Auto Europa, Sicily by Car S.p.A. |
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Consumer reviews about Auto Europa, Sicily by Car S.p.A. |
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robert_langdon
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Dec 14, 2011
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Unreasonable additional charge on car rental and bad service
This is a abusive and unfair company. I had a similar problem in September 2011 in Italy. They are now charging me in 150 euros for "handling feees" on some alleged fines I had received. Besides according to them this amount of money (which surpasses the value of the rental) will not pay the fines. According to them I still own the government. It is outrageous!!!
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braima
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Jan 27, 2012
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Unreasonable additional charge on car rental and bad service
I picked up the car after waiting at the desk for 40 minutes at Venice Marco Polo airport in September 2011. I paid for full insurance through Carhire 3000 website, but they insisted the full coverage wasn't valid (although I had a printed voucher with me clearly saying what I claimed) and they blocked 1100 euros on my credit card which I didn't plan to be blocked during my trip. I booked Fiat New Punto size car, but instead I got 3 generations old Nissan Micra. I couldn't put all of my bags in the trunk. Needless to say, my complaints didn't touch the rude front desk clerk or the "smiling cat" manager. Two months after the return of the car my credit card was charged 4 times 60, 50 euros, or total of 242 euros without stating the reason for the charge or informing me about it on my e-mail or phone. After I filed a complaint with my bank, they refunded my 242 euros. BEWARE OF AUTOEUROPA - SICILY BY CAR. THIS IS NOT A HONEST COMPANY. RATHER I WOULD SAY THEY ARE THIEFS. DON'T RENT THEIR CARS!
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darkman
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Apr 18, 2012
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Steal money from credit card
I have the same problem. I was in Milan in October 2010. I got a car from Auto Europa Silicy by car company. It was Nissan Micra 1.2. 7 days car haven't got any damages and problems. We was in many cities in Italy, about 2000 km was done for 1 week. After we gave car back (i gave keys in office to a man, he said nothing needed more, we don't checked car, it was 2 hours on parking when we waited for office opening) and when we arrive to out home country I checked internet bank and saw that there were charged 860 EUR more (first 1200 eur charging was still there, not unblocked).
I called to Auto Europe and they said that car was damaged and this 860 EUR deposit is for repairing. After 2 weeks they unblocked money but not all, minus 380 eur for mirror repair.
Also I find real prices for repair. They prices are fake. Mirror cost is only 80 eur in Italy not 180 Eur like they send me some fake papers. You can see them in attachment.
So I recommend to all people, if you get car in this company you need full insurance + photo car when you gave it back + check car with office man so they can`t charge you more and damage car after you gave it back like it was with my car.
Better to get car from avis, Hertz, europcar and pay more. It will be your mistake if you want lower cost for car hire in Italy. They are SCAMmers, they will fraud your credit card and charge from it without your knowing.
http://www.darkman.lv/autoeuropa.jpg
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Fiat
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Apr 24, 2012
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Beware of Auto Europa / Sicily by Car’s tactics and the drive-worthiness of the vehicle
If you are renting a vehicle to drive aroud in Italy, whether you rent in advance from the States or at the Fiumicino Airport in Rome, beware of Auto Europa / Sicily by Car’s tactics and the drive-worthiness of the vehicle. The problems arose when we were enroute to southern Italy. Every hour, like clockwork, a beep would sound and a warning sign would flash that the oil level was correct. However, the engine power would diminish and the air conditioner would cut off. The wipers operated, but no water squirted. Upon checking the water reservoir, we discovered that it was cracked and did not hold any water -- no sooner you added water, it would flow out. We resorted to pouring water from a bottle directly on the windshield, when needed. The concave and convex side mirrors were reversed. The passing car was actually on you when you thought it was ten car lengths away. The fuel gauge was inoperative, and it always showed 3/4 full. In short, it was a dangerous vehicle when you tried to pass. We adjusted to the situation and let the other cars pass us. When necessary, we eased toward the side to let the speeding cars pass us. We did not call the Auto Europa / Sicily by Car because we did not know what their answer might be -- were we required to return to the airport for another car? Would they bring another car to us? Would they send us to a mechanic? Would we lose a day or two in the process?
