Car hire damage charge in Greece
Updated
General information, not legal advice. The outcome depends on the facts of your case.
Hired a car in Crete, Rhodes, Corfu or Athens and charged for damage after you returned it? Greece has two free dispute services, but neither can force the company to pay. Here is how to use them, and what else works.
Step 1: write to the company
Dispute the charge in writing, ask for it to be put on hold, and ask for:
- the check-out and check-in reports;
- photos of the damage, with dates and times;
- when and where the car was inspected after return, and by whom;
- the repair invoice or at least 2 quotes, and how the amount was worked out.
If nobody checked the car with you at return, ask for the inspection time. See key drop-box returns for the same problem.
Free dispute services in Greece
- StartADR is a private dispute body on the EU's official list. It covers rental services, works in English or Greek, in writing, and is free for you. Its outcome is not binding, and the company will most likely have to agree to take part.
- The Consumer Ombudsman (Synigoros tou Katanaloti) is free but works in Greek only, and its outcome is not binding either.
ECRCS, if your company is a member
If you booked direct with a member brand such as Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, Sixt or Enterprise, live outside Greece, and have the company's final answer, ECRCS is free and its decision binds the company. Read how ECRCS works. Local Greek firms are not members.
Help from home
- The European Consumer Centre in your country, if you live in the EU, Norway or Iceland. See how the ECC helps.
- Your card issuer, if the money is gone and the company skipped the card rules. ECRCS refuses cases already raised with your bank, so decide the order first. Read our card dispute guide.
Which route first?
- Written dispute to the company, with a deadline.
- ECRCS if your company is a member, as it is the only binding one.
- Otherwise the ECC or StartADR, and your card issuer if time is short.
Honest limits
If you signed a return report showing the damage, or there was an accident, the case is harder. None of the Greek services can order a refund. This is general information, not legal advice.