Europcar NZ Claiming We Did Not Return Ford Ranger with Full Bars of Fuel

CalmLemons on 25/07/2024 - 19:04
Last edited 25/07/2024 - 20:17 by 1 other user

TL;DR:

  • Rented car
  • Europcar say only 7/8 bars of fuel, even though we refilled just before dropping car back
  • Matter of principle because we go to the effort to make sure there is a petrol station nearby the return lot and balancing this with the return flight without being late.
  • Told Europcar most likely error with the fuel gauge on the Ford Ranger.

Rented heaps of cars on travel before without any issues and always return the car with a full tank of fuel before handing it back to the lot. Always a bit of a juggle to top up the car before handing back and making it to the airport on time.

On this occasion we rented a Ford Ranger in New Zealand from Europcar. Topped up 5L circa $10 to max before giving the car back to the lot (1km from the airport), before this we had also refilled the whole tank in town and just spend the day in town then to the airport. 8/8 Bars on the Ranger when given back. Didn't think to take a picture of the fuel gauge as never had any issues before.

One month later we get an invoice from Europcar with an extra $50 for 10L. I showed Europcar the 2 fuel purchases on the day and I just get template replies back saying it is policy to return the car back with full fuel.

I'm annoyed because this is based on principle as we go to the difficulty of planning and making sure to refill without being late for the plane. The effort to argue is probably not worth the $50.

Europcar claim the level was only 7/8 bars. I explained to them this was mostly an error with the fuel gauge of the Ford Ranger which is a common problem on the second restart of the car, and only gets reset once you refill it again. This is the only reason I could come up with.

Obviously if someone tried to refill the car, they would not get anything in, and they obviously didn't refill 10L into the car and just do an estimate by estimating 80L tank and only 7 bars in the tank.

Automotive Car Rental Ford Ute

Comments

  • Hybroid on 25/07/2024 - 19:07
    +22

    Thanks for the story. You're arguing with customer support whom basically have a computer that says fuel not full, so it's not full. They're not going to do anything else about it.

    Good lesson to always do the return inspection and get a signed off piece of paper to say all OK, before you head off to the airport check-in.

    • HeWhoKnows on 26/07/2024 - 14:16
      +9

      OP can diisdpute the "unauthorised" charge with thier credit card company

      • drprox on 26/07/2024 - 16:47

        haha just did this myself with a hire car..

      • ol mate on 27/07/2024 - 09:43
        -1

        Just beware that doing this will likely lead to being put on the Do-Not-Rent list for Europcar (which mightn't be the worse thing, tbh).

    • kaleidoscope on 27/07/2024 - 00:58
      +1

      In theory it works, but in reality it's not the case always. when we travelled there they simply asked to park the car and return the key through a hole at the counter as it was a non working day for them. We just took additional measures of taking photos at the drop off point.

      • Harold Halfprice on 28/07/2024 - 16:58

        yeah, most of the time even if people are working they rush you through and say just leave the keys on the dash and we'll email you your receipt.

    • BlahBlahBlaah on 28/07/2024 - 22:50

      Clearly you've never returned a car at 4.30am and slipped the keys into a hole

  • Downvoter on 25/07/2024 - 19:07
    +1

    TLDR you didn’t fill till it clicked

    • CalmLemons on 25/07/2024 - 19:20
      +5

      I clicked 3 times till it started to bubble out.

      • Kongzi on 25/07/2024 - 19:45
        +27

        Maybe that last bar bubbled out

        • [Deactivated] on 25/07/2024 - 23:39
          +1

          Lol

        • alfawex on 26/07/2024 - 11:15
          +14

          Having owned multiple diesel cars, i've never had to standa round for a couple of minutes to finish filling it up. A couple of seconds maybe but minutes is extreme

        • belongsinforums on 26/07/2024 - 17:25

          I drive diesel. I always just fill once. The bubbling is minimal and i get a full tank with one go

        • terlalu on 30/07/2024 - 14:40

          i dont' know why everyone is negging you. But you're right.

          Maybe a bit of an exaggeration with a minute, but if you've ever filled up with highflow diesel you do have to wait a while, because the nozzle will click once there's blowback of fuel. If you have a long and wide tank, like in larger vehicles, there'll still be a lot of capacity left unfilled. This will be vehicle dependent, but is more pronouced in some larger trucks (mostly because the tanks are designed for capacity rather than to fit the style/design of the vehicle, so they often don't have a narrow inlet).

