Holiday Autos Reviews

Name: Holiday Autos
Address: Victoria Gate Chobham Road Woking, Surrey
Rating: 1.08

1.1 Rating 540 Reviews

1 %

of reviewers recommend Holiday Autos

Company Reviews

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Phone:

0871 472 5229

Location:

Victoria Gate Chobham Road Woking
Surrey
GU21 6JD

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Holiday Autos 5 star review on 9th August 2025

Andrea Curry

Holiday Autos 1 star review on 17th September 2024

Colin Smith

Holiday Autos 1 star review on 7th March 2024

Royal Connections

Holiday Autos 1 star review on 24th January 2023

John Jeffkins

Holiday Autos 1 star review on 12th May 2022

Anonymous

Anonymous // 01/01/2019

Filter: Rated 1 None 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Stars Helpful

“They sold me expensive insurence with Axa, but at the Hertz desk the lady told me this was not valid and I had to pay again for new insurence. Afterwards Holiday Autos told me Hertz was wrong and I didn't need new insurenca, but when I contacted Hertz they said I did need it. So both are pointing at eachother and I can kiss my money goodbye. What a scam artists!!”

Helpful Report

Posted 1 year ago

“everything went wrong, i could not pick up the car, and holiday autos did nothing. keep awal from them.”

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Posted 1 year ago

“After a week of asking for a return deposit on a car hire, Which I was assured at the desk had been done. Holiday autos advised me it could take up to 28 to see the deposit. Del Paso insisted they had returned the money. on one occasion they put the phone down on me and refused to speak to me. I took time off work and went to the bank and saw the bank manager who showed me my account it was showing as PURCHASE not a holding deposit. I did telephone DEL Paso again, only to be told I would be e mailed. *****Good afternoon, After checking all the documents related to your booking, we have just noticed that the deposit was not unblocked and we have just proceeded with it. Please check it in your bank account. ***** I HAVE AND I STILL DO NOT HAVE THE DEPOSIT. Anyone can make a mistake but please apologise and apologise for your appalling customer service”

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Posted 1 year ago

“Don’t expect a refund if you encounter problems in your rental”

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Posted 1 year ago

“I booked a 9 seater but the hire company are saying I only booked an 8 seater. This has caused major problems for my group as I've had to leave one behind each day. Contacting holidayautos was very difficult. Chat seems to be the only way and did not work on most attempts, usually coming up with something about signing into X. When I did manage to Chat with someone they indicated to me I had booked an 8 seater even though my documentation shows I booked a 9 seater. In reply to a review, they stated they can only guarantee the category booked. I suspect their AI generated replies don't understand the issue.”

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Posted 1 year ago

“Paid for a vehicle to be picked up at Chania Airport Crete, August 2024. Lost my credit card at Dubai International airport so couldn't produce my card for the "Deposit" that is usually placed on hold.I offered to settle any deposit in cash, this was refused and so no car, no Refund and so NEVER AGAIN HOLIDAY AUTOS. EFTHEMIOS NICOLOPOULOS SOUTH AFRICA”

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Posted 1 year ago

“Dear Sir/Madam, Just to let you know that we can’t produce a final invoice from the rental desk as we don’t get any paperwork whatsoever from the awful and incompetent staff at the shambles of a holiday auto car rental desk in Sardinia. They were making figures up on hand written scraps of paper in front of us and nothing typed was shown nor offered. Neither myself or my partner was prepared to hand over a further £1,200 minimum to cover “ total” insurance to this con merchant only to receive £100 back when we returned the car ( not the car we had booked anyway but any car that had just been handed back as they didn’t have any cars whatsoever to give people waiting, let alone the actual make of vehicle that customers had booked on your site on line). After over 2 hours standing up in a very tight and uncomfortable queue it became obvious to most of the customers witnessing the scenes of mayhem on the desk that no cars were available and the company was a mess. Every other car hire desk was running smoothly and quickly, this was a total embarrassment to all concerned and I highly doubt many on that day will ever use the services again. We witnessed personally customers asking why the staff were playing for time, getting them to repeat paperwork and information already dealt with on line being asked for again and totally ignoring their questions as to why they were kept waiting. Overhearing other customers complaints and seeing how desperate the staff were when a car was handed back and how it immediately was offered to the first customer at the queue, regardless of what they had actually wanted, it was clear that the system was a mess, overbooked, and the staff were either shockingly rude to customers or just totally silent. The manager was one of the rudest, most sarcastic, arrogant and conceited individuals we have ever met! How this is the image that you wish to project to your customers of your service is just beyond belief. The man actually questioned whether I could afford to even pay the car when I dared to ask how on earth and why we were expected to pay another huge sum of money, triple the actual “total payment” paid on line already for “total insurance” . He stated that “ I guarantee I make more money than you and your partner could ever dream off” I have never been spoken to like that in public before in my life! I was totally disgusted and my partner was horrified, questioned why he was so appallingly rude to customers and how he thought he could get away with keeping people waiting in the high heat with no cars and no answers. He told us he was the manager, he could do what he liked!! We left shocked, upset, angered and very exhausted. Let me also point out that my partner is registered disabled with rheumatoid arthritis, for over 30 years, has a knee and ankle replacement and was greatly in need of our car for our holiday enjoyment. You ruined the comfort of our holiday, upset my partner extremely, we lost hundreds of pounds, wasted valuable time, we had no vehicle and were verbally attacked and insulted in public. The man had no compassion, understanding or empathy and was like an angry headless chicken with a severely overbooked desk and lying to his customers to stop more from getting angry. I have been on line, as had my partner and have looked past the initial first page “success” stories with holiday auto cars and have now seen the truth! We read the shocking reviews on your poor services, how people feel they have been conned and scammed with no response from your company and no refund for their complaints. We had no service, from anyone! I want a full refund of monies paid, we had no car, no service and no help. There is no validity to any on line contract when in real life we never received a car and signed no further physical paperwork and got non whatsoever from the rental desk. In effect, we paid for a physical item we did not receive, a car we did not use and as such we want our money returned. You had no car to give us, wanted huge sums of money for more insurance ( non of that shown on your site break down of costs I might add! ) You basically ruined our holiday plans. I do not want to have to take this case further but rest assured my partner works for the local council and is well versed in dealing with difficult issues and legal matters, we will press forward. Looking forward to your response in this matter”

