Anonymous
map-marker Metropolitan City Of Naples, Campania

LOCAUTO NAPLES

AVOID LOCAUTO at all costs.

Hi Just back from Sorrento. Had a great trip which was ruined by Locauto car rental. I picked up the car at Naples airport. I am in the motor industry so I know how to appraise a car for scratches and damage.

YOU MUST DO THIS.

I took pictures of every mark and scratch on the car before i drove away. The girl had two on her IPAD but I found a lot more that she refused to take note of as they were under 5cm.

I also took my dashcam and fitted it before i left.

I was very carefull every time i left the car in a car park as you are forced to have 900 euros blocked on your credit card in lew of damage. In Positano you will need to let an attendant park your car so let them see you take pictures before you leave it and always check it when you return as the car parks are multi level and very tight.

When i returned the car to the airport it was before the rental office opened so again I took pictures of every panel on the car and the reg plate. This ensures you have a digital date and time stamp on the images in case you need them.

And boy do I need them. On my return to the UK I was hit with a £450 euro invoice claiming that the car was damaged and the funds removed from my card without my authorisation.

Of course it was not and I have all of the evidence to prove it. Even the dashcam will verify where i had been on my trips and dates and times as LOCAUTO claim that i was involved with another car.

So far they have not provided any photo's that I requested but stand by their claim. My credit card company have opened a dispute and I am confident that I have all the proof needed.

Had i not taken the pictures I would not be so confident..

A google search of LOCAUTO will show that this is a regular scam and if anyone knows how to stop them I will be happy to contribute my experience.

I intend to propogate my experience on every social media platform that I can to prevent others being robbed by them in the meantime.

LOCAUTO are partners with Enterprise car rental and I have issued a complaint to to them along with Auto Europe who I booked with.

Renting a car was a fantastic was to see the Amalfi coast just a pity about the crooks at Locauto.

Paul

View full review
Loss:
$450
Cons:
  • Dishonest staff
  • No evidence provided
  • Attempted fraud of my credit card
Reason of review:
Unauthorised charge to my credit card for existing damage

Preferred solution: Full refund

Elinor Nmv
map-marker Portim, Faro

Locautorent Car Rental Review from Portim, Faro

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Updated by user Apr 12, 2016

We are not claiming any reparation from Locauto. We just want to make known how disgusted we are with the service provided by Lo auto, representing Alamo in Rome Termini

Original review Apr 11, 2016
A very negative experience with Locauto, that was representing Alamo. 1hour and 15minutes wait in the line to get our turn at Termini Station Rome. Charged 50 euros for snow currents rental never mentioned before. No time to give us some further informations. The car was delivered in a car park and no more explanations were given. The contrat said the tank should be full,, but we discovered that is was less than half full and the fuel gauge was not working. The half tank mark was more or less a quarter full. A warning for tyre pressure could not be solved changing the pressure. So we decided to put it at tne recommended level shown in the car. GPS was not up to date. We had a puncture at 11 pm and the nuts were so tight that we could unscrew them with the available wrench. When we phoned the 24h assistence we gotno answer. Fortunately we were not far from our place and we got assistence from our lodger. It was indeed a verybad experience never found inother car rentals.
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Reason of review:
Pricing issue
Anonymous
map-marker Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv

Total Scammers: Alamo Rent a Car operated by Locauto Naples Italy Capodichino Airport

Don't ever book a car from them! They charged me nearly 200 Euros for damage that I allegedly made to the rim! Despite having pictures to prove otherwise they won't refund!!!

Also, when booked online it said the insurance was paid for, but when I got there it turns out i had to add 100 Euros and still liable for damages up to 1000 Euros. Terrible experience. Avoid any business with them at all costs.

We felt so terrible for not having looked them up prior to booking the car. In fact, we booked a car by Alamo Rent a Car, only upon arrival we realized that this brand is operated by the crooked Locauto agency.

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Reason of review:
Problems with payment
1 comment
Guest

Exact same thing happened to me april 14.

Locoauto is a simple bunch of crooks! Alamo for some reason are supplying them with innocent customers

Anonymous
map-marker Segrate, Segrate

Will not book again with locauto

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this rental booking experience with locauto was horrible. i selected a car which was a VW golf and the website said 45 euros for 3 days.

i booked and the website directed me automatically to an insurance website which was 25 euros and i paid a total of 70 euros. the website said 'payable at counter:0.00euros' i went at the locauto booth at milan linate airport. the representative's attitude was not very nice everything we asked was answered with 'si, si'. we found out that there were a lot of hidden charges we paid over 400 euros for the car which was the actual rental fee, which we were unaware of it and another 1000euros deposit which we were also unaware of!

image if we did not have that amount of money?! may i remind that i selected a VW golf from the website, and they gave us a Renault clio which was ok but not what we wanted .

the 1000eur were kept held for 5 working days we called and they told us that after a maximum of 48 hours of giving back the car they shall be released. we arrived back from our holiday and the deposit were still held and they took 5 working days u be put back in our account