      • AustriaBargain on 26/07/2024 - 12:26

        Did you lift the hose? My mom says you got to lift the hose to get the free drizzle of gas.

        • jackspratt on 27/07/2024 - 00:54
          +1

          I read it as diesel, not LPG.

          Does LPG really drizzle?

      • smartProverble on 26/07/2024 - 18:26
        -2

        Are you sure you filled up the petrol tank?

        And not the coolant tank / window washer fluid tank / steering wheel fluid tank / blinker fluid tank etc.

      • anonymous01 on 26/07/2024 - 22:42

        lmao I am more interested in which part of the world does it cost $50 for 10L of fuel.

        • CalmLemons on 26/07/2024 - 23:37

          Well normally rental car locations get to charge a premium for going go the trouble of having to refill the car/get reimbursed for you using more petrol than what is included which is nothing.

          Unfortunately fuel in newzealand is in the range of $2.4 to $3.0 a L for petrol. You think we get high oil prices in australia….

          In this case is was diesel which is still about $1.90 same as in aust

          So essentially the rate is doubled.

    • Vater Woods on 27/07/2024 - 00:58
      +1

      I had experienced the same, refilled till clicked, but the gauge is at 7/8. Drive in to return, blah blah, drove out force refilled another 2 litres, gauge didn't even move a bit, throw the recipet in the guys face, and asked him to pay me back the cost because of their dodgy fuel gauge, in the end got some discount.

  • bobbified on 25/07/2024 - 19:12
    +8

    These car rental companies are not known to be honest and your situation is almost impossible to argue. It may not be right, but the best thing to do is to just drop it (ie, save the time and effort!) and factor that $50 in as part of the total cost of the rental.

  • MS Paint on 25/07/2024 - 19:13
    +19

    Ranger Danger comes in all forms.

    • CalmLemons on 25/07/2024 - 19:24
      +13

      The good part is it probably saved me $80k from buying one of these. I'm so glad I cancelled my initial order - not sure why it's so popular considering the only benefit I see over normal use is the smoother ride due to the suspension but it drives like a boat.
      Think I'll just put it was a $50 deduction towards the $80k saved.

      • BLAIL on 26/07/2024 - 09:04
        +11

        good on ya for saving 80k especially on a vehicle where one fuel bar leaks out.

      • Garry044 on 26/07/2024 - 11:47

        Can't say I've ever seen the 7/8ths fuel bar issue in a buyer's guide warning against buying a Ranger… but glad this is now on public record to save others their $80k too…

      • Jackson on 27/07/2024 - 16:22
        +1

        Because trades need to have a bigger schlong than the bloke next to them when they turn up on the job, that and the huge tax breaks given to trades for utes that's they don't need, guzzle, and get more use driving kids around

    • DashCam AKA Rolts on 26/07/2024 - 09:10
      +2

      Ranger Danger comes in all forms.

  • jv on 25/07/2024 - 19:15
    +11

    Show them the photo of the fuel gauge that you took at drop off with the kms and fuel level…

    • CalmLemons on 25/07/2024 - 19:22
      +1

      Took photos of the outside because the car had so much previous damage and was pretty dirty when they gave it to me so I was pretty preoccupied with that.

      I stopped taking gauge pictures years ago because I've never had any issues. Probably start the paranoia all again now.

      • jv on 25/07/2024 - 19:23
        -7

        I stopped taking gauge pictures years ago because I've never had any issues

        I've never had issues with my car insurance for decades, but I do keep paying it every year…

        How much does it cost you to take a picture of dashboard?

        • CalmLemons on 25/07/2024 - 19:26
          +3

          Nothing. But i've been trying not to live a life of paranoia and excessive worry about small things. I have a friend who spends 10 minutes going around the car taking full blown 4K video, after travelling with that person never again.

          • jv on 25/07/2024 - 19:33
            +2

            @CalmLemons:

            But i've been trying not to live a life of paranoia and excessive worry about small things.

            That's why I take the photo… No need for paranoia and worry with peace of mind…

          • Harold Halfprice on 28/07/2024 - 17:07

            @CalmLemons: I agree with you.

            I used to take photos of the car + fuel gauge but lately I have been traveling a lot for work and hire a lot of rentals, and I've stopped. I was in the US last month. 11 cities, 7 rental cars.

            Never had an issue with false damage claims or fuel. And after a while you just want the process to be efficient, without having to stop and worry for things like this - especially when you have a tight schedule and a flight to catch, or you've just had a long flight and want to check into your hotel to get some rest.

