I booked my car on line - two weeks in Spain pickup at Alicante airport.

Personal insurance on car hire in Spain is NOT compulsorary - EXCEPT at Goldcar.

Most hire firms will take an open swipe of around €300 on your card just in case you cause an accident and this is not processed if nothing happens.

Goldcar insist you pay €20 per week or you cannot rent the car this is illegal.

They also charged me €60 for a full tank of gas, the car was a Ford Focus with a maximum fuel capacity of 42 litres. At 90cents a litre the cost should have been €38 so I was ripped for €22. When I questioned this I was told 'fuel is getting expensive in Spain' bullsh*t

My wife and I are both in our 60's and used the car to drive 15 miles each day to our favourite beach and also for shopping etc - that's all

When I got back to the UK I received a letter from Goldcar to tell me that they had deducted a further €60 from my credit card as the vehicle was excessively dirty when I returned it.

I put the car through a car wash before I returned it to the airport ,I do this as a matter of courtesy with every car I hire, even though as in this case they don't usually need it. The car was also inspected when I reurned it and nothing was mentioned then.

I have since learned that several other UK hirer's have suffered the same fate.

Goldcar are a complete rip off avoid them at all cost they treat you like dirt and make you feel as though they are doing you a big favour by renting you a car.

On line hire prices are misleading I would have paid the same amount if I had chosen Hertz or Avis and would aldo have been given a better car.

I totally agree. This bunch of cowboys are a disgrace. I  pre-booking a car through Carjet and was given a car from Goldcar.  At Malaga last year I had to wait an hour and a half to collect my pre-booked car. This year at Alicante I had to queue up for 2 and a half hours for my pre-booked car. I wrote and complained to their Customer Services dept and their Managing Director. Neither have bothered to reply. I made enquiries about them and apparently it is their policy NEVER to respond to any customer complaints. They treat their customers with absolute contempt. I would never use this dreadful bunch of ameteurs again. What is the point of pre-booking a hire car when you have to wait in a queue full of people who haven't booked. The first day of our holiday was ruined by this totally inept organisation.