Yzabelle Bostyn
AN expat is sounding the alarm after he says his car hire was cancelled due to a tiny technicality – losing him almost €300.
British expat Derek claims he was not informed of the cancellation until he arrived at East Midlands Airport on April 23.
Originally from Leicester, the Monda-based expat had just flown in from Malaga when he was told the policy he had booked 48 hours before was invalid.
Photo: Cordon Press
Derek had booked both his flights and car hire through budget airline Ryanair, being a loyal customer of the brand.
“I’m all for Ryanair, you get what you pay for and it’s cheap,” he told the Olive Press.
Now, he is warning fellow travellers against booking third-party car hire through the airline.
Ryanair had booked Derek’s hire through Enterprise Rent-A-Car, who he claims cancelled his policy just 45 minutes after booking.
Photo: Ryanair
However, the 82-year-old was not aware of this and arrived at the office at 7.30 am, eager to start his holiday.
He says he was soon informed that his policy was not valid as he had used a Gibraltar bank card but had an address in Spain.
They claimed this meant they couldn’t process a ‘damage waiver’, designed to lower the amount you are liable for if the car is damaged or stolen.
Enterprise Rent-A-Car told him he could use another card if he wanted to.
However, he was left with no choice but to ask his daughter to pick him up as he is registered with the International Bank of Gibraltar.
According to Derek, both Enterprise and Ryanair are refusing to pay back any of the £260 lost, as he was a ‘third-party customer’ of the car rental service.
He said: “I love Ryanair but this is not the norm and people should be told because it’s a complete scam.”
Both Ryanair and Enterprise Rent-A-Car have been contacted for comment.
READ MORE: Ryanair loses Supreme Court battle in Spain after cutting staff’s wages during the Covid pandemic
