FACUA has reported Click Rent to the Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and 2030 Agenda for imposing different financial conditions on vehicle rentals depending on whether or not the customer presents a flight boarding pass.
According to the consumer association, the car rental firm’s general terms and conditions state that its airport offices require a valid flight number to collect a vehicle. While they do allow bookings from local residents and clients without an associated flight, these specific cases are subject to a significantly higher security deposit.
FACUA points out that customers with a boarding pass can access the rental service under standard terms. In contrast, those not travelling by air can be forced to pay security deposits ranging between 2,000 and 4,000 euro, depending on the category of the vehicle booked.
The association argues that this practice imposes economic conditions that are clearly more burdensome for certain consumers solely because they do not have a flight linked to their booking. Furthermore, they warn that this policy particularly impacts residents. Because local residents do not need to fly to use a car rental service, they are forced to tie up a much larger amount of money to access the exact same service based purely on their personal circumstances or place of residence.
FACUA maintains that there is no objective, proportionate or transparent justification for varying the security deposit amount based strictly on whether a boarding pass is shown. They state that this creates an obvious financial disadvantage for these users.
In the complaint, the organisation highlights that the General Law for the Defence of Consumers and Users considers clauses that create a lack of reciprocity, or those that impose onerous or disproportionate obstacles on the consumer, to be unfair. Any user who believes they have been affected by these unfair conditions can contact the association for advice and assistance with making a claim.
