BUCHBINDER CAR RENTAL REVIEWS IN GERMANY

Although there were few staff and I had to wait in line for an hour, the female employee was very patient.

Buchbinder is extremely dishonest and even fraudulent. First, I refueled the car at a gas station within 2 kilometers from the return site, spending 55.63 euros (automatic shut-off). 2-3 minutes later, I returned the car. The staff checked the gauge and car condition without mentioning any issues and let me leave after I signed. After returning home, I was charged for 1/8 tank of fuel and repairs for scratches on the front underbody! The fuel charge is outright Buchbinder's shameless fraud! Additionally, the underbody scratches (not the front, you have to lie down to see them) were brought up afterwards, making it impossible for me to defend myself. I cannot determine if it was caused by stones or already existed before. Fortunately, they didn't claim for tire wear as well. However, the inspector did not mention this during the inspection. The worst part is they filled in car damage details on the blank signed inspection form afterwards and shamelessly claimed it was verified by my signature. I can't believe a European company can be so unethical and shameless! Had I known, I would have bought the full insurance they pushed hard during pickup to avoid the deductible loophole. Can you imagine such a shameless company? I've rented cars abroad more than 20 times, and this is the first time encountering such an infuriatingly shameless company. Even if it costs ten times more, I would want to take them to court!

Location was a bit hard to find, but the reception was smooth

1. The staff at the Global Drive rental counter at Cologne Bonn Airport in Germany were very helpful and professional. 2. The first point seems useless. I reserved a compact luxury car with automatic transmission (such as a Mercedes A-Class or BMW 1 Series), but in the end, they only had an automatic Ford Focus station wagon available. Ford is not a luxury brand, and the rental company did not offer a free upgrade, which was very disappointing!!! 3. Even worse, the location of the car stated on the key was incorrect, making it difficult to find the car. There were no staff members from the rental company in the parking lot. I had to walk back to the counter, where another staff member accompanied me back to the parking lot to find the car. This process took nearly an hour (from 11 AM to 12 PM). It was exhausting and frustrating. Poor experience!

The store location is very convenient, all rental companies are between T1 and T2, easy to find. Processing one customer is very slow, around 15-20 minutes... The service attitude is quite average... Arrived at the counter at 6:40 am, a blonde lady said my reservation was for 7 am, so I had to wait 20 minutes. 20 minutes later, I was told they didn't have the car I wanted, only large vehicles like VANS, and I had to wait another 20 minutes... During this time, I saw four local German-speaking customers all get their cars smoothly (three of them were alone and only one group was a pair). Maybe I was overthinking, but they could all be renting VANS??? When I had waited for the third 20 minutes and saw another Chinese couple being told the same thing while locals got their cars smoothly, I got a bit angry. I directly asked the blonde lady how to resolve this issue, then a higher-ranking brunette came out, checked my order, and I told her about my waiting process. She immediately said OK, she would give me a new car but with an extra charge. Since I had already waited for over an hour, I didn't want to wait any longer and agreed. When I went to the garage to pick up the car, I found that they did have the car I wanted... it was just that they were all relatively new?? I don’t understand, maybe they were reluctant to give us these cars? Thankfully, the car I got was indeed new, with only 20KM on it... I probably won't choose this company next time.

The store is located in Terminal 2. After getting off the plane, follow the signs within the airport from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2. All car rental companies are on the same floor. It is very easy to find, right next to the orange-colored SIXT. The staff at the counter were very meticulous, friendly, and extremely patient, repeatedly explaining to us since our English isn't very good. We didn't get the original model booked, but instead received a Ford Focus. When we checked it in the parking lot downstairs, we realized it was a new car with only 11 kilometers on it. The car's condition was excellent, and both pickup and return were very convenient. This German local car rental company is also much cheaper compared to global chains. We'll definitely choose it again if we come to Germany for a self-drive trip!

The store was terrible; they seemed to give Chinese customers a hard time. The Chinese person in front of me also had to pay extra. They refused to accept Chinese translations, KIDA international driving permits, and the international permits provided by the rental platform. It wasn't an issue with the translations but rather their way of forcing you to buy full insurance. If the license was not valid, they shouldn't have rented the car to us. However, they required us to buy insurance after renting the car, indicating that they lure customers with low car prices on the website and create various issues during pickup. I often rent cars with an international license in Europe and the US without problems. In Germany, I've never had issues with other companies, but this store caused trouble the first time I tried to rent.

In Frankfurt, the so-called driver's license certification provided by Zuzuche didn’t work with Global Drive, wasted 5 hours, and had to rebook a high-priced car with European Car through Zuzuche.

They charged an extra €20 a day for using a MasterCard with UnionPay, which is unfair! Last year, the same card was not required to pay extra.

Poor service

The service attitude was good, but the car we got had almost 50,000 kilometers on it. During the rental period, the left front tire lost air once (luckily there are free air pumps at gas stations, so we fixed it ourselves) and there was an oil change warning! How old is this car? It's old, fine, but at least maintain your cars properly! They don't even change the oil regularly! We thought there was an oil leak and had to ask the rental company, friends, and even locals before confirming that it wasn’t leaking, just that the oil was old and dirty.

I requested an automatic transmission and waited for over an hour but didn't get one! I booked a compact luxury car but was given a lower-class Opel hatchback. The car was in very poor condition!

I booked a 320 on the website, but at the store, they insisted on giving me a 1.2T Skoda Fabia because I was under 25. The rental fee was not reduced, and I was forced to purchase full insurance and prepaid fuel.

I rented a car for 16 days, and on the 9th day, the car broke down and needed engine oil. There was no roadside assistance, and I had to drive the car back from France to Düsseldorf to get a replacement, which greatly disrupted my travel plans, costing me time and fuel. Additionally, the French highways charged tolls. When I changed the car on the 9th day, they said they had reported it to the manager and I would be compensated when I returned the car. Today, when I returned the car, they said the manager had not approved it and I need to wait for an email. I really don't know what the outcome will be!!

The Mercedes Viano we originally requested was swapped for a Volkswagen Multivan. It drives like a bus, incredibly noisy and has horrible sound insulation! It's extremely uncomfortable to sit in. The front layout is like a truck with a two-seater next to the driver's seat, and the rear seats cannot be adjusted. There's no storage space at all, and we couldn’t even figure out where to put a cup of water. They claimed it was an upgrade, which is ridiculous! I will never use this rental company again. We spent over 10,000 on this trip and were expecting the comfort of a Mercedes, but ended up with nothing! Terrible!

The service staff were very patient, but they did not arrange the car model I wanted. Quite disappointing.

This company is terrible and untrustworthy. They pressure you into buying full insurance, tell you that there's no need for a vehicle inspection, and then charge you for pre-existing damages. It seems that the previous renter probably paid for the damage and now they are scamming new renters with full insurance to repair the car. Your company in Berlin doesn't even pay for parking fees and gets chased away. It's a disgrace that such a terrible company can exist in Germany and tarnish the country's reputation.

The company is great

The staff pushed the insurance. I remember saying I already bought insurance, but perhaps I didn't fully understand the staff's explanation, leading to unknowingly purchasing expensive insurance. A costly lesson—everyone should be cautious!

1) At Munich Airport, the staff marked the scratches on the car incorrectly, causing misunderstandings when returning the vehicle. 2) The working hours at Budapest airport are from 8:00 to 20:00. Our flight was at 9:20 in the morning, and we were pressed for time. We tried calling the return point the day before to ask if we could return the car a bit earlier, but couldn't get through after 18:00. 3) The car we got had an issue with the left rear tire pressure and the brakes were unstable.