Enterprise refunds family’s travel costs after First Direct card refusal in France

Enterprise has reimbursed a family’s additional travel costs after its Carcassonne airport branch in France refused the First Direct Visa card used to book their hire car. The Guardian reported the case on 19 October and said Enterprise later acknowledged that branch staff had made a mistake. The family had to arrange other transport when it could not collect the vehicle.

The customer told the Guardian that the collection desk said it did not accept cards from online banks. The branch subsequently confirmed that position in writing, according to the report. The customer said the card presented at the desk was the same Visa card used for the booking.

What the refused pickup cost the family

After the Guardian intervened, Enterprise admitted that First Direct Visa cards were accepted and that its branch staff had erred, the newspaper reported. Enterprise then refunded the additional expenses. In a statement quoted by the Guardian, the company said the customer had not received the service it aimed to provide and that it ‘sincerely regret[ted] the inconvenience caused.’ The report said Enterprise offered no additional payment for the disruption.

Enterprise’s published card rules in France

Enterprise’s guidance for car hire in France says it accepts most bank cards, including Visa, Mastercard and American Express. It lists exclusions for certain card types, including prepaid cards, Maestro and Electron. That guidance concerns the cards customers can use; the account of this particular refusal and reimbursement comes from the Guardian’s report and the customer’s account to the newspaper.

The case shows the immediate cost a disputed card refusal can impose at a collection desk: this family’s hire charge was returned, but its replacement journey required a separate reimbursement request. Enterprise’s reported admission addressed the branch’s treatment of the First Direct Visa card used for this booking.