https://www.theguardian.com/money/2019/may/06/goldcar-named-worst-car-hire-company-in-which-survey
I always avoid these like the plague due to reading so many horror stories. Their prices may be cheap but as the old adage goes "If it looks too good to be true......"
I had a bad experience with Europcar
I've never used Europcar and I have to say (although I'll probably curse myself now) that I've never experienced a bad car rental on any occasion anywhere. My only peeve is with Hertz and their habit of removing the SD cards from the navigation systems and charging you the cost of a Sat Nav rental in order to put in back (despite it coming as standard with the vehicle). If they do that I have my back up Garmin or often find Google Maps just as convenient.
The firms I use the most are Hertz, Sixt, Budget, Enterprise, Avis and, in the US, Allamo. Most of the cars have been obtained through consolidators such as rentalcars.com or Ryanair Car Rental, which depsite its poor reputation as an airline it is simply a consolidator when it comes to car rental and so far all my rentals via them have been fulfilled by Hertz and at much cheaper prices than booking the same vehicle through Hertz themselves. Likewise Avis, they are the least likely company that I'd book direct as their prices are usually the most expensive however they have a partnership with British Airways and if you book a flight and a car rental with BA your rental will be fulfilled by Avis and at ridiculously cheap rates.
My question is: did Goldcar have any close competition for that rating?
While I have had a couple of bad experiences with car rentals, I wouldn't single out any particular firm I've used.
My question is: did Goldcar have any close competition for that rating?
Yes, there are a plethora of companies offering attractive prices but then pulling the rug from underneath you once you've been snared in, Goldcar have simply come out on top of all those other bad companies.
Avis are almost always the most expensive of the rental agencies so you should always take their figure as the highest, the equally reputable companies such as Hertz, Sixt, Budget, Enterprise will typically be cheaper than Avis but similar to one another. That price range is the one that you should be considering as realistic, without hidden fees or underhand selling and without the dubious practice of charging for damage not caused by yourself. Go any lower than that average and you're venturing into dodgy territory. Not every rental experience with those cheaper companies is going to be a bad one but the risk is high, high enough for me not to gamble on it.
Go to any major Spanish airport during peak holiday season and witness the queues at the Goldcar desk. They are huge which is testament to how they can operate the way they do, there are more people sucked into the cheap price than those put off by bad publicity. It's a gamble that Goldcar (and other companies) are prepared to take.
