EUROPCAR REVIEW:
Just wanted to give some info on renting a car in costa rica. This is just based on my own experience, having rented a half dozen times or so, and so feel free to add your own experience or challenge anything you think is incorrect here.I have used Budget, Avis and Europcar in the past, maybe a couple others that I can't remember.
My best experience has been with Budget which I've used 2-3 times, but it seems they don't have great reviews so maybe I was just lucky.
I used Europcar this time and it was the most confusing and frustrating and unpleasant experience I've ever had renting a car.
Let me count the ways...
1) figuring out their insurance options was totally confusing online, particularly how to use my Visa rental insurance coverage for collision and theft and not have to pay so much for Europcar's insurance. Hard to explain but basically their site is very confusing about these options. I asked questions and none of the answers were clear. So I ended up having to pay for Full coverage (zero deductable) because they explained that otherwise I would be taking great risk. I think there was a way to minimize my insurance and NOT be taking great risk but I think they did not want to explain this option to me and so pushed me into buying zero deductible. I tried to sort it out myself with the credit card people but what they said did not gel with what Europcar said.
2) Europcar is very hard to find. Even if you see it on the map, that area is confusing to get to. Even the taxi driver had trouble following the directions they gave him to arrive there. Then when I came back to turn in my car (coming from the opposite direction) it was still hard to get to. The major rental companies across from the airport are much easier to get to - there's even a sign to show you!
3) When I got to Europcar that day to pick up my car I arrived on time but still, I had to wait AN HOUR AND A HALF to get my car. Why? They lost the key to my car and instead of ordering a spare from the main office right away, they waited an hour before doing so. Why? I have no idea. Guess they didn't want to admit to the main office they'd bone-headedly lost or misplaced the key and I had to suffer for it. It only took 15 min or so to get the key after they sent for it, but it took them an hour and fifteen minutes to decide to do that.
This brings up several issues:
a) why don't they have a spare on hand there at that office?
b) why don't they have a System in place to keep track of keys - which, it seems to me, should be their #1 priority
c) why didn't they order a spare key from the main office immediately to prevent a review like this (i.e.; #1 should be keeping customers happy by not making them wait an hour and a half to get a car they've already paid for a month in advance
Okay, so I wasted an hour and a half of my vacation at Europcar. Big deal, right? Well, yes, it was a big deal. It was stupid and unnecessary and showed a lack of customer service and a lack of organization.
By the way, the bigger version of the Daihatsu Bego 4wd: Never get this one! It has ZERO power in 2nd gear and I had to go up every major hill in 1st gear only. I had used the smaller Terios before and it was fine going up the same hills in 2nd gear. I guess the bigger one may have the same small engine and so cannot get up the hills as well for that reason. I'm not sure why, I only know the bigger one was lousy to drive.
Okay so I had my car and I could only hope when I returned it, I'd have a better experience.
WRONG!
When I got there, on time, to return the car, there were 2 people in front of me. "Great!" I thought... But no...
The woman in the front of the line said she'd been waiting a long time and was very frustrated with Europcar.
Uh oh...
Everyone there seemed to be frustrated with Europcar. In fact I forgot to mention the day I had my problem with them losing the key to my car, another couple was there who were returning a car and they were frustrated with them too as it took an inordinately long time to return their car. I saw them there at least half an hour.
Let me note here that both when I picked up my car and when I dropped it off there were basically only 2 people working the desk/paperwork part of this operation. They clearly need at least 3 and should have 4. Budget had 3 or 4 the last time I rented.
So the woman at the front of the line continued to wait at least another 15 min. after I got there. When she finally got waited on I could hear she had some problem with them surrounding her credit card and I kept hearing her say "This is the credit card I used, I only have one!" So I don't know what the issue was but she was still there with them when I left... They kinda ruined her day I would say.
Meanwhile I also got waited on and in all it took me about half an hour to get out of there. That's not TOO bad but really, all they have to do is inspect the car and let me go on my way, so why should it take more than 10 minutes?
At Budget, last time I used them, it did only take 10 minutes plus it took only 15 or so to pick up my car.
In conclusion, Europcar gave me a lousy rent-a-car experience from the time I reserved my car on their confusing web site to the time I had to spend picking it up when they lost the key to my car (NO other key on file! NO other car to give me??), to the time I turned it back in, in the same condition it was in when I got it (except for dirtier).
Cost:
$717 for 11 days or $65/day with supposedly zero deductible - whether it really would have been zero deductible had I damaged the car or other property, who knows? Thank goodness I did not have to find out.
I will never rent from Europcar again - you can make your own decision based on my and others' reviews.
When renting a car or truck or SUV in Costa Rica do not be influenced by the daily price of the rental. That is not what is important. What is important is the final amount you will pay with insurance per day. It seems - as far as I can tell - that the rental companies can charge what they want for insurance and so the rate varies quite a bit for various levels of coverage. Full coverage at one company may cost more than full coverage at another.
Not getting full coverage is like playing craps. With the bad roads and bad drivers in Costa Rica, no matter how good of a driver you are you might get run off the road or hit and it might be considered your fault so in my opinion full coverage is the way to go in spite of the exorbitant cost. So when you get quotes, compare them with the cost of full coverage/zero deductible.
Also the roads often have huge axle-damaging speed bumps that are not well marked or huge holes in the roads. Another issue is that when they do mark one ways or no turns in a clear manner (which isn't always the case) they do it differently than we do and you may not see the signs. So it's really much riskier driving in Costa Rica than in the USA. Get as much insurance as you can.