Record Rent A CAR

I wonder if any car hire firm can get a good review considering the stuff that invariably happens when you rent a car abroad.
This review probably applies to most car hire firms on the continent, but as it was Record we used it’s them that gets the 1* review. Our initial quote of € 220 for a mid sized car for about 11 days in Spain seemed reasonable. Sadly there is an insurance supplement to add — they tell you that if you bought insurance before you left it is ‘invalid’ and you must purchase theirs. If you protest they start telling you that you need to leave a deposit of between € 600‑1000, and one friend even told me the firm (not Record I should add) required him to leave his credit card with them.
Once you get over the shock of the additional €uro charge for the insurance you are told there is the fuel to pay for. That was another € 95. I doubt it’s possible to find a petrol station in Spain that would charge this amount to fill up the equivalent of a Ford Focus, but that’s how it is. What’s more you HAVE to take the car with a full tank of fuel and receive nothing for any fuel left over in the tank. The car hire firm gets your leftover fuel, so they win whatever happens. Our complete bill to hire the car (including insurance and petrol) was over € 400 — almost double the original quote. Needless to say we didn’t refuel during our holiday and returned the car with half a tank of fuel remaining.
This is a loop hole that car hire companies have exploited to the max. They know they can overcharge you massively for fuel and then give you nothing for what is left on the vehicle’s return as well as insisting you pay their additional insurance. Double rip off basically.
My review sums up 99% of car hire firms from what I have gathered from friends who have suffered the same fate and recently Goldcar (who a few of my friends used on this Spanish trip) were highlighted on the BBC as experts in the scam of fuel and insurance overcharge.
If you rent a car on holiday you are almost certain to be ripped off, it’s that simple.