When we stopped to pick up the car, the clerk had us give her the credit card to keep on record to charge up to $500 in case any damages by us would be over what their insurance would cover. That was a poor start. Upon returning the Peugeot, the attendant went directly to look under the front left side for any scratches, as if she knew she would find scratches there. Sure enough, there was a scratch. When I told her that we had to tell the "pickup" attendant to record missed items and that I had photos, she asked why we didn't tell him about that scratch and did not want to see the photos. This is a first: you need to look under the car to report missed defects!? At this point we thought it best not to report any of the problems that arose along the way for fear she would hold us responsible. We will contact the credit card company to report a possible dispute in case they try to collect for gas and phantom damages. We filled the tank immediately before we returned the Peugeot and told her about the faulty gauge. She said they would have to check the fuel amount the following morning.
Never again will we use this car rental company!!!
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darkman
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May 14, 2012
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Problems resolved, Refund was made
My previous posts problem was resolved and refund was made. Good.
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peterlang
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Aug 29, 2012
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SBC - Con merchants, habitual money 'takers'
They took in excess of £400 from our CC a few weeks after we returned from Sardinia (alghero airport) claiming that a perfectly driveable car that we had dropped off had had its clutch burnt out (pretty amazing claim for a car with less than 6k on the clock). We disputed this heavily and managed to get our money back. roll on a few years and relatives also hired with them again ( we are regular visitors to Sardinia). Lo and behold after about 15 minutes of driving the car came to a halt. The gearbox had given up and weeks after 100's of pounds were taken from the credit card. SBC / auto europe had claimed the car had had its clutch burnt out by the hirer. that was bad enough but they had falsely signed a document on that persons behalf after they had left the country. Legal advice has been taken and this will be investigated further. Avoid this company at all costs they will try and take money from you. It seems that they try it on with so many people. The company appear to linked to a lot of comparison/agent sites so if you see any mention of them i really would go elsewhere and save yourself a lot of potential trouble.
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Mauretto
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Sep 29, 2012
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Sicily By Car AutoEuropa
Several weeks ago I posted on many websites my story where I explain how SBC did charge my credit card for two damaged tyres while only one was found damaged when I left the car back from my trip in Catania.
I was then contacted by the company, SBC, who accepted to refund the equivalent amount of money for the second tyre. They saw my posts on the web and asked me to remove them. Since I cannot remove them (you do not have access to your posts once uploaded), I want here to share this with the readers. So this is it. After posting many complains they contacted me and effectively did partially refund the money they charged.
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eileen366
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Apr 3, 2013
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Auto Europa, Sicily
We rented a car in Florence through Auto Europa (Oct. 2012). Five months after returning to the US we received a standard one paragraph letter from Auto Europa (by standard I mean photo copied) saying we received two tickets in Bologna each ticket was 103 euros, PLUS $77.00 for Auto Europa for EACH letter. I went online and found hundreds, possibly thousands, of irate people who had had the same experience. Some paid Auto Europa the $77.00 thinking they were paying the fine. My Chase credit card is now handling the matter because this is a total ripoff. Even if they charged you seven euros to write a letter, it would be too much. The other rip off is that Italian cities have a 'zone limitato' - the sign is only in Italian (if they added 'no parking' or some international sign you would have a fair chance), the locals park in this zone and only the visiting tourists' rental cars are fined. They have survellience cameras and you don't receive the ticket, or tickets in most cases, for six to ten months later. One victim did some extensive research and found that in Pisa alone the city makes 50 million euros annually from this racket. The rental companies have full knowledge of it and should at least make you aware of this 'zone limitato' and that it exists is most downtown city areas...but they are in on it, and get ahefty cut by sending you a letter charging $77.00 to inform you that you have to pay the Italian city approx.. $130.00 while you popped into to make hotel enquiries. All complaints that read online were directed at Auto Europa - no other rental company which is interesting to say the least. Kelly Howard
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callen
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Apr 16, 2013
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Auto Europa, Italy
During the course of my life I have visited fifty countries on seven continents. As a part of my travels, I have rented cars in about twenty-five countries. I have rented cars so many times that I’ve lost count, but I’ve rented at least fifty cars in foreign countries. Until my latest trip, I never had an incident with a rental car.
