Centauro Rent a Car
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My Terrible Experience with Centauro – Please Be Warned
I had one of the worst rental car experiences ever with Centauro at Lisbon Airport. I want to share my story so other travelers know what to expect. 1. Forced to Pay for Unnecessary Insurance I booked my car through Billiger-Mietwagen, which included full insurance coverage. I also had coverage via American Express, so I was already double-insured. However, when I arrived at the Centauro desk, they refused to accept my credit card for the deposit. Because of that, they told me I had no choice but to pay for their own expensive insurance if I wanted to take the car. So in the end, I was triple-insured – via Billiger-Mietwagen, American Express, and Centauro – which was completely unnecessary and unfair. It felt like a deliberate upsell tactic, not a genuine requirement. 2. Fuel Deposit Never Refunded – €94.50 Missing Centauro also charged me a €94.50 fuel deposit, which they promised to refund if I returned the car with the same fuel level. I did exactly that — returned the car with the same amount of fuel — but the deposit was never refunded. It’s now been over 17 calendar days, and nothing has been paid back. Meanwhile, the €100 toll deposit was handled mostly correctly: they refunded €62.22, presumably after deducting toll charges. That’s fine. But the fuel deposit should have been returned in full — and it wasn’t. I emailed them, but got no reply. They are not reachable by phone, and there's no way to speak to someone who will take responsibility. 3. Completely Unreliable Company Centauro has shown itself to be unprofessional and untrustworthy: Refusing valid credit cards to force extra insurance Withholding refunds without reason No communication or support Broken promises and zero accountability I Strongly Recommend Avoiding Centauro This was a stressful and dishonest experience. I’ve rented cars in many countries, and Centauro is by far the worst rental company I’ve encountered. Avoid them at all costs if you want a fair, reliable, and transparent rental.Also we had to wait 2 hours in line to pick up the car.