In June 2017, Europcar bought Goldcar, the Spanish car rental company that has an impressive number of complaints from holidaymakers who have felt upset and belittled when hiring a car at Faro airport.
The ‘leading company in the car rental market,’ according to Goldcar, has announced the opening of its second office in the Azores, this one is on the island of Terceira at Lajes international airport.
The company says it is continuing with its ambitious expansion plan to settle in international locations where there are lots of tourists. The Portuguese market offers rich pickings for commission driven staff whose attitude often has left customers in tears and certainly the poorer as the time-honoured insurance and petrol price rip-offs continue under new ownership.
Goldcar’s CEO, Juan Carlos Azcona, commented that "the Azores is a destination with a great attraction and tourist potential and offers excellent growth opportunities for Goldcar. This opening demonstrates the company's commitment to a market as important as the Portuguese one and allows us to consolidate as a reference point for vacation rental vehicles.”
Goldcar needs a high tourist flow through its locations as many only use its services once.
Many were hopeful that when Europcar bough the Goldcar business, staff training would lead to a modicum of empathy with tired customers but the brand, and the service style, remains the same - juding by TripAdvisor entries from incandecent travellers.
“With the opening of this branch, Goldcar already has a network of 97 own offices and franchises in 16 countries. The objective of the company is to continue in the coming months with its geographical expansion both in Europe and in other international destinations.”
Readers have been warned.
This 2014 report from the Telegraph is a useful insight into Goldcars's customer care package:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/advice/Is-this-the-worlds-worst-car-hire-horror-story/
