The National Consumer Agency, which is under the remit of the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, is responsible for the enforcement of the Consumer Protection Act 2007. Consumers who have been subject to misleading or unfair practices by car rental companies may make a complaint to the Agency.
In this regard, the Department of Jobs Enterprise and Innovation recently commenced a public consultation on the implementation of Directive 2011/83/EU on Consumer Rights which must be applied in Member States from 13 June 2014. As part of the Directive, a trader must seek the express consent of the consumer to any extra fees or charges. If this is not obtained, then the consumer shall be entitled to reimbursement of this payment. It also requires that information is provided in a clear and comprehensible manner about the ‘total price of the goods or services inclusive of taxes’ and, where applicable, about ‘any other costs’. If the trader has not complied, the consumer will not be required to bear those costs. My Department will be making observations in the context of the tourist experience.
Those customers with complaints about their experience should also be aware that the Car Rental Council of Ireland, an industry body which represents the main car rental companies, operates its own Code of Practice for its members which amongst other commitments states that a member company will "clearly advise the customer of what is included in the price quoted to avoid any charges that might, later on, be perceived by the customer as hidden, unexpected or unfair".
As the Deputy may be aware, I have no regulatory function in relation to the car rental industry. However, the tourism agencies under the aegis of my Department have put information on their websites to help make tourists aware of potential issues pertaining to car rental, and to help them avoid charges they may not wish to incur.
