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View Full Version : News on Hire for Lower collapse



orlandobabe
27-07-2003, 16:14
Big Article in the Mail on Sunday today. A chap had to pay extra in Los Angeles when his H for L car voucher wasn't accepted. It cost him a further $1041 -so he's asked the MOS for help.

Their reply
Very Bad News-especially for anyone who has yet to take their holiday. H for L also calls itself American Car Hire, Autos Abroad, Direct Car Hire and USA rent a Car.
This company has locked its doors in Archer St. Soho and vanished. A sign on the door asks people to phone--but you cannot get through.

The MOS has had 10 letters so far from disgruntled people. People think theirs is an isolated case but the scale is shocking. Trading standards at Westminster have had more than 500 complaints.

Advice is to try to reclaim from your credit card co if you have paid with plastic. Under section 75 of the consumer credit act credit companies are obliged to repay a customer if a company goes bust and the amount is for more than £100-apparently some customers have been told they only had 90 days.

Owner of H for L is Nick Stolberg a 43year old millionaire who bought a 6 bed villa in St Tropez last year next to Joan Collins.

Hope no-one here is affected. One of my guests in April didn't get his voucher honoured. It really messed up the first two days of his holiday and the London staff were very unhelpful.

Gillian-B
27-07-2003, 22:47
I hadn't heard about this and Direct Car Hire is a company we have used. Like you say, I hope no-one here is affected and if they are, that they get their money back ok. It must be awful having something like this happen close to a holiday that you've been looking forward to.

Gillian

Cowboy
28-07-2003, 00:56
Hope people are not confused with "US Rent A Car" side of his business and the link on my web site to the Forum car hire which is "US Car Hire".
Mike.

MTP
28-07-2003, 03:01
The worrying thing is at least the Autos Abroad web site still seems to be live, I presume the others are. I think I have booked through one of the companies linked with this group before and I remember when the car hire voucher came through it was a completely different companies voucher. I have to say that this made me very nervous indeed, but it all worked okay. I really feel for people if they have their holidays messed around with, it is such an important and precious time in all of our busy lives.