Subject: Online car rental complaints procedure
A number of citizens have contacted me in regard to malpractices encountered when booking and paying online for rental cars in holiday destinations. When picking up a car that has been booked and paid for, consumers are put under pressure to accept unnecessary extras or even to pay a considerably extra amount for a car in a more expensive category. If the consumer refuses, they cannot get the car they booked. Abuses such as these do not seem to be the exception. Consumers are currently in a weak position and often have no choice other than to accept. As a result, they are ultimately charged much more than the price they paid online and for which they had budgeted. It is also very complicated for them to find out where to file a complaint in this regard.
Can the Commission answer the following questions:
1) Is it aware of these malpractices and the extent of the problem?
2) How does it intend to combat this?
3) How will it ensure that the complaints procedure for consumers is easier to find and more straightforward to follow?
What specific measures will the Commission take to ensure that consumers can enjoy their rights under European law? Joint answer given by Ms Jourová on behalf of the European Commission (18 February 2019)
The Commission is aware of the malpractices described by the Honourable Members and has facilitated a dialogue between the main players in this economic sector and the Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) Networ k (1), under the CPC Regulation (2). National CPC Authorities continue their dialogue with the companies involved in order to ensure that these operators keep up with good practices.
However, different players are active in this market besides the large car rental companies also smaller ones, franchisees and intermediaries. This is why the Commission is regularly encouraging national authorities to follow up on all the complaints they receive.
It is important that consumers, who encounter problems with their rental car, file a complaint with the competent authority in their country. If consumers rented the car abroad, they can turn to the European Consumer Centr e (3) in their own country for free assistance, or try to use the Commission’s online platform to resolve the dispute out of court (4). All traders are obliged to have a link to this platform on their website.
⋅1∙ https://ec.europa.eu/info/live-work-travel-eu/consumers/enforcement-consumer-protection/coordinated-actions_en#carrental
⋅2∙ Article 9 Regulation (EC) 2006/2004.
⋅3∙ https://ec.europa.eu/info/live-work-travel-eu/consumers/resolve-your-consumer-complaint/european-consumer-centres-network_en#find-the-consumer-centre-
in-your-country
⋅4∙ https://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr/main/index.cfm?event=main.home.chooseLanguage