We were in Croatia on holiday in August and had booked car hire through Green Motion for the second week of our holiday for £549.38. I had requested a nine seater vehicle and had arranged to collect the vehicle from Dubrovnik Airport and had provided 9h00 as the estimated time that we would need the car. I also provided my mobile phone number to bookinggroup.com (the booking agent for Green Motion), who subsequently sent me a car hire voucher showing that the car would be provided by Green Motion Care Hire whose “opening hours” at Dubrovnik Airport were 7h00-22h00. It took longer to get to the airport than expected and I arrived at the airport around 10h30 but could not find a car hire desk for Green Motion. I then walked to the car hire site on the edge of the airport grounds and could also not find Green Motion car hire at this site. I then phoned Green Motion using the number provided on the car hire voucher (at around 10h40) and was told that their driver had delivered the car to the airport at 9h00 but had since left (with the car) as I had not arrived at the scheduled time and they had not been provided with my mobile phone number. I was also told that it was now impossible for them to provide me with a car and I should make alternative plans, but that I could expect a full refund.
It was very difficult to then find an alternative car and we were only able to find a seven seater, which was a considerable inconvenience for our large group and which also cost EUR500 more than the car we had booked and fully paid for in advance. We were also never told that we had to be at the airport at 9h00 sharp and were expecting the more normal situation where you collect the car from the car hire desk at the airport and from a car hire operator who has a permanent base at the airport; which was also what appeared to be the case based on the car hire voucher that was provided.
I have since made several attempts to contact Green Motion – they are impossible to make contact with by phone, but have replied to some of my earlier emails to say that I should seek a refund from bookinggroup.com. However, bookinggroup.com have confirmed (via my credit card provider) that they have paid the rental money to Green Motion and that I should seek a refund from them. However, no reply from Green Motion...