My wife and I travelled to Italy in December of 2012 for a three week vacation. I have visited Italy about twenty five times in my life, and I spent three summers there. I am fairly fluent in Italian as well. We rented vehicles from Auto Europa twice during this trip. Both rentals produced rather bizarre results that I believe you will find interesting.
We picked up our first car in Venice, at the airport. Things got off to a rocky start when the desk agent told us that there were no mid-size cars available, despite the fact that we had a reservation for one. We were forced to accept a Fiat 500 since no other agencies had any cars on short notice. We were told by the agent that the car had a large scratch on the front bumper, and we then commenced an extremely long hike to the rental car lot. By the time we arrived at the lot, we were pretty exhausted. I noticed two additional small scratches on the left and right rear wheel wells, but there was no one in attendance at the lot, so we continued on our trip, as the car had 62,000 km on it, and these two scratches did not seem unusual for a car with this much mileage. Besides, it was a long way back to the terminal to report such minor damage.
When we turned the car in eight days later at Rome Ciampino, the agent seemed to know exactly where to look for damage on the vehicle. I was thus informed that I would have to fill out an incident report regarding these two scratches that had not been listed on the original rental agreement. I filled out a form, indicating that the auto had these two scratches when I picked the car up in Venice. I was not allowed to keep a copy of my incident report. I note that despite the fact that I speak Italian, the agent seemed to be unable to understand my comments that the scratches were on the car when I rented it in Venice.
Five days later we rented a mid-size car from Auto Europa at Milano Malpensa Airport. This time we were prepared. The damage report on the vehicle showed two small scratches. In reality, the car had major damage, including a broken tail light. We trekked back to the rental car counter and reported this damage. An agent came out to the vehicle and recorded our exceptions, saying that everything was okay.
The following morning we returned to the airport for our flight home. I had become wary of this company, thus I had filled the tank with gas in Gallarate, about ten kilometers from the airport. This is as close as one can get gas to Milano Malpensa Airport so far as I know. Unfortunately, I was unable to get a receipt for my gas because in Italy you have to use a credit card with a European code on it in order to get a receipt at an automatic gas pump. Thus, I had to use cash, for which no receipt was possible. When I arrived at the airport, the agent (The same one who had handled our damage correction on the previous day) insisted that the gas tank was only 7/8 full, despite the fact that I had just filled the tank. I was forced to pay an additional 40 euros for one-eighth of a tank of gas. We have since found out from other bloggers that it is not uncommon for Auto Europa to rent cars that seem to never indicate in excess of 7/8 of a tank of gas on the gas meter, and when the tank is not full on return there is a very large surcharge added to the rental bill.
Three weeks after we arrived home I received a letter from Auto Europa claiming that I had damaged the first vehicle, assessing me a total of 299 USD. My wife and I contested this assessment via our credit card provider, but as we expected, this was denied. What we did not expect was that Auto Europa fined us an additional $78, apparently for contesting the $299, which we paid in full.
We have since discovered from other bloggers that this sort of treatment is common when renting from Auto Europa. We advise all those reading this blog to avoid renting from this company in Italy.
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KingsAgain
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Jun 4, 2013
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Money stolen from my credit card!
I too, had my money stolen! I am being held accountable for damage I did NOT cause in the amount of 850 Euros!!! I have been trying to contact Sicily by Car / Autoeuropa with pictures to prove I am innocent, but they do not answer their e-mails!
