Missing points from Europcar rental followed by terrible customer service

[Daver6]

Been a long time QF flier and being one of the lucky ones stranded by the fleet grounding, I had had enough. Thankfully Virgin has matched me to gold.

I had a trip to Tassie planned and decided to use Europcar as they would give me Velocity points. At the time of booking the car and picking up the car they definitely had my Velocity FF number. In fact, I still have the confirmation email that includes my FF number with it.

Car hire was early December last year.

Now I realise these things can take some time, but come mid-Feb (over 2 months later), still no points. I called up and got through to the premium velocity service centre. They suggested I both send an email with my rental confirmation as well as fill out the missing points form online. This I did immediately.

Almost a month later I get an email informing me that I won't receive the points because the "rental agreement number is invalid". I again immediately called up to find out what this all meant. Surely, they could contact me for any information that they didn't have. After all, I did provide them with an email with all the information Europcar provided me with.

They request I email through the information again and that someone would get back to me. Also, that the issue had been escalated.

Days pass and zero contact from Velocity. Don't say you will call me back and then not both to call.

I called up again last week. Again have to explain the whole story and that I'm not getting annoyed at the amount of my time I need to spend on this issue and the fact I'm told someone will get back to me and they don't. As always, I get an apology and told the issue is marked urgent and someone will call back. Again nothing, so on Thursday morning I call again. This time Im told that she will call be back in 30 minutes. Four hours later I'm called back (not overly wrong, but don't say 30 minutes if you can't keep to that time frame). Apparently they had lost my mobile number I had given them (even though its listed in my profile).

The call is to tell me its still being looked into but she will call me back on Friday to keep my updated. Yesterday (Monday evening still no call). I was irate. Called up and went through the story again. Again with the apologies. All I wanted to know is what do I/Velocity need to do to resolve this issue. No manager on duty, but the lady I spoke to will personally ensure he calls my mobile today (Tuesday).

Well, no surprise, no phone call today either. Call up again. No manager on duty, but apparently he called me today and left a message. He certainly didn't call my mobile as requested. Turns out he called my home phone and left a message. I don't believe that as no message was left on my home phone either. I'm told again that someone will call me tomorrow. Yeah right!

Why won't someone at Virgin just take ownership of this issue and get it resolved for me?

Am I being unreasonable in expecting calls to be returned when they say they will? All this for probably a few hundred points. I think Velocity have a long way to go in terms of looking after so called premium customers.

Welcome back Qantas I think.

 

[anat0l]

Well, I guess you could always try sending a PM to Velocity Rewards or Virgin Australia. Aren't you lucky to be a member of AFF?

 

[AdMEL]

Been a long time QF flier and being one of the lucky ones stranded by the fleet grounding, I had had enough. Thankfully Virgin has matched me to gold.

I had a trip to Tassie planned and decided to use Europcar as they would give me Velocity points. At the time of booking the car and picking up the car they definitely had my Velocity FF number. In fact, I still have the confirmation email that includes my FF number with it.

Car hire was early December last year.

Now I realise these things can take some time, but come mid-Feb (over 2 months later), still no points. I called up and got through to the premium velocity service centre. They suggested I both send an email with my rental confirmation as well as fill out the missing points form online. This I did immediately.

Almost a month later I get an email informing me that I won't receive the points because the "rental agreement number is invalid". I again immediately called up to find out what this all meant. Surely, they could contact me for any information that they didn't have. After all, I did provide them with an email with all the information Europcar provided me with.

They request I email through the information again and that someone would get back to me. Also, that the issue had been escalated.

Days pass and zero contact from Velocity. Don't say you will call me back and then not both to call.

I called up again last week. Again have to explain the whole story and that I'm not getting annoyed at the amount of my time I need to spend on this issue and the fact I'm told someone will get back to me and they don't. As always, I get an apology and told the issue is marked urgent and someone will call back. Again nothing, so on Thursday morning I call again. This time Im told that she will call be back in 30 minutes. Four hours later I'm called back (not overly wrong, but don't say 30 minutes if you can't keep to that time frame). Apparently they had lost my mobile number I had given them (even though its listed in my profile).

