Sicily By Car review: unreasonable additional charge on car rental and bad service 34

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 havent 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 dont 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.

here is photo

I had similar ussue wuth the same company, I was in Rome in October 2010 and 8 months after that they charged my credit card 100 eur for "handling and mail fee" they forwarded some letter with a trafic ticket...I tried to complain by nothing happened.

I have same issue. I was in Milano in October 2011 . I rent a car from Auto Europa silicy by car company. I haven't got any damages and problems. After we gave car back, the office guy came out and checked the car, then he returned one copy to me, written " OK KIT", after 4 days, I got my deposit euro1200.00. But after 3 weeks I found they charged me euro 377 on my credit card without any notice to me!
I have rent a car in Australian/ Usa, New Zealand before. this is the first time I met such a ridiculous rental car Company. Never Never use it again!

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!

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!

If you are renting a vehicle to drive aroud in Italy, whether you rent in advance from the States or at the Fiumicuno Airport in Rome, beware of AutoEuropa’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 AutoEuropa 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!

My experience with Auto Europa is very similar to the others complaints. Our Rental was originally with Thrifty but when we arrived at the airport (June 30th 2012), the agent said there was no record of our reservation. Auto Europa could offer as the same car at 11 Euros more (Thrifty has already reimbursed me for this). Since we had no options we took it. Everything was fine until we got a flat tire in Sorrento. After finding a pay phone, we called the emergency line to get assistance. We were informed that a tow truck was on the way to attempt to fix the tire. The tire repair kit did not function as the sealant and the air compressor were not compatible which was verified by the people at Auto Europa when we returned the car. The car was then towed and it left us stranded in Sorrento with no means of getting to our car at 11 p.m. when this had occurred. The emergency hot line which we called again said that we would be reimbursed 100 euros for a hotel. We wandered from hotel to hotel looking for a room however, now being midnight there were no rooms available. Due to the lack of help in a foreign country, where we did not speak to language, we were forced to sleep on the street. In the morning, we once again called the emergency hotline and Auto Europa, we were informed that a taxi to get us to our car was coming and that the emergency company would reimburse 100 euros for the taxi fare(I was told this by AutoEuropa). I was also informed that because it was not covered under my insurance (which nobody at the desk in Rome told us we could get) I would have to pay for the tire(Also told by AutoEuropa). Of course this was now well after 10:00 am in the morning. Finally arriving at the garage, I had to pay 110 Euros for the tire and 110 euros for the taxi. All this aggravation, upset and stress, cost us a lot of money and wasted a day of our vacation. It is now 2 weeks after we have returned and still I have not heard from AutoEuropa!

Update of the 24th of Apr, 2012 complaint --- AutoEuropa, Sicily by Car S.p.A. billed the credit card $800+ for damages to the vehicle (not true), nine "missing" liters of fuel (also not true), and service fee for replenishing the alleged missing fuel . Since the credit card company was informed of the potential dispute, it put a block on the card and issued a new one. The charges for the "ghost" damages, missing fuel, and service are still under review. Since then, AutoEuropa cut the charge in half, but the credit card company is still reviewing the case. AutoEuropa also sent a letter for the original charge to the home address "offering the opportunity" to appear in court in Palermo, Sicily. It sure must think Americans are stupid.

My wife and I rented the car from Treviso airport on thee 15the June till the 20th of June 2012. The day before we returned the car a truck crashed into the back of us while we were STATIONERY on a roundabout. We filled in thee insurance papers on site and returned them to your office at Treviso airport theat same day as advised by one of your agents. The truck driver admitted he was at fault and in filled in the forms accordingly. We were told by your sales representative at the airport theat ca 1, 000 Euros would be put on hold on our credit card until the insurances sort out the claim, and thee money blocked on our account will be 'freed' within 2 weeks, that being the amount of time usually necessary to process insurance claims. Sure enough, after checking with our local bank within 2 weeks the money was available in our account.

However on the 6th of August, 2 weeks after the money was 'returned' we found out theat thee sum of 1, 013 euros was withedrawn from our account without any reason. we find this highly unprofessional and unjust and request thee money to be returned as soon as possible.

This is a cut and dry case, but it seems theat theis company is undaunted by thee bad publicity it is receiving. They clearly defraud their customers at every opportunity.

I encourage all the victims stated here to continue to seek compensation and in someway perhaps we can work togetheer. Please, if anyone has any e-mail contacts for either Sicily by Car or Auto Europa please post them here.

