Misleading car rental site updated after CCPC action
Misleading information has been removed from a prominent car rental booking engine, following a sweep of platforms by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) and EU counterparts.
The agencies found that Booking.com Transport Limited, trading as Rentalcars.com, had misled consumers by stating there was "no insurance" included with car hire, despite a minimum level of basic insurance being automatically included.
The agencies also ruled that contact information had to be improved so consumers would know which rental car company they would be hiring from.
Rentalcars.com is the third-party car rental website used by both Ryanair Car Hire and Booking.com.
The CCPC said since the start of the year, the option of "no insurance" next to "full protection insurance" has been replaced with "no additional insurance".
The platform has also added a banner saying commission paid on bookings and other factors could affect rankings.
It is now easier to find contact information for the car rental company head office and the pick-up counter, the CCPC said.
While contact information for Rentalcars.com has also been added to the footer of Ryanair Car Hire to make it clearer that consumers are not contracting with Ryanair.
More clarifications were also added to the terms and conditions.
"The CCPC welcomes the changes made by Rentalcars.com to provide clearer information on its site," said Kevin O'Brien, member of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission.
"Consumers who choose third party car rental websites are entitled to clear and accurate information to help them make informed choices."
"Businesses who mislead consumers should be aware that the CCPC and our European counterparts will take action to stop them doing so."
The developments followed a European Commission co-ordinated process involving consumer authorities in 10 EU states and Norway in April and May of 2022.
This involved them checking 78 different third-party car rental websites to see if they were adhering to EU consumer protection laws.
This led to the CCPC and its Belgian counterpart, the Economic Inspection of the FPS Economy, contacting Rentalcars.com about the information it was presenting to consumers.
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