The call is to tell me its still being looked into but she will call me back on Friday to keep my updated. Yesterday (Monday evening still no call). I was irate. Called up and went through the story again. Again with the apologies. All I wanted to know is what do I/Velocity need to do to resolve this issue. No manager on duty, but the lady I spoke to will personally ensure he calls my mobile today (Tuesday).

Well, no surprise, no phone call today either. Call up again. No manager on duty, but apparently he called me today and left a message. He certainly didn't call my mobile as requested. Turns out he called my home phone and left a message. I don't believe that as no message was left on my home phone either. I'm told again that someone will call me tomorrow. Yeah right!

Why won't someone at Virgin just take ownership of this issue and get it resolved for me?

Am I being unreasonable in expecting calls to be returned when they say they will? All this for probably a few hundred points. I think Velocity have a long way to go in terms of looking after so called premium customers.

Welcome back Qantas I think.

My last three rentals with Europcar have been similar! For background, I am a base level Privilege member (and previously Ready to Go for a couple of years) and Red Velocity.

Rental 1 - Approx. a year ago - rented an Audi A5 convertible for a day with a another driver, on a corporate rate. Significant excess km, with total rental approx. $220. Points crediting took over 6 months and several requests to both Velocity and Europcar, via their websites and phone numerous times each. At one point, I was advised by Velocity that I wan't eligible for points as the rental agreement was in my mate's name, not mine! It was in my name - my mate was an additional driver! I e-mailed Velocity a copy of the agreement and advised they were incorrect. Not sure whether Europcar or Velocity eventually sorted it out - I gave up, as they were both appalling!

Rental 2 - last September in Darwin. This rental was 4 days for a 4WD, with many excess km and three drivers - approx. $920! I was overcharged (albeit by only $10) and it took many calls and e-mails to Europcar to get them to look at it. It also took many calls/e-mails to get my points.

Rental 3 - February this year - Audi A6 for 4 days - $250. Still haven't received points! Looks like I'll have to follow these up to! Oh joy!

There appears to be major issues with both Europcar and Velocity! Europcar - despite having my velocity number in my profile (I've checked and double checked numerous times), don'r credit point, overcharge and their customer service is appalling. Velocity is a little better, but not much!

I personally believe the issues are Europcar's fault, but neither Europcar nor Velocity will take, or have taken, responsibility to fix the problems!

Whilst I acknowledge Hertz also have their problems, at least when I put in a claim for missing points via their website, I get a fast response (usually overnight that night - assume it's dealt with in the US) and points are credited shortly after without further follow up.

Well, I guess you could always try sending a PM to Velocity Rewards or Virgin Australia. Aren't you lucky to be a member of AFF?

As has been stated on another thread, it shouldn't have to be that way!

 

[adampenrith]

Sorry to hear about your dramas

I have been renting Europcar both here and in NZ for year, and Have a loyalty card - never had an issue with points being credited to my Velocity card.

In fact last time I walked into the Europcar area at BNE - my Audi was waiting for me - I was approached by the Manager - she asked me if I had a loyalty card - said Yes - that looks like my Audi at Bay 10, she says jump in and have a nice day.

No DL check, no signature nothing.

Its all in the system - and the points were credited onto my Velocity account within days.

So not sure what is happening here for you

 

[TonyHancock]

I had a similar issue with my first Europcar rental after I took up the Privilege Elite offer.

After a month I filled in the online missing points claim but received the same invalid rental agreement number response. I emailed a copy of the rental agreement back to DJ/VA and the points posted a couple of weeks later. My other rentals have posted without problem.

I think VA/DJ FF's are pretty lucky to have responsive reps here on AFF.

 

[Daver6]

Well, finally got a call back (not from a manage), to tell me Europcar will be crediting the points and it will take 10-14 days.

