EcrcsReviews of ecrcs.com

I totally wasted my time submitting a complaint to ECRCS, collating the evidence to support it, then having to resubmit evidence again because they didn’t understand it and then waiting almost 2 months for a decision. I had a complaint regarding a clear and evidenced “refuelling charge” applied to my credit card following a completed car rental when I returned the car with the required amount of fuel. ECRCS claimed that they could find no evidence to support my complaint! Apparently, it is just a sheer coincidence that a “refuelling charge” in Lesvos was made to my credit card when I was present on this Greek island but the day after I returned the rental car to the car rental company and when I was actually in the airport at the time of the transaction. That really does stretch credibility to the extreme but seemingly ECRCS were unable to see that! If it was not the car rental company who made the “refuelling charge”, who do ECRCS think that it was and why do they think that it was made? ECRCS merely accepted the word of the car rental company that it wasn’t them and they believe that this constituted an “investigation”. Plus, I received no explanation from ECRCS as to why there was a complete lack of response from my e-mail to the CEO/MD of the car rental company and to multiple e-mails to their so-called “customer services”? My “frustration”, as ECRCS called it, doesn’t begin cover my view of the complete absence of a satisfactory response from the car rental company to my legitimate enquiry and complaint. Do ECRCS think it is remotely acceptable for any car rental company to completely ignore repeated communications from customers? Evidently they do. What is the point of the so-called ECRCS “Code of Best Practice” if companies completely ignore it and ECRCS take no action in respect of evident non-compliance? ECRCS said in their response to me …. “We want to reassure you that we’ve looked into every part of your case thoroughly. We appreciate you taking the time to raise the issue with us, and we hope this outcome provides clarity.” Do they seriously expect me to believe these gaslighting claims? They have done absolutely nothing of the sort! I am sick and tired (like many customers) of these rip-off car rental companies and their complete lack of any customer service, quite apart from the lack of meaningful and effective complaints handling either internally by them or by the so-called “independent” ECRCS. So, my conclusions from my personal experience …. • ECRCS often sides with car rental companies even when customers provide clear evidence of unfair and unauthorised post-rental charges • ECRCS fail to undertake an independent and thorough investigation to verify evidence provided to them and instead merely rely on what they are told by car rental companies • ECRCS’s so-called “arbitration service” is inherently biased and fails to pass the impartiality test since ECRCS are funded by car rental companies • ECRCS take months to reach their so-called “resolution” despite a complaint being very straightforward and supported by clear evidence • ECRCS are not fit for purpose and should be replaced by a genuinely independent investigative organisation that has the confidence of the customers of the car rental companies

I used the European Car Rental Conciliation Service (ECRCS) to dispute a €244.71 charge by Europcar at Paris CDG. The agent used a well-documented high-pressure tactic: verbally promising a "free courtesy safety waiver" while presenting a digital signature pad exclusively in French with no English translation available. Despite providing ECRCS with my original booking voucher proving I had explicitly declined all optional insurance in advance, they rejected my claim. Their justification was that because I signed the digital pad, the charge stands. They completely ignored the fact that the digital contract was signed under active verbal misrepresentation and a deliberate language barrier. ECRCS claims to enforce a Code of Best Practice, but in reality, they act as a rubber-stamp protection shield for rental companies using deceptive counter tactics. If an agent lies to your face, ECRCS will side with them simply because they have a signature on a screen you couldn't read. Absolutely toothless. Avoid relying on them and go straight to your bank for a chargeback instead.

At best spineless and useless... I have a claim with Avis, I provide details, Avis respond by lying and they say can't help you mate, Avis don't agree! We had a puncture in France and Avis took the hire car away and did not give us a hire car until 72 hours later. Avis told them they gave us a replacement the same day despite me giving them documentary evidence that this was untrue. Avis charged me £538 for the puncture repair, they claim they never charged this despite me giving ECRCS the full transaction details from my bank. It is perhaps isn't surprising given that this pointless and corrupt organisation are paid by Avis and other car rental organisation. Absolutely scandalous - as others have stated - don't dirty your hands with these people.

ECRCS is a tiger with no teeth. I had a very simple and clear complaint about Goldcar with very clear email evidence however the action taken by ECRCS was as a mail delivery service passing on Goldcar response rather than actually looking at the issue. So in my experience the service is not good.

My experience with the European Car Rental Conciliation Service was deeply disappointing. The process felt purely procedural rather than investigative. The decision relied almost entirely on the rental company’s internal records, without meaningfully addressing contradictory evidence I provided, including proof of timely payments and the company’s own admission of a system error. The most serious part of the complaint — aggressive and threatening communication from the rental company triggered by their internal mistake — was effectively dismissed on the basis that verbal exchanges cannot be verified. As a result, customer treatment appears to fall outside meaningful review. The overall impression is that the service prioritises confirming whether the company followed its internal process rather than assessing fairness or accountability. The outcome did not feel balanced, independent, or consumer-oriented. In practical terms, the service added no value and did not provide an equitable resolution.

Submitted a dispute for a car rental with AVIS/Budget, waited two months to basically be told, not a lot. I queried how did I know the photos AVIS/Budget provided were of the car I returned, what proof is there? They were random photos that could have been off any car. The video I provided of the returned vehicle clearly showed the registration plate. Their photos could have been of any car (possibly not even my one).... yet this was not been responded to by ECRCS in their final decision. Additionally, ECRCS agreed that in my video no damage was shown of the returned vehicle... yet AVIS/Budget found damage 10 minutes later, having moved the car... how do I know they did not cause it? No response was provided by ECRCS in their final decision. AVIS/Budget initially sent a final invoice agreeing all was OK and the car was returned with no damage, then next day they suddenly find damage... again no response was provided by ECRCS in their final decision. In effect, I don't see any point to using ECRCS or raising a dispute with them.... they don't answer the questions you pose. They simply provided "text book" responses from Avis and agreed with them. Waste of time. Companies like AVIS/Budget are allowed to do whatever they want and are accountable to no-one, they make up claims and provide no follow up or proof. A shambles of a scam. Dont waste your time with ECRCS. You'll achieve nothing.

Sent a detailed complaint to ECRCS, and they sided with the rental company. I’m not writing a bad review because of that, but because it seems all I got back after waiting 40 working days , was a generic response that seemed to completely ignore all of the points made in my complaint. I asked for the evidence/proof from the rental company and was sent a credit card receipt, an invoice, and an email from enterprise stating it was our fault. Not sure how that’s a proper, objective investigation. Finally, the tone in the emails is disrespectful and dismissive. As another reviewer mentioned, it feels like the responses are AI generated.

I would write 0 stars but there isnt an option. It is a complete waste of time asking the ECRCS for support, I dont even think there is a human working there - they certainly dont bother to read your claim and side with the car hire company