing the same with the planes BTW.

Majority of the money they make comes from upselling the additional insurance.

You can already get many new cars in the UK at barely above what the national distributor is selling them to the dealerships for. I'm sure cars that simply aren't selling and have tens of thousands of excess stock built up are being bought for cheap, but they're also being sold new with massive discounts. Rental cars are generally only sold on in the trade and they are being sold at a large discount to what the open market price for a non rental car would be.

stimpson

I used Goldcar in Seville last year. Super cheap and no messing and no queuing. The only thing was it was full to empty and they made another €30 on the fuel, but I saved over €100 on the rental, do swings and roundabouts.

yoshimitsu

As someone else pointed out, buying full coverage insurance at the rental car office on the day of the pick up IS A TERRIBLE IDEA. Golcar, Hertz, whatever the brand may be.
Do your homework, there are 1 year excess coverage insurance with reputable companies like AIG and AXA for €55-60. That covers all your rentals outside Ireland for a full year. It pays for itself after a 4-5 day rental in most cases. It takes 10 minutes to get one online and they work. I crashed an Audi A3 in Germany a couple of years ago and got fully refunded. It took a few months but got every euro back

PaulKK

The approach I take when hiring a car on holidays is just to stump up and pay the extra insurance when I book it.

Sure, you can rent a car for say 60 quid for a week, but you'll be constantly worried about it.

I don't want to have a 2k hold on my credit card and lose it if something goes wrong, or worry about them finding some imaginary mark on the car after I've left it back.

I also don't want to have to shell out that 2k excess and then wait 3 months to claim it back from Axa or whoever.

Last year I rented from drive 4 fun in faro because they have full insurance in their rates. It was lucky I did too because some jackass scraped the wheel arch in the carpark while it was parked. But nothing was said when I returned it and I didn't get charged anything.

This year I'm renting from record go in malaga with full insurance (zero excess) and express pickup. 10 days, 300 for an auto tiguan.

To me, that's pretty good value.

I also looked at goldcar with their express option but it worked out slightly more.

When I'm on holiday I don't want to be worried about things like the hire car.

If you read reviews online for these 'dodgey' places like goldcar and record, its because people don't read the ts & cs. When I see people being surprised that they have to pay for petrol in advance, or having to pay for damaging the car, I don't get too concerned. These things are all clearly stated when booking.

grogi

PaulKK wrote: »

The approach I take when hiring a car on holidays is just to stump up and pay the extra insurance when I book it.

Sure, you can rent a car for say 60 quid for a week, but you'll be constantly worried about it.

I don't want to have a 2k hold on my credit card and lose it if something goes wrong, or worry about them finding some imaginary mark on the car after I've left it back.

I also don't want to have to shell out that 2k excess and then wait 3 months to claim it back from Axa or whoever.

Last year I rented from drive 4 fun in faro because they have full insurance in their rates. It was lucky I did too because some jackass scraped the wheel arch in the carpark while it was parked. But nothing was said when I returned it and I didn't get charged anything.

This year I'm renting from record go in malaga with full insurance (zero excess) and express pickup. 10 days, 300 for an auto tiguan.

To me, that's pretty good value.

I also looked at goldcar with their express option but it worked out slightly more.

When I'm on holiday I don't want to be worried about things like the hire car.

If you read reviews online for these 'dodgey' places like goldcar and record, its because people don't read the ts & cs. When I see people being surprised that they have to pay for petrol in advance, or having to pay for damaging the car, I don't get too concerned. These things are all clearly stated when booking.

While in general I support your all inclusive approach, especially with short rentals, there should be some quality of service expected universally, regardless what the T&C say.

mafitz

I have used goldcar and I will never use again, charged us 60 euro late charge as our plane landed after 11pm, pretty nasty to deal with and charged us a full tank weeks after on our CC, even though the tank was full, couldn't get it back, dontt use them.

PaulKK

grogi wrote: »

While in general I support your all inclusive approach, especially with short rentals, there should be some quality of service expected universally, regardless what the T&C say.

Agreed, but when reading reviews I generally disregard the ones who quite obviously didn't read the T&C.

Not refunding fuel costs when the rules were stuck to etc is obviously not acceptable.

PaulKK

mafitz wrote: »

I have used goldcar and I will never use again, charged us 60 euro late charge as our plane landed after 11pm, pretty nasty to deal with and charged us a full tank weeks after on our CC, even though the tank was full, couldn't get it back, dontt use them.

While I sympathise with your situation, it clearly says in their terms the following for Malaga:

"There is an additional local charge of € 40.00 for all vehicles collected outside office opening hours. Goldcar may request the flight number prior to the hire."

https://m.goldcar.es/en/tc/


Again, I haven't used goldcar, but surely you can't blame them for implementing their rules?

Did you fill the car up fully before returning it? If so and they still charged you then that's not acceptable.

grogi

PaulKK wrote: »

While I sympathise with your situation, it clearly says in their terms the following for Malaga:

"There is an additional local charge of € 40.00 for all vehicles collected outside office opening hours. Goldcar may request the flight number prior to the hire."

https://m.goldcar.es/en/tc/


Again, I haven't used goldcar, but surely you can't blame them for implementing their rules?

Did you fill the car up fully before returning it? If so and they still charged you then that's not acceptable.

No, I can't.

In the past my flight was cancelled and the rental company returned the deposit despite tnc said it was non refundable and even force majeure being omitted there. I used that company dozen of times again.

So it pays back to be good to your customers. But I know, Right now GoldCar don't complain about lack of business apparently, so they don't really give a ship.