Posted on May 26, 2008 by Fiona Hilliard

Dublin’s European Consumer Centre is urging car hire customers to read the small print when they agree to rent a car. 

The warnings follow the reported case of a French tourist who rented a car in Ireland while on holiday with his family.  The rented vehicle was severely damaged in an accident because of another driver’s mistake.  Police issued a statement confirming that the tourist was not at fault but the car rental company still charged his credit card €1200 and promised to reimburse this as soon as checks had been made.   

However, the customer did not receive his refund until a year later, when the European courts got involved in the case. 

The EEC advises customers to check their specific rental terms and conditions as some car rental contracts put a lot of liability on consumers, without allowing for discussion with the company.