The lady who called me though had no record that I have called multiple times about this though.

 

[Daver6]

10-14 days have passed. Still not points. Still not contact from Virgin to explain why this hasn't happened yet.

 

[striking]

I recently tried Europecar as I took up the offer as Velocity Gold. I must say, extremely disappointed, I e-mail their customer service line to confirm if they had my membership and Velocity info on file, I received an e-mail back the next day from their international counterpart (head office) showing the forwarded email and request for assistance. I head nothing back... 1 month later when I turned up at the airport, they had not details on my Velocity or membership and the excuse was that "the systems are talking to each other yet"

I was given a coughpy old Subaru Forrester with Melbourne registration (I was in Cairns) with not water for windscreen washing...

I think I will go back to Hertz

 

[markis10]

I think I will go back to Hertz

Do you think they are better??? BTW a lot of the europcar fleet has Victorian rego, apparently its cheaper!

 

[JohnPhelan]

I have had exactly the same issues trying to get Velocity credit for Hertz rentals!!!!

The thing that irritates the hell out of me is that Velocity simply refuses to return calls/emails. You say your bit, they say they'll look into it - and you hear nothing, ever again (and the points never appear in your account).

I think the problem is mainly with Velocity, rather than the car rental providers.

 

[Daver6]

The thing that irritates the hell out of me is that Velocity simply refuses to return calls/emails. You say your bit, they say they'll look into it - and you hear nothing, ever again (and the points never appear in your account).

I agree. This is the worst part. Saying they will look into it/escalate the issue, but you never hear back and nothing happens.

As I pointed out to the manager this morning on the phone. Someone needs to take ownership of the problem and follow up on it. If something hasn't been done by a date they say it will, a simple email/phone call to keep me updated will suffice. It saves me having to constantly call up and wait on hold.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

FWIW, Europcar take forever to action a claim and when they finally do, they stuff it up (my experience anyway). However, I found once you get past that initial 1 or 2 rental pain and your Privilege account is well established, they do actually seem consistantly good at applying the discounts, upgrading the rental, posting the correct points promptly and adding the qualifying rental (I'm now well and truly touching wood )

 

[misstam]

My last three rentals with Europcar have been similar! For background, I am a base level Privilege member (and previously Ready to Go for a couple of years) and Red Velocity.

Rental 1 - Approx. a year ago - rented an Audi A5 convertible for a day with a another driver, on a corporate rate.

Long gone are the days when I used to get FF points on corporate rates... Avis stopped doing this a few years ago with QF, and even though I always put my Velocity # in for Europcar rentals -just in case - I've never received points.

 

[kyle]

I've put my Velocity number into both my Aust and NZ Europcar rentals and they all credit within a week or two.

 

[rotuma1]

I too lost velocity points from 2 Fiji rentals.

I should have known as rental agent transferred information from computer print out and filled in a manual rental agreement for me to sign.

Europcar say that they have no knowledge of me renting in fiji, even though they have my booking numbers. Coming out as a no show

 

[markis10]

I too lost velocity points from 2 Fiji rentals.

I should have known as rental agent transferred information from computer print out and filled in a manual rental agreement for me to sign.

Europcar say that they have no knowledge of me renting in fiji, even though they have my booking numbers. Coming out as a no show

Did you not get a receipt on return, sounds like someone avoiding franchise fees.....?

 

[rotuma1]

Did you not get a receipt on return, sounds like someone avoiding franchise fees.....?

Only got eftpos reciept, as had to rush to check in at NAN.

 

[jase]

I'm dreading returning my Europcar rental at the moment. We picked it up after a late arrival in NZ, and the sole person working advised us to "document any damage in the morning when you can properly look at the car". We did, and there was a LOT that wasn't marked on the damage sheet already. We took photos on the day after too, but after doing some reading I'm just waiting to see how we're treated upon returning the car.

Some people actually recommend "losing" your credit card that Europcar have on file. Sounds like a pretty reputable brand!