GoldCar Rental review: Formal complaint regarding unfulfilled rental reservation and request for refund

I am writing to formally escalate my complaint regarding my recent car rental reservation at Málaga Airport, which Goldcar has already denied.

I booked my vehicle directly with Goldcar and arrived at Málaga Airport after my flight landed at approximately 00:30. When we reached the Goldcar desk (around 00:45), it was closed, and there was no possibility to collect the vehicle or receive assistance.

I am aware of Goldcar’s clause regarding vehicle collection outside office opening hours, as well as the 6-hour availability guarantee after the scheduled pick-up time. However, that guarantee cannot be considered valid in practice if Goldcar does not contact me, despite having been provided with my flight number, email address, and phone number, and if Goldcar cannot be reached until the next day. In such circumstances, the 6-hour period should reasonably extend to the next working day, as the customer is left without any effective means of collecting the vehicle or resolving the issue.

I also attempted to contact Goldcar by phone, but the customer service line was not operating, so I could not obtain any assistance.

At 07:30 the following morning, we went to Goldcar’s office at Málaga Airport. At that time, a Goldcar employee was standing at the entrance, preventing access to the office and asking us why we wanted to go in. After we explained the situation and were eventually allowed inside, the employee behaved in an extremely rude manner and refused to handle our reservation, telling us that we had to call Goldcar customer service by phone, even though we were physically standing in Goldcar’s own office. In addition, the phone service remained closed until 08:00, which made it impossible to resolve the issue at that time.

From 08:00 onwards, I managed to contact Goldcar customer service by phone while still at the Málaga Airport office. Even so, I was not offered any help to validate or restore the original reservation, and I was told that they could only create a new reservation, at a time when I had already incurred nearly 200 euros in additional expenses (hotel + taxis) as a direct result of not being able to collect the vehicle initially booked.

I would also like to point out that I am a regular Goldcar customer: I have rented vehicles from Goldcar on many occasions over several years, and I have recommended your company to many people around me, several of whom have also become Goldcar customers thanks to that previous trust. Precisely because of this history of loyalty, the lack of assistance and the treatment received on this occasion are especially disappointing.

As a result, we were left without the rental car we had booked and paid for (781.98 euros), causing significant inconvenience and additional stress after a late-night arrival.

I would appreciate it if you could investigate why the rental desk was closed and explain why my reservation could not be honored. If my flight details were provided at the time of booking, I would also like to understand why no arrangements were made for the delayed arrival or why no contact was made proactively.

I request:

* A full refund of the unused rental.

* Reimbursement of any reasonable additional expenses incurred as a direct result of not being able to collect the vehicle (receipts can be provided upon request).

* A written explanation of what happened and how your company intends to resolve this matter.

I look forward to your response within a reasonable timeframe.