We rented a car from Athens Car Rentals, paid a 800 euro bond, and have to wait 15-25 days for our refund. They said the time-frame is out of their control.
I have never come across a wait this long. Is it common in Greece? Europe? Or is it just this one company?
(We will have to rethink our trip if this wait time is the norm as don't want to rent again until receiving our bond.)
Posted by
la la land...
1080 posts
I doubt this is of any help RE Greece, but I had 2 car rentals in the US recently, after several years of not renting a car, so I experienced the credit card "hold": at the time of the car pickup, the CC is debited for the full price of the rental, plus an additional $350 "bond" or security deposit - this entire charge is "pending" until I returned the car - and what happens then is the entire charge goes away on the card but is replaced with the price for the rental (minus the hold). So it is an immediate release of the security deposit.
Not sure why Athens Car Rentals can't do the same, nor do I have any idea what is standard practice elsewhere in Europe. I am sure others will chime in here, hopefully, to shed some light on this. It could vary by country (rules and regulations), and also by car rental agency.
Posted by
Citizen of the World
2448 posts
After renting cars in Spain and Norway through AutoEurope, the bond was released and refunded the same day the car was returned. The practice of Athens Car Rentals seems very unorthodox. You might want to check your rental contract to see if there are timeframes applied to the return of the bond. Other than that, I would suggest calling your bank that issued the credit card and asking why the bond has not been released as your bank is also involved in this contract.
Posted by
OP
New Zealand
9 posts
Thanks for your feedback; confirms my own thinking.
I'll look at AutoEurope.com next time.