Sending multiple e-mails to several addresses and copying theem to all the others in the process and doing this for about an hour (i.e send-back -send- back and so forth) works wonders. It fills up their in-boxes. If many people do this they are unable to filter quickly and it definitely gets attention. It has worked wonders for me in the past. TRY IT! They should not be allowed to continue withe this thievery.

I totally agree with you. My trip was in early July and I am still getting charges on my credit card for service fees for speeding tickets. Which I have no proof that I got. Fortunately my credit card company is aware of the disreputable practices of AutoEuropa and they are good enough to credit my account. I am disputing all the charges from AutoEuropa. Further to my flat tire issue which has not been resolved, they billed me for a new tire...the one I purchased already. As for the email thing with AutoEuropa, it won't work...In the beginning I sent countless emails and nothing happened, even though I was advised to do so by the counter attendent. The only time I hear from them is to advise me of another charge! As for email addresses I have sbc@sbc.it Good Luck and let me know what happens!

Thanks very much for the address. I know it might not work, but I am going to give my very best try. The address I have is: customer.service@sbc.it (a ms Victoria Scalici). I will also be seeking legal action through the EU consumer protection support by
opening a claim with the EU small Claims court under Regulation (EC) No 861/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 July 2007 establishing a European small claims procedure. If you are in the EU you can also try this. It's for claims for wrongful actions against consumers within the EU against companies in other EU member states. If for cases for up to 2000 euro. I have put the link below. All the best with your efforsts as well.

http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/consumers/protection_of_consumers/l16028_en.htm

I have that address as well. Good Luck the the EU claim, unfortunately I live in Canada which is even harder for me to get anything accomplished. I even wrote to them and mailed my complaint but never heard back from them. I also had my friend write in Italian to them and nothing but more charges! Please keep me posted on what happens!

This is unfortunate that I only now read this review thread. I too rented from Sicily by Car (through Thrifty) in May 2012. Upon return, they told me "there was a sign of forced entry" i.e. the driver door lock was damaged. Frankly, it looked like someone tried to put a screwdriver into the key hole, but I have seen many locks like that on older cars. The car has a remote, so how often does anyone looks at the lock itself? I asked an attendant if I had an insurance would it be covered and was told yes, so I just signed the return paperwork and left for the airport. Several weeks later my CC was billed USD994.88 and charge was by Sicily by Car. My credit card company started a dispute investigation and after several months and numerous letters they had to notify me that the charge was legit because I signed a rental agreement that apparently had a provision that various parts of the vehicle are not covered by the warranty. I guess I can blame myself for signing something in Italian, but how often does anyone read a fine print on the rental agreement? By paying extra and purchasing a warranty I thought I will be protected from exactly the problems that I received.

Hopefully others can read these reviews and avoid Sicily by Car.

50
customer Blomme Henny
overall rating 5 stars
the Fiat panda is a good car, excellent customer service, the best English in Sardinia.
vehicle condition 5 stars
customer service 5 stars
value for money 4 stars

49
customer James
Excellent service plus car
overall rating 5 stars
vehicle condition 5 stars
customer service 5 stars
value for money 5 stars

32
customer Ramak Fazel
Excelòlent car, service and fair price.
No unpleasant surprises.
Signage into MXP was a bit difficult to follow.
vehicle condition 5 stars customer service 5 stars value for money 5 stars

18
customer Hilser
Auto adatta per piccoli spostamenti e per due persone. Molto conveniente per noi è andata benissimo.
Vehicle condition 5 stars
customer service 5 stars
value for money 5 stars

51
customer angela
Personale simpatico e cordiale, BRAVI!
condizioni veicolo 5 stelle
servizio al banco 5 stelle
qualità prezzo 5 stelle

I also rented a car from Firenze Autoeuropa office. The staff were aggressive, unprofessional, unhelpful. Told me that I am the foreigner who doesn't know Italian law and I should shut up and get out of their country! The guys name was Deluca Alessandro!
Terrible company and staff!

I just recived a msg from my bank that sicily car spa dedecuted 62.5 EURO
after 2 monthes when i return the car to auto europ in milan airport.

I rented a car with Auto Europa and have been charged €160 for a supposed missing boot shelve. The company does not reply to emails and the phones of the main office are never answered.

I don't know what to do and where to complain. The persons at the agency where I returned the car have been extremely rude and unpolite.

Avoid renting cast with Thrifty, Dollar or Autoerupe, the worst experience I ever had

I find it commical that SBC Autoeuropa registers on this website and posts customer reviews of their own. In all likelihood, those reviews are just as fictional as their bills.