View full review
Cons:
  • Locauto
  • Hidden charges
  • Poor service
Reason of review:
Not as described/ advertised

Preferred solution: Full refund

Anonymous
map-marker Rome, Lazio

Locauto

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First I thought it was a mistake but now I believe it's an organised scam. I had a traffic ticket in Rome which I paid the following day. Nevertheless Locauto took from my credit card 48.80 euros for administrative charges. By looking for similar cases on the internet I realized that this is a common practice of the company. And don't try to call them is practically impossible to reach them by phone. They had already managed to destroy my vacations as I had to wait for over an hour to get the car. By far the worst company Kyriakos Chatzistefanou
View full review
Loss:
$50
Reason of review:
Problems with payment

Preferred solution: Full refund

Kourtnie Hbq
map-marker Fiumicino, Fiumicino

Terrible...dont use them

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Rented a car and received a vehicle violation for driving in a small city without the proper permit (make sure you know the driving rules in Italy before you rent a car). Locauto charged my credit card 48 euros ($53 US Dollars) eight months after the violation. I was under the impression this was for the traffic violation but turns out is was an "administrative charge" for Locauto to provide the Polizia with my name and address. I then received a citation notice here in the USA with a late penalty! I am ok with the traffic citation because that was my faulty but a $53 US Dollar fee for Locauto to provide a form letter with my contact information is an absolute joke!
View full review
Loss:
$53
Pros:
  • Reliable car
Cons:
  • Customer service
  • Poor service
  • Absurd administrative charge
Reason of review:
Administrative Charge

Preferred solution: Full refund

1 comment
Guest

Not resolved. Terrible company. Don't use this company.

Anonymous
map-marker Metropolitan City Of Rome, Lazio

They scam customers with existing damage

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We were charged for 488 euros for a damage that was very obviously an existing, old damage. It was not marked on their map of the car and I am 100% sure it still is not. Deep scratches on a hidden place that was not checked with us during pickup. The check of the car was WAY more thorough with drop off, with flashlights and all. We tried to file claims, but their customer "service" is SO BAD. They ignore you and they close the case without consulting. This was at their Rome airport office. BAD BAD COMPANY, POOR SERVICE AND THEY SCAM YOU!!
View full review
Loss:
$488
Cons:
  • Poor service
  • Thieves
  • Customer service
Reason of review:
Poor customer service

Preferred solution: Full refund

Lamonta Mlw

This review is from a real person who provided valid contact information and hasn't been caught misusing, spamming or abusing our website. Check our FAQ

Verified Reviewer
| map-marker Florence, Tuscany

Scammers - STAY AWAY!

To echo many of the other posts here: DO NOT RENT FROM THIS COMPANY! I hate to use the all caps, but it's actually warranted here. We rented a car from this company through Rentalcars.com, an organization we had had no issues with in the past. Included in the rental was complete coverage in terms of damages. The rental was only for a day, from Florence down to Rome. To cover any damanges, they placed a 2000 Euro hold on our card, something rather absurd as we had insurance to cover such incidences. When we were given the car, we pointed out some chipped paint on the front bumper of the car, twice. Both times, the man responsible for marking the sheet waved us off, told us that it was a tiny issue, that there would be no problem with it. He eventually went inside and we took off. That same evening, we returned the car without incident in Rome. The next morning, we received a message confirming that the car had been checked in. As we didn't hear anything else throughout the day or the following, we assumed all was fine. Three days later, when we were in Venice, we received a message telling us that 525 Euro had been charged to our card. We immediately called the office and tried to get to the bottom of the situation, but they wouldn't say anything over the phone; the only response we were given was to find the information ourselves on their website. Our walk around the city was cut short as we raced back to do so. Sure enough, as we had suspected when the charge came through, Locauto had noted damage to the vehicle in the areas where we had pointed out the chipped paint. To top it off, they still hadn't unblocked the 2000 Euro hold. We emailed and called them back the next day, but nothing happened. As we were leaving Italy the next day, we were sure we had been swindled. After arriving back home, we contacted Rentalcars.com and asked them to rectify the situation, seeing as how we had paid for coverage against damages. Within a week, the money Locauto had charged us was returned. It only took another angry email before they finally unblocked the 2000 Euro. In case this was all tl;dr, I'll summarize here: Locauto is a group of SCAMMERS who will charge you extra anyway they can. STAY AWAY from this company at all costs. You'll be better off paying the extra money and renting from a reliable company.
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Reason of review:
Pricing issue
Alynah Axq
map-marker Saint-Maur-Des-Foss, Ile-De-France

Bad service

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I rent a car an opel corsa in Pisa airport and I had many electric problems twice in a week!!! I contacted the assistance and they came many hours after my call. they don't speak english or french!!! You wait at telephone for a time and they speak italian and not a word of english. i returned the car at the end of my journey and they charged mee 182 euro for inexistant scratches. No way to discuss with them. Bad services; I will avoid this company for my future visit in Italy. i had never see a bad company like them
View full review
Cons:
  • Customer service
  • Cars quality
  • Poor service
Reason of review:
Damaged or defective