        • bobbified on 25/07/2024 - 19:26
          +5

          How much does it cost you to take a picture of dashboard?

          1% battery.

      • ThithLord on 26/07/2024 - 08:43

        We look forward to your next post about a car collision/no insurance

  • sumyungguy on 25/07/2024 - 20:55
    +3

    You should have km travelled on your invoice. Calculate the average fuel consumption for your rental period and see if this is within the ballpark for a Ranger.

    • soaringphoenix on 28/07/2024 - 11:17

      Assumes he didn't drive it like, as Jeremy Clarkson would put it, the fastest car in the world - a rental.

  • elgrande on 25/07/2024 - 21:01
    +9

    I ALWAYS TAKE A PHOTO

    • CalmLemons on 25/07/2024 - 21:29

      yeah i used to too. I'm guessing a lot of people do it then, I always thought I was being super paranoia and I saw some people go way overboard with their paranoia so i try to lessen the extent that I need to go ocd on some things these days.

      thanks europcar. trauma +1 ^__^

      • lew380 on 26/07/2024 - 10:41

        A video of the dash and panels would take about 30 seconds and cover you for 99% of problems that could arise. Not paranoid at all to do that.

      • gromit on 27/07/2024 - 09:59

        photos of everything outside and inside. Hard to impossible to argue your case after the fact with no evidence. Never had a problem myself but I always take the 2 mins to do a quick round of photos just in case.

    • this is us on 25/07/2024 - 22:10

      Yes, always do too.

  • askbargain on 25/07/2024 - 21:11
    +2

    Curious why you went eurocar instead of Avis or hertz?

    • CalmLemons on 25/07/2024 - 21:27

      they always happen to have the car i want.

      • askbargain on 25/07/2024 - 21:38

        fair enough. good luck

    • spaceflight on 27/07/2024 - 10:08
      +1

      Curious why you suggest Avis or Hertz instead of Europcar

  • Wiadro on 25/07/2024 - 21:47
    +2

    charge back

    when i was in europe in 2017 Europcar tried to charge me for parking in Austria, when I paid for it

  • Euphemistic on 25/07/2024 - 22:04

    10l exactly? Or did you round it for the story? I find it hard to believe they put exactly 10l in. It sounds like they just made up a number.

    • CalmLemons on 25/07/2024 - 22:14
      +2

      I do not believe they even attempted to put fuel in - if they had, they would realise. But their normal process would be to just charge the bar instead of refilling.

      But I assume they would just give it to the next customer saying 7/8 full.

      They saw the bars were 7/8 full. Full tank is 80L, so charged 10L's.

      In reality, that first bar would probably be only 5L.

      • Euphemistic on 25/07/2024 - 22:22
        +1

        As above somewhere, hows the l/100km for your trip usage? If youve got a receipt for YYY litres and only went ZZZ km and thats average for the vehicle use that argument. Sounds like theyre just trying it on.

      • Garry044 on 26/07/2024 - 11:49

        In reality, shouldn't that first bar be less than 1L since you already filled it?

      • cadwalader on 28/07/2024 - 20:19

        I don't think they would just give it to the next customer saying 7/8. If they bring it back 6/8 then the next one brings it back 5/8 and so on until they're forced to top up some fuel so a customer is not left driving away with 1/8 tank. Think that would invite far more complains.

    • djsweet on 26/07/2024 - 13:00
      +4

      Lol they wouldn't have actually filled it up. They would have guestimated it based on the bars. They would then have rented it out as full and got the next renter to bring it back full. In effect Europcar wouldn't have had any loss whatsoever, they're just rorting the customer as rental companies always do. Similar to how if you dent a car they charge you the full excess, don't get it repaired, and often try and blame it on the next person and get them to pay the excess too.

    • Mistredo on 27/07/2024 - 19:49

      Ford Ranger has a 80l tank, if it has 8 bars, and one is missing it is 10l.

      • BlahBlahBlaah on 28/07/2024 - 22:52

        Only thing is a fuel guage is not linear. 7 bars means it's close to 65L in the tank, not 70. Half (4 bars) is more likely 30L left

  • Ryanek on 25/07/2024 - 22:16
    +1

    That's why you should always take a picture of the odometer and fuel before you drive off and after you've given it back.

    This has saved me many times.

  • areustillpretty on 26/07/2024 - 01:09
    +2

    Chargeback with your credit card. They may just drop the case.

