I booked a car through Economy Bookings, but when I arrived at the rental company, the reserved vehicle was not available. Who is responsible for providing a replacement or compensation?

You booked a car through Economy Bookings, but when you arrived at the rental company, the reserved vehicle was not available. Who is responsible for a replacement or compensation — practical explanation:

When a booking is made through an aggregator service, responsibility is shared between the booking platform and the rental company, but for the customer this should not matter.

You entered into a booking agreement under specific terms, and the absence of the car upon arrival is considered a failure to fulfill those obligations.

In such situations, an appropriate resolution is:

providing a vehicle of the same class or higher at no extra charge, or

refunding the price difference if a lower-class vehicle is offered, or

issuing a full refund if no replacement is available.

If the rental company offers a lower-class car, demands an extra payment for a replacement, or refuses to provide a vehicle at all, this is a violation of the booking terms. Such situations often arise due to overbooking, but that is not the customer’s problem.

What is important to document:

the booking confirmation,

the specified vehicle class,

the fact that the car was unavailable upon arrival,

the offers or refusals made by the rental company.

You should then submit a claim through the booking service as the party that accepted payment.

Filing a complaint on Xolvie helps formally document the failed booking, speeds up compensation, and warns other travelers about potential risks when renting through Economy Bookings.