Helpful Report

Posted 1 year ago

“If i could it no stars i would. I booked a car and after arriving at Lanzarote airport i was told the car is not available and no replacement was offered. Trying to get hold of Holiday Autos is impossible there customer service is shocking, i've no idea of how to get a refund-shocking service, they take your money and run”

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Posted 1 year ago

“Scammers. Booking cancelled without warning. Couldn't get car. Refuses to refund money”

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Posted 1 year ago

“They robbed me of my money!!! I arrived in Crete and spent 30 plus minutes looking for the car hire office. No directions given! When I found them I stood in the office for a few minutes while the staff were chatting to each other. There were no other customers in there. I was greeted with eyes looking at me, no smile just a staring face. I said Hi, I've come to pick up my car. No smile no words as she began to write down what she wanted and passed me her note. It asked for my booking, licence and passport. I passed these over and she spoke for the first time. She asked for a credit card. I gave her my debit card. She said no a credit card. I said I don't have one I'm now a pensioner and have no need of one. She then said I have to ring the company I booked with. So I called them and a foreign guy told me that because I did not have a credit card I could not have the car. I found this ridiculous as my debit card has money. They said if I damaged the car they would not be able the get the excess. Why I don't know. So I said ok take £600 from my account and hold it until I return. They said no as the are not a bank. So I asked for a refund and I was told that, because I was late I could not have a refund. My flight arrived late because of delays in taking off from the UK. So I was left stranded at the airport with no car, losing my hard earn money from a company who could not give a dam. I ended up paying 100 euros for a taxi to get me to my hotel. When I told the taxi driver what had happened he said he had lots of unhappy customes from that car hire place. LOTS!!! Don't risk this company you could loose your money. Especially if your plane arriver LATE. Date of experience: 14 September 2024”

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Posted 1 year ago

“We hired a car from CDG airport (supplied by Thrifty) which turned out to be in a dangerous state: non functional windscreen wash and a a sheet of inflammable sound insulation, originally attached to the bonnet, but had disintegrated and was resting on the engine. In addition, I paid extra for a car with sat nav, but it didn't have it, nor would it connect to my mobile phone. Picture of damaged foam included”

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Posted 1 year ago

“I want to share my disappointing experience with Holiday Autos’ app and website. I rented a car through their platform, but when I arrived to pick it up, I found that the vehicle was not the one I had booked. Instead, it was much smaller and in poor condition. I recorded a video of the car and immediately contacted Holiday Autos to resolve the issue. They told me they would investigate and get back to me within 20 days. Despite my request for a refund on the spot, they refused. After two months of following up with them, I was finally informed that they would not be issuing a refund. I strongly advise others to be cautious when using this website or app. Based on my experience, you might end up losing your money with no proper resolution.”

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Posted 1 year ago

“We payd 237 euro for 7 days car rental include insurance.Arrived at Alicante airport 10/9-24. OKMOBILITY wanted 1030 euro for an extra insurance!!! We woud not pay for any extras. We did not get the Keys for the car and no money back!!!!! Tried to get help from Holiday Autos. Not impossible to get help from them. WARNING!!! DO NOT USE HOLIDAY AUTOS OR OKMOBILITY !”

