Hi, same problem as everyone else. Paid Suncar in April, then charged by Marbenjo Malaga in Sept for the car hired in August. Had no idea there was a problem. I checked reviews on Suncar when I was looking to book the car in March. These stories weren't available then. I wonder when Suncar was set up? Decode have been going longer and I think there are similar stories about them going further back, but I didn't know of the connection. Some advice I have seen on another forum is report your experience to Watchdog. Perhaps if the true number of people caught out by this is realised, something can be done to shut Suncar/Decode down. Why are the car hire company's still using them when they know there is this problem to the customer?

If you look here - http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=2478295

Scroll down and you will find the company details.

fwh

Suncar are a scam operation - beware. I booked a car and they immediately debited my card (under the name Decode Riga) but never confirmed by email. They failed to respond to emails, online service chats or answer their phones which just ring out. From the forums, plenty of people have had the same problems. I have asked my card company to chargeback the money Suncar took, which of course they are being unhelpful about, but I have every right to get a refund.

Google are also at fault as they have allowed Suncar to buy high listing without checking them out

Yes I booked from Suncar because the rates were the lowest and it went well. After 3 days I didn't receive any confirmation. I was trying to call them, after a few timeof trying the customer support finally answered my call and informed me that they are looking for alternative cos their supplier refused to accept the booking beause of overbooking. I received confirmation 5 days after booking for my compact class car. Sorry for those who had problems, operator attended me well and I can't find any treats on my bank account etc. I will consider booking from Suncar again.

Hello SeanHarrison
Just as a matter of interest, where and when did you pick up your car?

i wonder too - i don't believe suncar/decode ever really book cars - they just take your money and either never pay the rental car suppliers, so you have to pay again when you get there, or they don't even make a reservation. what is amazing is that google still take suncar/decode's money to put their ads at the top of the page, or that the card companies still allow them to charge, or that trading standards don't seem to care

We booked a jeep for Cyprus through this company, then they emailed us and said we would need to pay locally, and that they would refund us the money. This has not happened and no one answers the phone numbers listed, and if you get a reply to an email it just says they will forward to finance department. A complete scam!

Its about time Google started to protect their clients from these people and about time trading standards earnt their money and got them banned ! don't use SUNCARS or DECODE Car Hire . you will lose your money ! simple!

amen to that - in fact the credit card companies have to refund the money under the consumer credit act, so they lose, which makes it surprising how little Egg seemed to care when I notified them of the fraud - but then they are owned by the American taxpayer, so they probably don't give a

I would like to know more about the validity of SeanHarrison car hire. I agree anyone can comment on here. With regard to trading standards and the company being banned from trading, consumer direct informed me that all complaints are monitored and if there are enough complaints then trading standards will investigate the company themselves. So, if you haven;t already done so please lodge your complaints with trading standards (consumer direct). Hopefully, companies like Suncar will eventually be banned. Unfortunately, everyone is aware that the credit card company has to compensate the customer so many customers won't bother taking it any further and that is how businesses like suncar get away with it as they insist, like all car hire companies, that you pay by credit card. A complete scam from start to finish!

Separate topics about Suncar were running in our Holiday Complaints and Majorca forums. However, as it is not a Majorca based company, both topics have now been merged here in the Complaints forum, for the benefit of members considering rentals at other destinations.

David

I think it's safe to say we can ignore SeanHarrisons post as he registered from Latvia - where the call centre of the company is located

Hi everybody. We have just returned from Malta where we hired a vehicle via Suncarhire/Decode Car hire. Paid for the car and received a pre payment voucher. Arrived at the airport and had to pay again for a barely road worthy car. Sent emails which are deleted and no one answers the phones.

However, for your info we have found the following;-

DECODE CAR HIRE LTD.
324/326 REGENT STREET,
WEST END,
LONDON.
W1B 3HH

Tel: 0207 6924045.

Have not had chance to ring this number yet.

Will try this number tomorrow and keep you posted

I can see various addresses listed for Decode Car Hire Limited.

The address listed on the Decode website is:
St Clements House,
27-28 Clements Lane,
London EC4N 7AE
0207 1934105
0800 644 6666

However, the decodecarhire.co.uk website registration gives the address as:
Office 404
324/326 Regent Street
London
W1B 3HH

And the address listed at Companies House is:
Decode Car Hire Limited
12 York Gate
London NW1 4QS
Reg No 06862514

David

I contacted Drivenet the company that Sun Car had pre booked our car with, they said that other customers had had similar experiences but had eventually got refunds, they seemed concerned and telephoned me and emailed me back, I think these companies hold some responsibility by partnering with Sun Car and I am going to pursue it with them as well. I have rung consumer direct today as well.

it seems that decode/suncar's published addresses (which seem to vary weekly) are all just mailing addresses and are meaningless - in more than a week of telephoning, i've never had so much as a recorded message, nothing from their online chat and one holding reply to several emails, then nothing

people need to contact trading standards as they will only act when they have complaints in volume; also complain to google for running these crooks' ads, which discredit google; and if you have paid and not received any car hire, insist on a chargeback from your card company which you are entitled to

Consumer direct told me that even if it is a debit card if it is a visa debit you should be able to claim back under the chargeback service too

Googles registered address in England

Google UK Ltd
Belgrave House
76 Buckingham Palace Road
London
SW1W 9TQ

Re Suncar.co.uk
I booked a car with them in July and paid it in full. On arrival at Faro I was told to pay in full again as the rental firm had not received the money. I had the documents with me proving that payment had been made in full. I had a very simply option - cough up and look big - or walk to the villa. On return to UK, I made a complaint to Suncar. I received a reply almost immediately stating it was down to an administrative error. They must get a lot of these as our party had booked three cars with them independently and all of us suffered the same situation. As requested I forwarded my bank details for a refund but am still waiting. I have absolutely no confidence that I will get my mon ey back and would urge any potential customer reading this to excercise extreme caution. Yes their rental is cheaper than most - on paper - but if you end up paying twice the savings reduce considerably. I am now in the process of asking solicitors to deal with this.
You have been warned.