r/VisitMalaga

We rented a car from Record Go at Málaga Airport during our holidays, and I want to share our experience because we tried to resolve this directly with the company and they simply never responded.

The problems started when we picked up the car.

It is worth mentioning that Record Go requires a €1,200 deposit on your credit card unless you purchase their full damage insurance. We rent cars every time we travel to Spain, as well as in many other destinations, and in more than 20 years we have never had a problem with a rental company or caused any damage to a rental car. So we declined the additional insurance.

The car they gave us was already covered in damage.

Scratches, dents, marked mirrors, a scratch running along the entire driver's side, damage to the rear of the vehicle — including a rear light that was literally half broken.

There was SO much pre-existing damage that we spent around 40 minutes taking photos and videos of the car before driving away.

We even complained to the staff that it was practically impossible for us to check and document every single existing defect on a vehicle in that condition.

Their response was essentially: "Don't worry, all the existing damage has already been recorded."

At the end of our holiday, we returned the car at around 5:00 a.m. The office was closed, so we followed their out-of-hours return procedure and left the keys in the designated drop box. My husband also recorded a video of the vehicle when we returned it.

A few hours later, we received an email informing us that they had found supposedly "new damage" to the windscreen and that we would be charged approximately €660, including the damage assessment and an administration fee.

And what was this supposed damage?

A tiny dot/chip shown in close-up photographs of such poor quality and framing that we cannot even determine WHERE ON THE WINDSCREEN IT IS LOCATED.

They also sent us a photograph of the front of the car showing the registration plate. However, the alleged damage cannot be seen in that photograph. We are therefore simply expected to trust that the close-up photographs of this tiny chip correspond to the windscreen of the vehicle we rented.

During our rental, we did not see, hear or become aware of anything hitting the windscreen.

But this is where, in my opinion, the situation becomes much more serious.

We didn't simply respond with "It wasn't us."

We immediately submitted a formal and detailed complaint disputing the charge.

We asked Record Go for very basic evidence:

high-resolution photographs of the alleged damage;
a photograph showing the entire windscreen with the exact location of the chip clearly marked;
the exact size and characteristics of the impact;
photographs from before our rental showing that this tiny chip was not already present;
the exact date and time of the inspection carried out after we returned the vehicle;
a technical explanation of why such an apparently tiny chip requires the ENTIRE WINDSCREEN TO BE REPLACED rather than repaired;
a detailed quotation and the corresponding documentation.

The damage assessment they sent us calls for the complete replacement of the windscreen. Their assessment comes to €612.72, and Record Go adds another €50 administration fee.

So, how did Record Go respond to our formal complaint and our request for evidence?

THEY DIDN'T.

No reply.

They did not provide the high-resolution photographs we requested.

They did not tell us exactly where on the windscreen the alleged chip is located.

They did not provide its dimensions.

They did not provide evidence showing that the chip wasn't already present when they gave us a vehicle that was already covered in damage.

They did not explain why this tiny chip supposedly cannot be repaired and instead requires an entirely new windscreen.

They simply charged our credit card anyway.

And THAT is what I find particularly unacceptable.

If a rental company believes that a customer has damaged one of its vehicles, of course it has the right to make a claim.

But surely the customer also has the right to dispute that claim, request evidence and receive an answer to a formal complaint before the company simply takes more than €660 from their credit card.

We have our own photographs and videos from both the collection and return of the vehicle. That is precisely why we asked Record Go to tell us the exact location of this alleged chip: so that we could compare it with our own footage.

They never gave us the opportunity to do so.

We are still waiting for a response.

After this experience, I WILL NEVER RENT FROM RECORD GO AGAIN, and I would NOT recommend this company to anyone.

This isn't simply about €660. It's about trust. If you're going to accuse a customer of causing damage and charge them hundreds of euros for it, you should at the very least be prepared to clearly identify the damage, demonstrate that it wasn't pre-existing, justify the amount being charged, and respond when the customer formally disputes it.

Record Go has done none of those things so far.

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