Goldcar 

Very dubious and suspicious practice for damage supposedly carried out when we hired the car

On returning the car the staff noticed a small scratch under the car that was not obviously visual. I could not reasonably be expected to find this mark.on first seeing the car. The mark was barely visible and needed an inspection mirror or some sort of undercar viewing device to be seen. What made my wife and I suspicious was the fact that the agent went straight to the mark as if she knew it was there.
The total charges were some 120 euros

I'd be very wary of using Goldcar particularly in Lisbon. If you do take your magnifying glass and spend half an hour going over the car for scratches

The employees were extremely unfriendly and incredible slow. Although we had a booking for the car, we had to wait for ages (no key pickup possible). The employees had a nice time chatting while the customers stood in line. The whole process was not transparent. After signing the contract, we had to go to the car pickup. The person there just talked on the phone and didn`t give us the keys for another 20 minutes. The contract is a rip off. We wanted to fuel the car ourselves. That was not possible, because we could not open the gas tank. There was also no button inside the car - we were standing for 20 minutes at the gas station and searched. Goldcar took out the manual for the car, so we couldn`t look it up. In the end Goldcar charged me 55 Euros fee plus the cost for the gas. I think, you do so by purpose.

Goldcar (GC) and DiscoverCars (DC) cheated us for 231 €

DC and affiliate GC organize cheating with insurance and choice of car.

We had paid full insurance in advance and DC stated that we did not have to pay additional insurance when picking up the car at Malaga Airport.
At GC at Malaga airport, they did not want to speak English. However, he could say a single sentence: if you do not pay extra insurance, I can`t hand over a rental car.
Organized cheating and still awaiting response from Goldcar > 20 days.

Shame on you.

Collection and drop off the car was straightforward but the fees could be clearer. I was quoted 73 euro for a child car seat when I booked the car and charged 87 euro upon collection. As is often the case with car hire companies, the information provided at the desk about insurance was deliberately confusing. This seems to be a tactic (not unique to Goldcar) to make you buy their expensive insurance cover. A separate policy is usually cheaper.

There were several scratches on the car which weren't highlighted on the policy. If we didn't report these we would have had to pay for the cosmetic damage. Why is it up to customers to do a vehicle inspection before they start their holiday?

Do not hire a car from Goldcar Portugal as noted below:

1. Waiting 6 weeks for return of deposit (called 5 times into call centre a different story each time, raised an incident as suggested with no response).

2. Hidden charges for returning the car with some dust on it - €50 for cleaning a Fiat 500??!!!

3. Charges for fuel yet returned the vehicle full??!!

Appalling service, will not be using again for our 4 visits a year where we hire a car!!!

Hidden and unidentified charges. Do not bother to respond to emails. Avoid.

Due to late plane arrival, we didn't manage to pick up the car within office hour. We then called - twice - Goldcar customer service in order to arrange the pick up the next day, and both times they said it wasn't their business, the reservation (prepaid) was cancelled, and they didn't care about it. Given we booked through rentalcars.com, they said to complaint with them and hang up (twice) on me.

Booked a car through DoYouSpain which turned out to be GoldCar. Went to pick up car at Valencia airport. Turned down insurance at E140 as already had excess insurance with booking company. Charged E1600 deposit to my credit card company. On returning the car the staff member used a torch to find two lines across doors. These were only detectable by torch. Polish would easily remove them. On the spot charged E500 by e-mail. Still await credit for balance. Not holding my breath. Credit Card company says charge valid as I took the car. Company should be criminally charged

NEVER TRUST THIS COMPANY! I received a car which was not fully fulled and when I returned it they appologised but afterwards they deducted 60 EUR from my creditcard! I have contacted they customer service 3 times without any response!!!

Please do not use this company!!!! I have hired many cars over the last 30 years , and I have never felt so angry with this car rental rip off company! I do not normally write reviews!
I had received a bill for 200Euro for damage to bumper. I had taken photo's when dropping off early before AIRPORT office open. There were 2 very small chips 1mm on the lower front of the bumper which would be normal wear&tear! I sent my photo's and have not received any replies!! I had also taken extra Road Toll which GOLDCAR say I have to pay the road toll companies directly or face prosecution !!! DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY EVEN IF THEY ARE CHEAPER...THEY ARE VERY EXPENSIVE WHEN THEY HAVE ACCESS TO YOUR CREDIT CARD!!!! spoilt our holiday in a great country!

DO NOT HIRE FROM GOLDCAR PORTUGAL. POOR QUALITY CARS, PLUS THEY DOUBLE CHARGED ME FOR DAMAGE EXCESS. FIRST OFF I HAD TO RETURN MY INITIAL CAR BECAUSE OF A FAULTY REAR SEAT BELT AND THEY TRIED TO CHARGE ME FOR THE FUEL IT COST ME TO RETURN THE CAR. THEN FOR THE SECOND CAR I HAD TO PAY €250 FOR A DAMAGED LOCK WHICH WAS NOT MY FAULT, THEN 3 DAYS LATER THEY TOOK ANOTHER €250 OFF MY CREDIT CARD WITH NO CONFIRMATION BY EMAIL. ONLY SPOTTED IT WHEN I CHECKED MY STATEMENT OVER A MONTH LATER. HAD TO CALL THEM WHICH TOOK AGES TO GET THROUGH, BUT WAS TOLD I HAD TO EMAIL THEM TO REQUEST A REFUND. TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE. AVOID IF YOU CAN.

