Niza car hire not repaying deposits

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Jane
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Re: Niza car hire not repaying deposits

Postby Jane » Fri Jan 03, 2014 11:14 am

Hi, thanks for the posting. Still no joy with Niza and haven't heard back from credit card company yet. I have submitted a complaint form to European Consumer Centre (ECC) which deals with cross border complaints. I could do this because I am resident in UK and the trader is in another EU country (if I lived in Spain the system is different), so not sure if the office you refer to is the same thing or not. Would be grateful for the address and any info anyway just in case I need it. We are back in Spain in Feb so I may need to take another course of action then if nothing has been resolved. I have traced several people who Niza have done this to. Let me know if you want to try ECC and I'll give you the website, took me ages to locate the link. If I get any news I will post more here just to let people know.

carrowcrin
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Re: Niza car hire not repaying deposits

Postby carrowcrin » Fri Jan 03, 2014 12:02 pm

Beachcomber wrote:The Defensor del Pueblo only deals with public authorities and administration. I think the first step in this case is the completion of an 'hoja de reclamación' then a visit to OMIC.
It was the office of this agency i was referring to but to fallow this route you need first to return the Niza office and fill out a form and then take this form the OMIC offices, i am just "winging it"
In my case the credit card dit nothing only "fob me off" but because they messed up i made a complaint to Financial Ombudsmans office which is now going in total for a year, i am confident i will get a refund and something for pain and suffering.
I did make complaint to EU offices but got no satisfaction as their "terms and conditions" allowed them to take the €140 that was extorted from me, i am back in Spain in January and March and i will probably chace it up then....

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Jane
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Re: Niza car hire not repaying deposits

Postby Jane » Wed Jan 08, 2014 11:03 pm

Hi Carrowcrin
Please can you tell me the correct address for the OMIC offices in Malaga (you say they have moved from the advertised address on the web). Still no joy from Niza although they have promised me a refund next week (I'll believe it when I see it). I have located at least 6 people who are all owed refunds, mostly 500€ at least. If I don't get the money back I am going into the Niza offices next month and will pursue the 'hoja' and then OMIC.

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Re: Niza car hire not repaying deposits

Postby carrowcrin » Thu Jan 09, 2014 10:56 am

The address i have is Plaza General Torrijos 2, Malaga, Andalucia. 29016. and the opening hours are 09.30 to 13.30.
As i may have said earlier i did not get there as the day i called was Dec 6 and i discovered when i arrived in Malaga that morning all offices were closed and did not bother after that.
Out of interest how is the credit card company dealing with your complaint? my credit card company were a disaster but because of this it may work out ok in the end.

good luck

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Jane
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Re: Niza car hire not repaying deposits

Postby Jane » Thu Jan 09, 2014 7:03 pm

Thanks for address. First off my credit card company said that there was insufficient proof that I was due a refund. They wanted a receipt for the deposit, when it was paid and signed details by Niza saying when and what was due to be refunded. The paperwork is all in my possession but not so neatly laid out (ie, I have the payment slip, the contract, the terms and conditions etc, but one would need to relate the various papers to see what has happened). So firstly they turned me down. I then rang again and said I was making a claim under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act and they asked me to put that in writing. Have done this now and they have to look into the evidence by law. If that doesn't work I will go on to the Ombudsman. Niza have said they will be paying me (is this a joke?), so I am waiting to see if something turns up next week. No refund means I'll go to their offices next month, make a complaint and go to OMIC. Thanks for the address and good luck with your issue.

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Re: Niza car hire not repaying deposits

Postby wharlesbarb » Mon Jan 13, 2014 12:59 pm

Having just joined the forum, this is a bit late, but add my story for what its worth. I gave Niza 380 euros deposit on 10th November. I returned car on 1st December and had the same story as everyone else. As at to-day's date (13th January) the refund has not been paid. However, I have got it back from my credit card company - congratulations to them. I shall not be using Niza again - nor will my friends, and have already booked my next 2 trips with 2 different car hire companies, just to try both out. I have also taken out a policy with insurance4carhire, which I hope works. As a point of interest, the English agent for Niza still has an answerphone message! Their website is working, but seems not to mention Niza anywhere. I have emailed the agent to ask if they have taken on another car hire company in Malaga and await their reply if it ever comes!.

Barbara

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Jane
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Re: Niza car hire not repaying deposits

Postby Jane » Mon Jan 13, 2014 1:25 pm

Not too late Barbara, I am grateful for any new info. I am still waiting to hear from Niza - they said I would be repaid this week (ha! ha!) - will believe it when I see the money. My credit card company were being very awkward, said I didn't have enough proof that a refund was meant to happen. I suspect you booked via Malaga Car Hire (from the 380€ you were due?). They are still using Niza and have not been very helpful except to tell me to contact Niza, I have now made a claim to my credit card company under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act but again they may refuse. Would you mind telling me which credit card company you used? This could help my case as I think I will have paid exactly in the same way as you and I could advise my credit card company that yours has repaid. I think they are just being awkward as they wanted to see one piece of paper stating how much was taken, exactly what would be refunded and by when. All of this info I have sent them but of course it is on separate papers and the word 'refund' is not actually provided by Niza is it? Please keep in touch as I am staying in touch with at least 6 others who are all waiting for refunds and I am still awaiting the outcome of my complaint to ECC (European Consumer Centre) which is like trading standards across EU countries.

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Jane
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Re: Niza car hire not repaying deposits

Postby Jane » Fri Jan 17, 2014 9:05 pm

Another update in the Niza cars saga - I received an email last week from Niza promising I would be repaid by today the full amount owed. Needless-to-say no money has been repaid. Checked a site called The Review Centre which seems to have become a centre for people to write terrible reviews about Niza, with loads of people saying they are waiting for money - there is a recent posting from someone who was owed their deposit from Nov (as we are) and they went into the offices this week and demanded their money. They were then paid it in cash. So looks like we will have to take this approach if Niza are still in business by the time we return to Spain. But my main message by writing again to this thread is do not book a car with Niza (or Malaga Car Hire who are their UK agents) as you are likely to lose your deposit.

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Jane
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Re: Niza car hire not repaying deposits

Postby Jane » Mon Jan 27, 2014 12:12 pm

After a lot of effort I have finally been offered payment by my credit card company and Insurance4CarHire (as another driver broke my wing mirror, so technically Niza were in the right to retain 103€ of my deposit but should, of course, have given me a receipt which they haven't). Insurance4CarHire wanted lots of paperwork but have accepted my claim without an actual receipt from Niza and the credit card company have offered the balance. All Niza have done is make promises which have never been fullfilled. They even sent me an email with the breakdown of what I was due and the date by when I would be paid but no real money is credited! It's all flannel and more and more people have traced me via the internet to say that they are owed money by Niza cars. The only way some seem to have been paid back is by going back into Niza offices and causing a real stink. So the main message is steer well clear of Malaga Car Hire and Niza cars if you want to get your deposit back. How they are allowed to continue trading in this way beats me?

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Mowser
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Re: Niza car hire not repaying deposits

Postby Mowser » Mon Jan 27, 2014 12:25 pm

If you hire a car and it is damaged, or if you pick up a fine, the car hire company is quite right to take the money from your card. They should of course have given you a receipt stating this as Insurance4carhire want proof. Bureaucracy again rears its ugly head. I had the same experience in the UK with Hertz. I picked up a parking fine (since refunded after comlaints about Hertz to BVRLA) and it took ages to get it sorted out.
Dave


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