My wife and I recently spent 9 days traveling through Italy for a vacation and to see my sister's wedding. The trip was amazing and well worth the experience. I would like to put a warning out there to anybody who might want to rent a car and drive in Italy. First let me say that I have driven in many European countries, but Italy is very challenging due to congestion and aggressive drivers. We decided to rent a car ahead of time and chose a local company called Sicily by Car. They have the best deals in Italy if you check online. We drove the car for 9 days and returned it clean, gassed up and in perfect condition. Upon returning to the states we were charged $160. I tried contacting the company many times, but the numbers listed on the website only leave you on hold until eventually you are hung up on. We still have no idea what the charges were for. After researching a little I found that many people had the same experience. I just wanted to put the word out that whatever Hertz or Avis or Budget wants, it's worth the extra when renting in Italy.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23240 posts
The first response is to contest it with your credit card company. Call it fraud. Your credit card has an obligation to determine the accuracy of the charge. The could be a number or reasons for the charge -- don't roll over quickly.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA ☔️
6788 posts
They have the best deals in Italy if you check online.
Apparently not so much.
Dispute it with your credit card. Hopefully you took photos of the car, kept good records, etc. But definitely don't just give up without a valid explanation for the charge.
Posted by
Knoxville, TN, USA
7209 posts
If you dispute via your credit card you'll probably get a quick reply from the company that currently ignores your phone calls. There's no better way to get their attention than disputing the charge.
I did this with a negligent prepaid Venice Water Taxi...no answer to many days of emails and phone calls. Then I disputed with my credit card and, BOOM, within a few hours I had a response from the rascals.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Definitely going to dispute it with the credit card company. I'll update on how it turns out. Thanks for all the advice.