A terrible experience at the airport with a hard sell, promising dire consequences if we did not upgrade our cover. They said our British insurance arranged before we left would be inadequate and we would not be covered in the event of breakdown. This completely contradicted the advice when booking and could have cost us hundreds of £ more.
They really take advantage of the fact that you are tired after the flight to frighten you into spending lots more money. As a result we spent the first few days worried that Goldcar would rip us off when we returned the car or if we had a puncture.

Absolute disgrace , this company should be closed down, just got home from holiday in algarve , picked up car from faro airport, the guy at desk 5 asked me to take out the extra insurance cover, of which I refused, stating that I already had excess cover with Zurich insurance back in the UK. Fare enough he said , so he asked for my card to take a deposit for fuel and asked me to sign the screen( no pin ) just a screen signature. The price was €175.79
I said to him are you sure this is correct, he said yes , you will get a full refund if the car is returned with a full tank of fuel. He vanished for a couple of minutes, returned with my paper work and gave me my keys . The car is just outside the hut he replied. I must stress now that all the paperwork was in Portuguese
When i returned home, as you can guess , no refund. Been in touch with my bank , they can't do anything because I so say signed the paperwork, ( I didn't, sign any paperwork, just a blank screen )
I'm now absolutely ashamed of myself for falling victim of these scammers , I've been hiring cars from many different companies abroad for the past 20 odd years and never fell for something like this. Please avoid this company, if they can scam me they can get anybody, because I'm always so careful.

Defrauded by Goldcar - do not touch them. It cost me £468 for a 6 day rental of a small car in Portugal. I paid £112 in advance to Rentalcars.com but Goldcar refused my Visa Debit card (despite it being clearly listed as an accepted card in Rentalcars agreement). Goldcar made me take full insurance cover. They stated it would only cost 190EU, but I stupidly signed the contract stating a far higher figure (about 380EU). Basically, I was a mug, and believed the lady at Lisbon Goldcar desk. I will never use Goldcar again. I won't use Rentalcars.com either, though in their defence, they did try more than once to argue my case with Goldcar - but were unsuccessful. Do not use Goldcar.

We had the worst possible experience at the Porto Goldcar hire service desk where the man serving us was extremely rude and I cannot understand how he didn't get sacked or more importantly why Goldcar employs such rude people? It does not set a good example for the company.
The man serving us was trying to sell us a more expensive car when we had already reserved a suitable car at a previously agreed price. When we said no to the more expensive bigger car which when we looked at it looked like it was ready for the scrap yard, the man got extremely rude and even more rude to my mother which his words were - "you're old enough to be my mother". Now Goldcar do you really think that is exceptable behavior coming from one of your own members of staff? I certainly do not agree with that plus he then got very aggressive so we asked to speak to his manager who to our shock was trying to be on his side!!! The isn't words available to describe how bad your service really is. Then looking at your reviews it turns out we are not the first people that man has been rude and aggressive to.
Next time we'll go back to good old Avis who's service was brilliant and friendly, just what car hire service should be unlike our bad experience with yourselves!

Do not use this company at Lisbon airport. On returning the car, the staff member got right down by the wheels and showed me two very small superficial scratches less than a finger nail in length (it’s as if he knew they were there...). He then claimed I had done it via kerbing and charged my card €250 without my agreement. What he didn’t realise was that my plans had changed for the trip so I literally only used the car to my five star hotel (where it was valet parked) and back to the airport (not stopping); so his claim was ridiculous. I have put in a formal complaint and have not yet had a response.

On the company website, they suggest you can’t trust reviews on other sites. You can and should do. They clearly manipulate their own site reviews. Appalling, dishonesty all round. AVOID

I hired on the 24th and returned on the 28th from Faro Airport

On the 24th the first car they gave me had dents and scratches everywhere and only half a tank of fuel. I complained ( the warning signs were there) and was given another car with a full tank and slightly less marks. On its return it was checked over and pronounced ok until a lady came out of the office and went a tyre which she could not see and found a tiny nick in the rubber. She never checked anything else. This was set up and I had to pay for a new tyre.

This firm are thieves do not use

Regards Richard

I have hired cars for 30 years this company should be avoided at all cost. I booked them through Ryanair and had Axia excess insurance. At Faro airport they claimed my credit cards did not work although they work fine everywhere else. In the end to get the car I paid for their insurance they do not accept Axia. The car cost me 360 euros there were more surprises with hidden charges taken as deposits against possible Fuel and Toll charges and on receipt the car which by now stood me at 450 plus euros including Ryanair’s charges was clearly damaged they refused to note this as I had their insurance so I took photos. I now have a car and no means to note the return condition. The whole set up is a rip off, Ryanair Air Car Hire do not want to know. In future I will avoid Ryanair car hire and Goldcar and so should you.

Do not use this company. Admittedly, we made a mistake with the time we wanted the car at Lisbon airport but the staff were rude, unhelpful and didn’t want to help in any way. We were stranded in the airport trying to hire another car. We had already paid upfront for the car from Gold but it was given to someone else when we didn’t arrive at the time we put on the order.
The staff members (5 of them) seemed to be having a laugh and a joke. Would not give their names and it took me 5 times of asking for a supervisor to be told there wasn’t one there. We had to make numerous international calls from our mobiles and eventually paid 20 Euro to get to our hotel. It totally ruined our first night in Lisbon.