What to do if you are charged for damage after returning the vehicle
Act in writing, ask for evidence and watch your bank's deadline from day one. This guide is for information only and is not a substitute for legal advice.
- Write down the date of the charge. The deadline to ask your bank for a chargeback usually runs from that day, and for Visa and Mastercard it is often around 120 days (source). Confirm with your bank.
- Ask the company in writing for the evidence: pick-up and return photos with date and time, the handover report, a breakdown of the amount and the garage invoice or quote.
- Reply point by point with your photos and videos, the signed report and any message in which you reported the damage earlier.
- Set a specific deadline for a reply, for example 10 working days, and keep every response.
- Contact a consumer organisation. In Spain, for example, OCU publishes complaints and mediates with companies. If the company is in another EU country, the European Consumer Centre in your country can help. The former EU ODR platform closed in July 2025 (source). The European Car Rental Conciliation Service (ECRCS) only handles customers of member companies, and none of the campervan companies we have reviewed is a member (member list).
- Request the chargeback from your bank before the deadline, even if the company is still "investigating". The bank will ask for proof that you tried to resolve it with the company.
- Share your experience when it is over. A review with dates, amounts and documents helps other travellers. Avoid accusations and staff names: dated facts are more useful and safer.
If what you paid was the deposit and it has not yet been released, ask in writing when it will be released, how much is being held and why.