  • panos on 26/07/2024 - 09:42
    +3

    Gees just go to any Ford Ranger (plenty of knobs have them for some reason) which has a full tank and ask the owner can you take a pic of the fuel gauge and viola send them the pic, case closed…

    Europcar have not heard about them for years looks like they are making a comeback for you know what..

  • Darayus on 26/07/2024 - 10:04
    +10

    Ok, it happened to me earlier too.

    So I believe you have a fuel docket that you had to top up. On that docket, you highlight the time and location.

    Advise them that you have to top up the tank at this place. If you think I have short filled by 10 liters means I have to drive 100km before dropping. This is not justifiable and they will close the matter.

    I had this issue with Europcar and Thrifty and managed to close this BS money grabbing.

    • CalmLemons on 26/07/2024 - 18:44

      Yeah I'm chasing up the full receipt now as I only ahve the credit card statement.

  • terlalu on 26/07/2024 - 10:16

    was it diesel, and do you normally drive/fill up a diesel car?

    • CalmLemons on 26/07/2024 - 18:44

      Diesel/petrol/ad blue/electricity I do them all.

      Sometimes I put it all in a barrel then add the electricity at the end.

  • Bargain4Life on 26/07/2024 - 10:31

    i agree.
    add up all the liters you filled up and compare it with the km traveled vs the a Ranger average fuel consumption…this will show that you didn't need the 10L they claimed.

    edit: this was a reply to Darayus

  • cosmos on 26/07/2024 - 12:01

    Consider lesson learnt. Always take photos of the car when you return, including dashboard showing odometer reading and fuel level.

    • nwa on 26/07/2024 - 13:06

      Yes take photos or video before you take it and after you return it.

    • yoho on 26/07/2024 - 20:47

      Yes, the odometer bit is important. I once was accused of panel damage and did not have a good photo of that area of the car.

      The car had an extra 50km on the odometer, so was able to prove the damage was done by them (or the next hirer)

  • quick-dry on 26/07/2024 - 14:13
    +2

    I always take a photo of the fuel gauge.

    Europcar NZ is a bit of a problem lately. Their frontline staff on the desk/pickup will tell you that the EV can just be dropped off, doesn't need to be recharged but not on empty so they can get it to their chargers. (Frontline staff are usually good at offering a charge voucher when it is well below full).

    Meanwhile their customer service wants it at 80% or more. Found this out when they emailed to say they'd gracisouly "waived" recharge fee - even though the email chaim was kicked off because the front desk had put in a claim for me to get a $30 charge voucher because the car was under 70% charged on pickup.

    • CalmLemons on 26/07/2024 - 18:49

      Yeah look their front of counter staff were awesome. It's their office which is actually based in Melbourne Tullamarine that is a headfk.

      Should have paid more attention to the warning bells when I had to take pictures of pre existing damage that wasn't on the list and e-mailed them and basically they sent a template email back to me saying they might blame me for the pre existing damage - I just ignored it.
      Why I was more preoccupied with taking pictures of the external of the car.
      When I picked it up it was late at night and the new zealand fog had covered the car in a nice dew so you couldn't see a thing.

  • Powderhound303 on 26/07/2024 - 14:55
    +1

    get the receipt for filling up the hire car with fuel.

    It might say xx litres of fuel and time and date stamped. then comapre to drop off time

  • Cave Fire on 26/07/2024 - 16:15
    +1

    Look up the reviews and see if anyone else has this problem. If it's a scammer they probably just get used to doing this.

  • techno2000 on 26/07/2024 - 18:52
    +3

    Rented europcar once and got scammed.Never used them again and made sure everyone i know knew about the scam and also left a review on product review.

    They need to go out of business.

  • straafe on 26/07/2024 - 21:09
    +1

    Used Europecar in the UK, they tried it on by giving me a car with multiple problem msgs in its computer, AA couldnt believe theyd hired it out like that.

    Arnold Clark were fine tho, no mess no fuss no bullshit.

  • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 27/07/2024 - 08:40
    -4

    Haven't rented a car in 2 odd years but always used to take the "prepaid" fuel option. Was never more than a few bucks more than standard price. No need to track down a servo close to the rental place, which normally jack up their prices because they are close to rental places.

  • jason101 on 27/07/2024 - 09:01
    +1

    I rent a couple of cars a month usually (over 16 years so lots of rentals) and around once per year this occurs. I send a photo of my fuel receipt back with my complaint and the charges always go away without further follow up.

  • TightAl on 27/07/2024 - 11:57

    Always good to take photos of everything before you leave including the fuel meter

  • moortoozzy on 27/07/2024 - 12:34

    Yep, taking photo helps, sometimes it can even show some info on the dash like "3km since refueling".