Preferred solution: Full refund

Cecil Dba

This review is from a real person who provided valid contact information and hasn't been caught misusing, spamming or abusing our website. Check our FAQ

Verified Reviewer

Charges for existing damage

Charged for the damage, that was already on the car. I showed this damage to the representative, and he marked it on his iPad (since he does not have a paper version), or at least he said he marked the damage. I was given to sign the acceptance of the car on his iPad, where only the place for signature is shown, but not the damage that he marked, so I was unable to verify. Name of the representative is Francesco. Now, when I returned the car, I was charged for that particular damage, the he failed to mark, and I was shown an agreement, where my signature is on the old version of the damage report (without the additional one that I showed him and he said he marked "on the system"). So one of the two things happened, he failed to mark this new damage, but I was unable to confirm, since they did not have a paper version of the report, and only showed me a place to sign on iPad, or he deleted the markings, since I signed not on paper form. In any case, this is a fraud.
View full review
Loss:
$200
Cons:
  • Being scammed
  • Thieves
Reason of review:
Damaged or defective

Preferred solution: Full refund

Anonymous
map-marker Oviedo, Florida

Locautorent - Locauto Car Rental Review from Oviedo, Florida

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I rented from Locauto in March 2015. I returned the vehicle with no damages and a full tank of gas.

After returning to my home nation, I received an email claiming I damaged the vehicle. I asked for clarification and proof. They stated "slight bumps to the bumper" but sent no proof. They billed my American Express for $327.

I successfully disputed the charges and Locauto did not reapond to American Express's communications.

I recently received an email from an Italian collection agency demanding more than $400 or they will turn me over to a US collection agency.

Locauto has numerous complaints against them for similar activities.

I will not pay for damages that I did not do and most likely do not exist. Avoid Locauto!

View full review
Reason of review:
Pricing issue
2 comments
Guest

I am having exactly the same problem with them. How do you plan to proceed.

Guest

Exactly the same thing happened to me in November 2015. Have now been contacted by Italian debt collection agency. Would like to know how your situation turned out.

View more comments (1)
Anonymous
map-marker Lamezia Terme, Calabria

Thieves!!

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DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!! If you want a nice vacation stay away from this company! They hide behind unclear regulations and just STEEL you money!! When you confront them they blow you off and do not take you serious. Unbelievable that mastercard still allows them to use mastercard as a payment method. Reported them at the Italian police and at mastercard. Trying to refund my money tru a lawyer. Help yourself while you still can and use a different company to make sure you can enjoy your stay in Italy instead of frustration and nice supprices once you get home!!
View full review
Loss:
$500
Cons:
  • Being scammed
  • Attempted fraud of my credit card
  • Thieves
Reason of review:
Thieves

Preferred solution: Full refund

Raynette Vho
map-marker Rolling Meadows, Illinois

LOCAUTO

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I reserved online a car via Locauto's website for 8 days rental. Car was to be picked up and returned to Rome. My trip was cancelled, however after completing forms online and speaking 4 x to Locauto employees in Milan office, I did not nor have yet to receive my payment of $408.78. Each time I called I was told that the 'supervisor' has to 'sign-off' on all refunds, yet the 'supervisor' is NEVER IN OFFICE! I finally 'gave up' placing early morning telephone calls to Italy and sent all documentation of this transaction to American express. Hopefully they can resolve this issue. DO NOT RENT FROM THIS HORRIBLY MANAGED COMPANY. AVOID THIS COMPANY
View full review
Loss:
$410
Cons:
  • Poor service
Reason of review:
Order processing issue

Preferred solution: Full refund

Anonymous
map-marker Split, Splitsko-Dalmatinska

Locauto cheaters

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Locautorent - Locauto cheaters
Locautorent - Locauto cheaters - Image 2
At Alghero airport we (5 of us) book (on-line in advance) VW Passat Estate or similar. They hadn't have that car or similar, so thay give to us small Opel Mocca (they offered us Opel Mocca or Fiat 500L). That car is more than half meter shorter than Passat. I refuse to take extra insurance, and they charge me me 115 EUR more, because they said that my credit card can't accept more than 2000 EUR damage insurance. After, I checked with my bank and they tell me that limit on my credit card was more than 4000 EUR in that moment.
View full review
Loss:
$130
Reason of review:
Poor customer service
Anonymous
map-marker Prague, Hlavni Mesto Praha

Locauto poor service

On 5 September we rented a car at the airport in Bari in Italy where the employee of the Locauto blocked the deposit of 1100 euros from our debit card. In conditions of the company they promise that the deposit will be released in two days after returning the car. The car was returned on 12 September but the deposit has not been released yet ( 22 September). We complained at the Rental cars where we booked the car and at Locauto. Nobody from Locauto has replied yet and the Rental Cars claim that the deposit has been released. In our bank we were told that the deposit has not been released and we need a confirmation of releasing the deposit from Locauto company. Never rent a car from this company!!! If anybody can help how to make either of the companies solve the problem, please, tell me. Vera
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Reason of review:
Problems with payment