Customer Jozef
I have a similar experience - Autoeuropa, Catania Airport. Terrible company. The company may own don Corleone.

Terrible experience. The company may own Don Corleone.

Auto Europa are thiefs!
They charged me on my credit card after returning home for damage on our hire car that I never did.
I made it clear to the rep and she said ok dont worry, made us sign a form.
Then we get a bill for £400!
DO NOT USE THIS COMAPANY
I will spread the word on every social network site!

(En français plus bas)
Hi,

Same storie. I hired a car (August 2013) with Sicily By Car (Dollar) at Olbia airport (Sardaigna).
First : on the prechecking form, it was wrote "Fuel 8/8". After a real check by myself, the Fuel was 5/8. I warned the voucher who wrote this on the prechecking form.
10 days after, end of my rental : I let the car with a 6/8 Fuel. But noboby from Sicily By Car DOLLAR was here.
4 days after, my bank account was debited from 40, 33 euros without any explanations. I thinks the reason is the fuel. Today, I'm trying to obtain reemboursement.
To be follow...
ONE ADVISE : DO NOT RENT A CAR WITH SICILY BY CAR DOLLAR.

In French for french speakers :
Même histoire. J'ai loué un véhicule avec Sicily by car Dollar à l'aéroport de Olbia en Sardaigne (aout 2013).
Sur la feuille de check-in, il était marqué 8/8 en quantité d'essence. En allumant la voiture, il était en réalité de 5/8. J'ai avertit le personnel de Sicily by car qui a fait une rectification manuelle (avec signature) sur mon bon.
10 jours plus tard j'ai rendu mon véhicule, avec une jauge à 6/8 (donc supérieur à lorsque je l'avais prise). Mais le personnel de Sicily By Car n'était pas là, donc obligé de laisser les clés dans une boite aux lettres.
4 jours plus tard, mon compte bancaire était débité de 40, 33 euros, sans aucune explication. Je suppose que c'est pour l'essence.
AUjourd'hui, j'essaie de les contacter pour obtenir un remboursement mais c'est pas gagné...
CONCLUSION : même si ils ne sont pas cher, ne louez pas chez SICILY BY CAR DOLLAR! Car je pensais me protéger en aisant le tour du véhiculer avec eux... mais quand vous arrivez à l'aéroport, et qu'il n'y a personne, et bien vous n'avez aucune autre solution que de laisser les clés dans la boite sans faire le tour, sans pouvoir faire détruire votre empreinte bancaire.

Please do NOT use Sicily by Car / Auto Europe under ANY circumstances. We had booked a car with this company via bookings.com weeks ahead of our arrival in Sicily as they seemed reasonably priced and priced and convenient. We had paid about 50 Euro ahead of time for comprehensive insurance for our five-day drive. However, when we arrived at the Sicily by Car office in Messina we were told that they have no such agreement with bookings.com and that we would have to pay for insurance again. They charged us a whopping 350 Euro insurance for 5 days! Arriving at their office we were vulnerable, having all our luggage and no other transport options. In addition they then insisted on a further 101 Euro when we dropped the car off. We were utterly and totally ripped off.
I latter found out that this company is a borderline criminal operation. They should be investigated by the Italian authorities. No on-line service should do business with Sicily by Car / Auto Europe. I suppose the only lessons to draw from this is research the company before hiring and try to stick to the larger reputable forms.

II 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’.

At the rental car counter, a take-a-number system was active but the representative was blatantly misusing it and lying to customers, essentially laughing in their face when called out on it. Extremely in-your-face attitude.

at bologna airport, Sicily by car office worker behaves us in very very bad attitudes.
i think she should not reflect her problems to customer,
she spoke with us very loudly and she were so angry, she never helped us about our reservation

thank you

I do not have the number of our reservation as we were assured that we would not have any issues and everything was fine. Now over a month later we have revived two charges to a credit card for 52.59 each!

Please process a refund.

Jessmgreenwood@outlook.com
[protected]

Reservation under the above information

Please get in contact ASAP...

My name is Vito Mazzoccoli.
I traveled last summer and booked a car in Fiumicino Rome, using my credit card for the deposit.
Recently somebody from Sicily by car tried to use my credit card to purchase something in Italy, twice.
You have crooks work for you and with you!

If you get a parking ticket (easy to do in the small towns of Puglia and probably other places), Sicily by Car will charge you Euro SIXTY just to share your contact details with the parking fine authorities.

Exhorbitant considering they do this by email in a few seconds.

BTW Enterprise car rental charges Euro 30 for the same thing.