  • stralya on 27/07/2024 - 13:45
    +1

    Europcar NZ is really dodgy. We rented with Budget and Europcar in NZ earlier this year, and the difference is huge. Europcar rented out the EV we had already booked online to another group who turned up and were willing to pay a higher last minute rate. And then, they tried to downgrade us to a lower car. We stood our ground, and got a petrol car at the same rate, but ended up paying a lot more in petrol costs. In NZ, petrol can be upto $3/L.

    Never using Europcar again. I'll stick to Avis / Budget / Hertz.

  • Brick Tamland on 27/07/2024 - 14:29

    If it’s just for the principle of the matter I’d fly back to NZ and give them what for and demand a refund

  • try2bhelpful on 27/07/2024 - 15:51

    Europcar is notorious. Thanks for the article. I’ve been taking external videos of cars, will need to add photo of fuel gauge as well now.

    We rented a car in Spain and they tried to sting my brother for damage. When we emailed back we had videos of the car before and after they, suddenly, realised the pre-existing damage hadn’t been added to the report.

    In Mauritius we had the opposite happen. The rental place gave the car to us half full and we filled it up before returning it; they gave us a refund. Renting cars can be swings and roundabouts. The advantage of review sites and social media is the poor behaviour gets called out.

    • Euphemistic on 27/07/2024 - 20:24

      Take a video of filling the car till it clicks and the totals on the pump too.

    • ol mate on 27/07/2024 - 23:20

      Apparently the refund for extra fuel thing is what's supposedly policy, but rarely does because it involves them being ethical and honest.

  • GrueHunter on 27/07/2024 - 15:55

    Who's scummier - real estate agents or used car salespeople?

    Hire car companies: "Porque no los dos?"

  • theStinge on 27/07/2024 - 23:17

    Rule #1: never rent from Europcar. I knew this about AU, but now know this applies to NZ too - thanks for the lesson!

    Rule #2: keep the fuel receipt (perhaps as a photo in your phone, because they can take weeks to hit you up for it)

    This is the one car rental company that people gripe about in various forums (fora?), and I’ve been paying attention to this since about 2005 when I first hired a car from them. Dodgy behaviour such as discovering underbody damage, paint marks on bumpers etc., weeks after return of the vehicle.

    • ol mate on 27/07/2024 - 23:22

      Rule #2: keep the fuel receipt (perhaps as a photo in your phone, because they can take weeks to hit you up for it)

      I usually take a photo of it with the odo and gauge at drop off - proves that the tank was full at drop off (assuming they check it in with the correct kms), and was fuelled up around drop-off time.

  • tessel on 27/07/2024 - 23:50

    Happened to me twice before. I had to submit proof I bought fuel the day of drop off. I was refunded both times but it was a pain.

  • min2 on 28/07/2024 - 12:05
    +1

    Europcar Fortitude Valley (Brisbane) is really dodgy! They scammed us for a $650 bill in 2020, claiming there was cigarette smell and trace on the carpet. Lol we drove the car for less than 100km and there was not a single smoker in our household. It was our first experience driving a rental car (lent by insurance co when our car was in repair) so didn't know to take photos when returning it. Fought with them for a month and in the end we simply didn't pay the bill. It didn't seem to affect our credit rating in any way nor any debt collection agency. They should go out of business for their dishonesty.

  • Yttrium on 28/07/2024 - 14:53

    did they send you an invoice for $50 or make a deduction from your credit card?

    If it's an invoice, you can delay payment while you chase up the receipt from the petrol station.

  • UFO on 28/07/2024 - 17:44

    Always take photos (before you drive out, and before you hand keys in).

    I always take photos of the car sitting at the depot when returning it, and make sure the photos I take SHOW the location…. and one of those photos is ALWAYS the dash, showing the k's and fuel.

    I once had a car rental company claim I scratched the side door, when it was existing damage.
    My pre-departure photos clearly showing the car still in the driveway with said damage, and the k's on the clock on pick up, shut their claim down in an instant.

    Photos. Lots and lots of photos… before you leave their parking and drive it 1m away, and then as you park it- showing you are now on their premises.
    Date time stamped, ready to roll!

  • Chef-Johnson on 28/07/2024 - 17:44

    Same happened to me via Dollar Auckland airport. Even left invoice for fuel in car! Servo is literally at terminal. Billed me $38 for fuel. Filipino call centre - got nowhere

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join