See for yourself the state of the car prior and after:
http://oi44.tinypic.com/2uzw6kj.jpg
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DDJD2013
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Jun 25, 2013
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Auto Europa, Sicily by Car
I recently hired a car for 3 weeks and got a good deal. They were friendly and cooperative (buggy wouldn't fit in car so they stored it for us). HOWEVER having highlighted a small scratch on return they have now charged us in total 3 times and will not as agreed at the time share the information of these charges. I have insurance to cover this but ned a response from them. I have tried every number and the only one that gets a response is of course their sales line. I spoke with a lady on their sales desk and she said this was standard, herself sounding fed up & a little embarrassed.
I have now contacted my credit card company to dispute it. What a waste of time and money from folks in the airport terminal who actually came across like a decent bunch. My extended family travel to Sardinia every year and I will be telling them all to avoid these crooks.
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SimonC
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Sep 5, 2013
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Sicily By Car, Auto Europa
I'm afraid I have to add my name to the list of people defrauded by Auto Europa/Sicily by car. Mine was for "damage" - a less than 2cm scratch on the front bumper which we did not cause. They have charged my credit card 305 Euro. We picked up the car at night and did a cursory check but we would not have noticed a small scratch on the front bumper. At the time of returning the car I made it clear that the "damage" was not caused by us. Will start the complaints procedure through rentalcars.com and take up the matter with Visa. I will update progress on this forum separately. Please avoid, they have a reputation for defrauding customers. Stick with Avis, Hertz etc.
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mauro079
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Sep 9, 2013
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Dangerous car,+ CHARGED
Hi Everybody,
My name is Mauro and I am from Rome and I would like to tell you about my terrible experience with SICILY BY CAR.
I booked through Rental Cars and I paid online for the rentin of a PANDA or similar for the 2nd week of August 2013.
I picked up the car in Palermo Airport and gave it back in Catania Airport.
To be short: when I gave it back the staff in Catania spotted that the car was mounting a wheel 2 size smaller than the standard and there was no wheel's reparation kit in the back of the car.
The company is legal chasable, and what they have done?
THEY GAVE ME A DANGEROUS CAR, THEY CHARGED ME ON MY CREDIT CARD, WITHOUT ANY NOTICE, 250 EUROS FOR THE WHEEL AND THE WHEEL'S REPARATION KIT.
Of course is impossible to contact by phone any Manager, Head Office.
No one answer at any email!!!
PLEASE AVOID AND SPREAD THE VOICE
THESE CRIMINALS MUST VANISH
Mauro
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mauro079
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Sep 9, 2013
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DANGEROUS CAR + CHARGED
Hi Everybody,
My name is Mauro and I am from Rome and I would like to tell you about my terrible experience with SICILY BY CAR.
I booked through Rental Cars and I paid online for the rentin of a PANDA or similar for the 2nd week of August 2013.
I picked up the car in Palermo Airport and gave it back in Catania Airport.
To be short: when I gave it back the staff in Catania spotted that the car was mounting a wheel 2 size smaller than the standard and there was no wheel's reparation kit in the back of the car.
The company is legal chasable, and what they have done?
THEY GAVE ME A DANGEROUS CAR, THEY CHARGED ME ON MY CREDIT CARD, WITHOUT ANY NOTICE, 250 EUROS FOR THE WHEEL AND THE WHEEL'S REPARATION KIT.
Of course is impossible to contact by phone any Manager, Head Office.
No one answer at any email!!!
PLEASE AVOID AND SPREAD THE VOICE
THESE CRIMINALS MUST VANISH
Mauro
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mauro079
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Sep 9, 2013
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DAMAGE CAR and CHARGED
Hi Everybody,
My name is Mauro and I am from Rome and I would like to tell you about my terrible experience with SICILY BY CAR.
I booked through Rental Cars and I paid online for the rentin of a PANDA or similar for the 2nd week of August 2013.
