Letters: French vehicle hire is a minefield

To the Editor,

We have just hired a car in Nîmes and returned it in perfect condition.

We were told that the car's bumper was scratched. The slight damage is underneath the bumper and of course we never checked there, so please inform your readers to take photos of this too. It was not us but how can we prove it?

When we picked the car up, the agent inspected it before we drove off, mentioning small damages but we never received an email showing where they were. We won't use these people again as we are very disappointed with their service.

Last year the car rental had a petrol gauge that was 3/4 full, which we told them about. We returned it the same as instructed and were charged €38. We complained but never saw our money again.

It's a minefield! We've been hiring cars for years and never had any problems until the last two years.

Liz Scott, by email

To the Editor,

I have hired several vehicles in France and have not had any issues apart from one situation described below.

I hired a small truck with a hydraulic tray from one of the largest supermarkets in France for just four hours. 

I used it to carry some wood. On returning it the usual inspection was conducted and they found a small dent in the tail gate which I had caused. 

I was not aware of it at the time of returning the vehicle but I understand how it must have occurred. The dent was about 2cm in diameter, barely noticeable, the paint was still intact and in no way affected the operation of the tail gate. 

The supermarket took the vehicle to a local panel shop and was quoted more than €800 to repair it, which I was forced to pay. 

I will never ever go back to that supermarket to rent a vehicle. Why? I was never offered top-up insurance and nor was it available. 

The standard insurance with the rental only covered damage by a third party. 

So if the renter damages the vehicle or someone else does but you don’t catch them, then you are liable for the full repairs. 

There seems to be no way to protect yourself. Maybe a higher level credit card could give some coverage but our own private vehicle insurance was not relevant. 

Further, it was a dump truck which by its nature gets scratches and dents. I could perhaps understand if I had damaged a shiny new sedan but this was a work truck. 

To add further insult, I chose to rent the truck rather than spend €1,200 on a tow hitch for our new car. €900 later it was clear I had made the wrong choice.

Mark Hardy, by email

What has your experience of vehicle hire in France been? Let us know at letters@connexionfrance.com