I am submitting this complaint regarding an unfair and misleading commercial practice related to my car rental booking.
Before travelling to Italy, I made an online car rental reservation through DiscoverCars. The supplier company was OK Mobility. The booking was for 8 days at Bergamo Airport, with a total rental price of approximately 200 EUR, and it explicitly included full coverage insurance.
At no point during the booking process, either online or in the confirmation documents, was I informed that any additional mandatory insurance or extra payment would be required in order to collect the vehicle.
However, when I arrived at the OK Mobility counter at Bergamo Airport to pick up the car, I was confronted with two imposed options:
- either to pay a deposit of 1,550 EUR, or
- to purchase an additional insurance costing 620 EUR.
I was clearly told that if I did not accept one of these two options, the vehicle would not be released to me. Under this pressure, and having no realistic alternative at the airport, I was forced to purchase the additional insurance and was charged 620 EUR.
I consider this practice unfair, misleading and coercive. The rental was advertised with full insurance included, yet access to the vehicle was made conditional on an undisclosed and substantial extra payment demanded only at the counter.
After returning home, I contacted both DiscoverCars and OK Mobility requesting a refund of the forced insurance charge. Both companies refused to refund the amount.
I therefore request the reimbursement of the 620 EUR charged under pressure and ask Altroconsumo to assist in addressing this unfair commercial practice.