I picked up the car in Palermo Airport and gave it back in Catania Airport.
To be short: when I gave it back the staff in Catania spotted that the car was mounting a wheel 2 size smaller than the standard and there was no wheel's reparation kit in the back of the car.
The company is legal chasable, and what they have done?
THEY GAVE ME A DANGEROUS CAR, THEY CHARGED ME ON MY CREDIT CARD, WITHOUT ANY NOTICE, 250 EUROS FOR THE WHEEL AND THE WHEEL'S REPARATION KIT.
Of course is impossible to contact by phone any Manager, Head Office.
No one answer at any email!!!
PLEASE AVOID AND SPREAD THE VOICE
Mauro
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MortenTKKristensen
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Feb 7, 2014
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THIS IS A FRAUD COMPANY
*** FEBRUARY 7TH 2014 ***
*** THIS IS A FRAUD CAR COMPANY - STAY AWAY ***
Unfortunately, I have to submit to the rest of the comments and complaints in regards to this company in Italy. I rented a car in AUGUST 2013 and as of this date February-14 8 MONTHS LATER, I am still getting claims for unlicensed traffic tickets that the Italian police can not confirm I have made with the rented car.
As of today, I have received 4 claims of €60 each (total €240) CHARGED TO MY CREDIT CARD, for traffic tickets that I can not get verification on.
Sicily by Car WILL NOT LISTEN to my complaint, I have spoken to 3 different "Managers" at both the Milan Airport rental shop and their headoffice - all are skipping my complaints and will not help me. As a last resort, I have had to get my credit card cancelled and got a new one which they can NOT charge.
*** STAY AWAY FROM SICILY BY CAR AT ALL COST, PLEASE!! ***
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margareth68
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Jul 7, 2014
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sicily by car/autoeuropa ciampino
I booked a car with sicily by car two times, on march and july 2014 in ciampino airport. I want to compliment with the staff, especially with the young man Adriano who welcomed us with kindness and education, hes so brilliant, and explained us with great accuracy what was the 'excess refund' and offered us their insurance, sicily by car s insurance its so cheap (10 £ per day) so, the second time we rented a car with them we decided to buy it to have no problem during the holiday. Afterall he gives us a bigger car for the same rate, because fiat punto wasnt avalaible, so we took an almost brand new citroen c4, we cant complaint. When we gave back the car there wasnt problem, we returned with full tank and with full credit car. The airport is very close to the rentals building, and everything seems to be very fast , 5 min to made contract, 5 min to give back the car. Me and my family really appreciate italians. Advisable for families.
Marge Winsdam
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dieselblack
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Feb 18, 2015
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Sicily by Car, Kemwel and Thrifty
I'm not sure how all this works but we rented a car from the Milan Airport through the Kimwel.com website. They booked the car through Thrifty with what we thought was a good rate. We received a Kimwel comfirmation with Thrifty as the car agency. Apparently, Thrifty does something with Sicily by Car because we got an additional 6 cents charge on our card from Sicily by Car after we got home. That's right, 6 cents. I thought nothing of it, figuring it must be some kind of exchange rate fluke. Well today, February 2015, five months after our trip to Italy, we received notification from our card company that they had declined a $65 charge from Sicily by Car, due to their internal fraud detection. We have no idea why Sicily by Car attempted to place another charge on our card. Guess we feel very fortunate the card company declined the charge based on all the other comments. This appears to be a company that cannot be trusted, along with Kemwel and Thrifty.
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nicksmith100
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Jun 4, 2015
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5 cents charge
So glad I found this page! Having returned from Italy three weeks ago I've just noticed a charge of €0.05 to my credit card. While that's not going to break the bank, I wondered if this was some sort of scam, i.e. they charge a small amount to everyone as people won't notice, but it adds up. After reading on here that charges can be made months after returning, I'll be contacting my bank first thing tomorrow to block any further charges from them. Thieving sods!!!
