Centauro Rent a Car
Read all reviews for Centauro Rent a Car →
Car Seat Reeked of Cat Urine
I had an unpleasant experience with Centauro car rental in Bergamo. At pickup, the staff claimed that the Booking.com system had sent my name without the Polish letter “Ł” and warned me that this could cause problems in the event of an incident. They also said they were unable to correct or update the name in their system. Because of this, they pushed me to buy their full insurance for €150. They justified it by offering a free child seat, which would otherwise have cost €75 — so the effective extra cost was €75. Prior to my trip, I had clearly indicated during the reservation process that I would need a child seat. Booking.com even contacted the rental company on my behalf because they never responded to my direct emails. The Booking.com confirmation also specified that the child was one year old and that I required a rear-facing seat. When I arrived, the child seat they provided was in terrible condition — it reeked of cat urine. The staff offered two alternative seats, but both were far too large and unsuitable for a one-year-old child. In fact, such forward-facing seats are not only unsafe but also illegal for a child of that age, who is required to travel in a rear-facing seat. After some pressure, they lightly cleaned the original seat, which slightly reduced the smell, but it was still far from acceptable. Since the insurance package included the child seat "for free," I couldn’t cancel the rental and choose another provider. One of the employees suggested I could buy a new seat myself and invoice the company for a refund. However, after further discussion, it became clear that the reimbursement wasn’t guaranteed. They said they couldn’t do anything more to help — even though there were at least three staff members present who could have gone and purchased a proper seat themselves, since that’s what they were asking me to do. While I was at the rental office, I also met another couple with children who were renting from Centauro. They told me their flight had been delayed, but no one waited for them. As a result, their reservation and payment were lost, and the next day they had to pay again for a new booking. Overall, this was a frustrating and stressful experience — especially as a parent traveling with a small child. I cannot recommend this company and will definitely not use their services again.