in this case
- Lawrence Signori prepaid Hotels.com $338 for a one-way Europcar rental in Porto, Portugal, with the one-way fee clearly included in his reservation.
- At pickup, Europcar added $155 for the one-way fee, $155 for mandatory Premium Protection insurance, and a $97 Premium Station Surcharge despite his airport reservation.
- Europcar claimed only $243 of his prepayment was applied to the rental, with the rest going to Hotels.com as commission. Hotels.com responded with vague answers.
Lawrence Signori thought he’d fully paid for his rental car in Porto, Portugal. But not according to his rental company. Europcar charged him an extra $407 for insurance and other fees. Can he get this fixed?
Question
I booked a one-way car rental in Porto, Portugal, through Hotels.com. When I picked up the vehicle at the Europcar counter, the agent said I hadn’t paid the one-way fee, even though my reservation clearly showed it was one-way. She added $155 to my bill.
She also refused to accept the insurance I had purchased through my travel plan or my credit card, and forced me to buy Europcar’s “Premium Protection” for another $155. On top of that, she added a $97 “Premium Station Surcharge,” even though I had reserved the car at the Porto airport from the beginning.
Before I left the United States, I had already paid Hotels.com $338 on my Visa card. Europcar claimed that only $243 had been applied to my rental and insisted the rest went to Hotels.com as its commission. I contacted Hotels.com for help, but all I got were vague responses.
I’m asking for a refund of $407, which represents the unfair charges. Can you help? — Lawrence Signori, Jupiter, Fla.
Answer
You shouldn’t have been billed for any of these nuisance fees. Hotels.com says all those charges are included in the taxes and fees portion of your prepaid rental. Europcar should not have added them again at the counter.
As for the insurance and station surcharge, that’s a familiar script at car rental counters. Some agents will pressure you into buying their coverage or tack on extras that weren’t disclosed up front. Once you sign the rental agreement and drive away, it can be impossible to get those charges reversed. That’s why I always recommend reviewing the rental agreement carefully before leaving the lot, every fee, every option.
Hotels.com initially told you that Europcar hadn’t charged you twice, but when my advocacy team reviewed the paperwork, we discovered the math didn’t add up. You prepaid enough to cover both the base rental and the one-way fee.
This is a bizarre case. Usually, our readers get hit with one, maybe two fees when they rent a car. But it looks like Europcar slammed you with three fees. Some of them may have been a result of crossed wires with Hotels.com. But still, three has to be a new record!
Two important things. The agent at the rental counter can demand many unwarranted fees and add ons. You can refuse, but the agent can refuse to provide a car. When that happens, who you gonna call? Ghostbusters is out of business, I hear.
Second, you recommend reading the entire rental agreement. The problem with that is that it may be in tiny print on a tiny screen, that goes on and on and on, and it could be in a foreign language using legal terms that you cannot understand even if you have some knowledge of the language for ordinary use.
Speaking of language problems, what if your proof of insurance that you carefully printed out comes up against an agent who claims he cannot read legalese English? In other words, every rental agency comes equipped with a barrel that they have you over.
Read more insightful reader feedback. See all comments.
I think you might have gotten farther by appealing to someone higher up the food chain at Hotels.com. I publish the names, numbers and email addresses of the executives at Hotels.com (Expedia) and Europcar on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org.
I contacted Expedia, which owns Hotels.com, and suggested that it take another look at your case. After a few rounds of back-and-forth, Expedia agreed. You received a full refund for the extras.
Next time you rent a vehicle anywhere, I recommend booking directly with a car rental company and carefully reviewing all charges before signing. And one more tip: if you’re picking up a car overseas, bring proof of insurance. It can help you avoid unwanted extra charges for mandatory insurance.
Your voice matters
You prepay an online travel agency for a rental car. The counter agent demands $407 more for fees you already paid. The OTA shrugs. Three surprise fees may be a new record.
- Should rental car companies be legally prohibited from charging additional mandatory fees at pickup that were already included in prepaid bookings?
- Should agents be required to honor third-party insurance and credit card coverage instead of forcing customers to buy duplicate rental insurance?
- Should online travel agencies be held jointly liable when their booking partners add unauthorized fees that contradict the prepaid reservation terms?
What to do when rental car companies add surprise fees to prepaid bookings
Quick answers to the most common questions about duplicate rental car charges, mandatory insurance pressure, and how to dispute unauthorized fees at the counter.
No. When you prepay a rental car through an online travel agency like Hotels.com, the booking should clearly itemize all included fees and taxes. Rental companies should not add charges at the counter that duplicate fees already paid through your prepaid reservation. If this happens, request itemized documentation showing exactly what your prepayment covered before signing the rental agreement.
No, but they often pressure customers into buying their coverage. You have the right to decline rental company insurance if you have adequate coverage through your travel insurance, credit card benefits, or personal auto policy. Bring printed proof of your existing coverage to the counter. For international rentals, verify your coverage meets local minimum requirements before declining the rental company’s insurance. See Elliott Advocacy’s guide to travel insurance coverage.
A Premium Station Surcharge is an additional fee some rental car companies charge for picking up vehicles at airports, train stations, or other premium locations. This fee should be clearly disclosed during booking and included in the prepaid reservation total. If the fee was not mentioned during your reservation but appears at the counter, you can refuse to pay it as an unauthorized addition to your agreed-upon contract.
Document everything immediately including your original reservation confirmation, the rental agreement, all charges, and any communications with the company. Contact your online travel agency first to request itemized accounting of your prepayment. If standard customer service provides only vague responses, escalate to executive customer service. Elliott Advocacy’s guide to how consumer complaints work walks through the full escalation process.
Elliott Advocacy publishes directories of executive contacts including names, phone numbers, and email addresses for major travel companies. Hotels.com is owned by Expedia, so use the Expedia executive contacts page for booking issues. Europcar contacts are also available on the Europcar customer service page. Use these contacts only after standard support has failed.
Booking directly with rental car companies often provides clearer accountability when issues arise. When you use online travel agencies, you may face commission disputes between the OTA and the rental company about how prepayments are applied. If issues arise during pickup, having one company responsible for both the booking and the rental simplifies the dispute process. Compare prices but factor in potential complications.
Carefully read every fee, every option, and every checkbox before signing. Once you sign the rental agreement and drive away, it can be impossible to reverse charges. Verify that the agreement matches your prepaid reservation. Bring proof of insurance to avoid pressure to buy duplicate coverage. If something does not match, refuse to sign until the discrepancy is resolved or request a supervisor to review the charges.
Can a rental car company add fees that were already included in your prepaid booking?
Can rental counter agents force you to buy their insurance?
What is a Premium Station Surcharge?
How do you dispute charges on a prepaid car rental?
How do you find executive contacts for Hotels.com or Europcar?
Should you book directly with rental car companies or use travel agencies?
What should you do before signing a rental car agreement overseas?