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Outraged
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Nov 28, 2015
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Fraud
Wow, just got a notice from Sicily by Car that I got a ticket while I was in Europe and they are going to charge my credit card however I never got a ticket and I wasn't even in Europe at the time they claim I got a ticket, Fraud. I will go to the italian consulate and report them
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moroks
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Feb 15, 2016
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Problems with Sicily by Car
Summer 2015 we rented a car in Rome and drove to Sicily and back. We had a very nice holiday and no problems with the car.
However, after 6 months I received a letter from the company. They charged 50 euro from my credit card due to a parking fine in Giarre, Sicily. I did not get any parking fine in Giarre. We had a private parking at Hotel Etna and the only time I parked in Giarre was on the arrival day when I parked close to an ATM, where I got some money. I watched the car when I got the money and did not get any fine.
One month later I got a second letter, where they again charged me 50 euro, this time due to unpaid toll road fees Rome-Cassino.
At every toll road passing I payed with my credit card. However, I remember one episode where I experienced trouble with the credit card machine. I paid with my credit card, but the card was stuck in the machine. I called several times before a person came, opened the machine and gave me my credit card back. I did not get any message telling me to use the credit card again, and I therefore though that everything was ok (we could also pass through). So, due to problems with the machine I will be charged 50 euro from Sicily by Road and 11 Euro + from the autostrada company. The claim was documented with a list of unpaid passages from the Autostrada company, so at least made it easy to check. The parking fee charge came without any documentation.
This is not the first time I have experienced problems with Sicily by Car, and the problem is that you always get claims for some fines half a year/a year after you delivered the car, and usually without any documentation.
I know that this is standard procedure (to charge your credit card for eventually fines later on), however I have never experienced any similar problems with other car rental companies. Every time I use Sicily by Car I do. Why?
I will contact the Giarre Cummune to ask for documentation (photos etc), and also the Tourist office and Police.
I would strongly advice you to avoid Sicily by Car when you rent a car in Italy.
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frecks
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Apr 12, 2016
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avoid sicily by car at all costs
I rented a car in Florence from Sicily By Car. I was warned about the problems with them. No surprise then that they were the cheapest, but I took the risk. I booked them for a few days for about EUR49. Then after arriving back home, I look at my credit card, and there is 4 separate charges of $94 ($376 in total) charged punctually each month of my trip! Apparently, I got a parking fine in Rome somewhere. I never received the fine - despite the rental company having my address. I hear it can take up to 12 months.
It appears that the traffic police contact the rental company – every month – to ‘ask where I am’. The rental company supposedly then inform me – and charge me $99 for their labour. It does not pay the fine then pass the charge onto me. If it had, I would be actually better off! The fine I can live with. A single administration charge to hand over my address to the ‘Carabinieri’, I can understand.
But I doubt the police are knocking on the door - every month - just to check if maybe I am ‘keeping in touch’ with my old friends at the car rental company. Once my details have been handed over – that is it. I have no doubt they will continue to charge me until my limit is reached, so obviously, I have had to cancel the card. So basically Sicily By Car (Auto Europa) are unethical thieves to be avoided at costs! Do not under any circumstances rent from these people! They will not accept prepaid credit cards either, if you think you can ‘beat the system’.
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Lotus Evora S
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Oct 24, 2018
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most expensive missing license plate charge
I dropped off my rental car in Rome at the airport and the next day I was notified by the rental company in question, to pay around $500 for a missing front license plate.
since I dropped off the car early in the morning (4:30am), I am not even sure the plate was stolen by somebody else before they opened at 7am, or even was missing from the beginning.
in addition I had paid for full coverage, but it seems that does not count, they just want excessive money for a license plate.
furthermore we did not get the car we booked, they pressured us to rent a more expensive car and had to pay almost double at the end, even so we rented originally a suitable sized car. point there was, that they ran out of cars, and did not reserve them. never received an apology either.
stay away in my opinion
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