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Posted 1 year ago

“I booked for a car hire through Holiday Autos and had to go to a Thrifty Hire desk on arrival to Orlando. When I got there they had my booking but it was unpaid by Holiday Autos? After 2 hours on the phone to Holiday Autos they could not resolve the issue so I had to pay Thrifty £1,600 again! Now been back for over 2 months and Holiday Autos have told me they not refund me?? Joke of a company avoid at all costs.”

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Posted 1 year ago

“I am writing to express my extreme disappointment and frustration with the service I received from HDY Car/Holiday Car/Essence. The survey itself is confusing, with three different names, making it difficult for passengers to navigate. My experience was further marred by the Meet and Greet service, which was non-existent. Despite choosing this option, there was no one to receive me, and the phone numbers provided went unanswered. After a lengthy and tiring search, I finally located the HDY desk with the help of the information desk. However, the person at the desk was unresponsive, busy talking on the phone, and displayed a nonchalant attitude. When I brought my concerns to their attention, he glared at me with hostility and became irate, which was shocking and unacceptable. To make matters worse, the process of collecting the security deposit was a disaster. After finally starting the process, the representative asked for my card, which I provided. However, he then asked for a credit card, not a debit card, and I had to provide another card. He then asked for an OTP, which I couldn't provide since I wasn't using the contact number associated with the card. I offered another card, which he refused. Eventually, he accepted the original card I provided, but I'm now concerned about how I will get my security deposit back. Furthermore, I suspect that the tolls may not have been paid due to an unavailable balance of HGS in the car. I request that you follow your policy and return the balance amount. To avoid such experiences in the future, I suggest that you take the following steps: 1. Clearly educate passengers about the correct name and location of the desk. In my case, I was unsure which desk to go to due to the multiple names. 2. Provide a map or clear directions to the desk, making it easily accessible for passengers. 3. Ensure that the Meet and Greet service is properly staffed and that phone numbers are answered promptly. 4. Train your representatives to handle security deposit collections efficiently and professionally. As a Turkish citizen, I am appalled by the treatment I received and feel that it damages the reputation of Turkey and its people. I intend to share my experience on every available forum to ensure that no one else suffers the same poor service. I expect a higher standard of service, particularly from a company representing Turkey. I hope you take my feedback seriously and take immediate action to address these issues.”

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Posted 1 year ago

“Holiday Autos did not keep their promises. They did not deliver the car. After questions their website did not work. Customer service reacted (after three days) but send standard answers, never attended the real issue. They did charge for the non delivered car fully. It was the worst car rental I've ever had.”

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Posted 1 year ago

“f i could give no stars I would. I needed to change the named driver the day before the booking. It is not clear in the terms and conditions that the only way to do that is to re-book (at a higher rate obviously) AND pay an admin fee of £55. The customer service operative was incredibly rude, and did not explain the position clearly. He tried to say that the reason i needed to rebook was that my original car wasn't available, and then gave me three different prices. There is no proper complaints process - the only way of contacting them is via an awful chat function. I was on that for nearly 2 hours and got nowhere. I will never use them again.”

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Posted 1 year ago

“Terrible experience with this company. I booked a rental vehicle in December and paid the full amount for one week. Two days before I left for holiday I was sent an email to check in on line for a speedy retrieval of my vehicle at the destination. When I arrived at the destination, I was informed that my vehicle has been cancelled by Holiday Autos and they had no vehicles available for me. I was with my elderly parents, two sisters and 5 year old nephew. When I contacted Holiday Autos they were very unhelpful and left me stranded to find a vehicle in peak season for 6 people. In subsequent correspondence with them (since I have returned), there has been no apology, no compensation and after 3 and half weeks of being home I finally received the amount I had paid in December. I had a horrendous experience with them and would NOT recommend anyone to use them.”

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Posted 1 year ago

“Horrible company. Now we did make a small error on our booking but HA refused to help at all leaving us stranded in a foreign country with no travel and no solution other than to charge us again. Terrible customer service, will never use them again. Even the rental company said they hadn’t been paid yet so the booking could easily have been moved. Avoid”

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Posted 1 year ago

“This company has a clever but unscrupulous, immoral and unethical way of scamming hundreds of pounds from their customers. They deserve to be shut down. Like many others, we were caught out by their "no-show" small print which apparently enables them not to provide a car which has been paid for in good faith. It cost us £522 which as pensioners on very restricted budgets we can ill afford. I hope someone can find a way of bringing them down, and I am surprised that any reputable car company (we were sent to Thrifty) would accept their business and play along with their near-fraudulent activites.”

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Posted 1 year ago

Holiday Autos is rated 1.1 based on 540 reviews