Ibiza Airport - a warning

[Ted Lemon]

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Just a heads up if you are travelling to Ibiza airport and hire a car that the 'knife slashing the tyre' mugging scam is being operated there.

 

I have just come back and whilst leaving the airport on arriving late at night we got stopped in traffic just on leaving the rental car park and - luckily - as i adjusted the right side view mirror I noticed a guy bending down by the rear of the car. At the time I just thought 'that's weird'.

 

We then left and shortly afterwards the back right rear tyre went down and we were on 3 wheels. I noticed a blue car with 2 guys in it right behind me flashing their lights.

 

Now I have a friend who this happened to in Barca and when he stopped and a car stopped behind him to help out 2 guys proceeded to load his luggage into their car. He tried to stop them but they pulled a knife out and he did the sensible thing and let them drive off.

 

Remembering this I came off the motorway at the next exit and headed back the 3km's to the airport - at speed - the scary thing is this blue car chased me about one metre behind all the way back to the last exit to the airport where he left us, as my wife said afterwards it was like 'Fast and Furious 7'.

 

The car (VW Golf) was a complete mess but we were ok. I filled a police report (the police said that the scam was new to the airport - but not to Ibiza) and now I am in a dispute with Eurocar who want 500 euros off me because the insurance 'did not cover the wheel' - needless to say I am disputing that as I think the incident comes under the personal liability clause but we will see.

 

Shame as I go to Ibiza most years and have never had an issue there. Also my wife did comment on whether my driving away was anything to do with saving my MM and lenses in the boot (which are covered by worldwide insurance) . Of course not I said - it was all about saving her bikinis and not letting these barstardos ruin our holiday

[stuny]

A dear friend and Forum member from France had a similar experience in a traffic jam in Spain, nowhere near an airport.

[tenezus]

Sorry to hear! Thanks for the heads up!

[sc_rufctr]

You did he right thing... I'm surprised Euro car are chasing you for the $500 considering the attempted robbery.

 

Good to know because often scams/robberies like this migrate around the world.

[Ted Lemon]

You did he right thing... I'm surprised Euro car are chasing you for the $500 considering the attempted robbery.

 

Good to know because often scams/robberies like this migrate around the world.

 

I contested the charge of £461.00 Europcar had taken on my credit card (after one month) on the basis that this charge was not agreed between us at the time. I had all the paperwork – police forms etc. But Europcar contested this in their communication to my credit card company.

 

Unfortunately, for them, they also sent information relating to the incident which was misleading (including a form I did not sign and they said I did) and a Garage repair bill for the car which when I translated into English from Spanish had the wrong repairs detailed for the damage that my car sustained in the chase.

 

Anyway my credit card company believed me, the money has been reinstated to my account so all ended well.

 

By the way Europcar said that as I was being mugged in the car I could have stayed in the car and locked the doors and these guys would have left us alone! Like how do they know that? Can you imagine doing that in the early hours of the morning at the back of an airport with a wife shaking with fear beside me (and a Leica MM in the back? - just joking about the MM – well sort of!).

 

Unbelievable car rental company – avoid them.

[sc_rufctr]

That would have to be the worst advise ever. Eurocar really needs to rethink their security advice.

There is absolutely no way that I would just sit there in a locked car hoping they would go away.

 

These low life's are pretty desperate. I doubt a piece of glass would stop them.