Car Rental in Ireland

Visitors to Ireland should presume that if they intend to rent a car in Ireland, it is almost a certainty that they will be scammed. I regularly visit Ireland: I rent and prepay the rental from my U.S. banks. I will have a print out stating that zero is owing at the pick up desk in Dublin Airport: all sounds good: HOWEVER you better look carefully at your next credit card statement. It is very likely that . . . not only are you charged a second time for the car rental but the amount will be considerably higher. You are being double charged! When you protest/dispute, some of these blatant scam artists will say "Oops" or its equivalent and offer to give you credit for the amount you have already prepaid for the car rental. E.g. You prepay $300 for the car rental; you owe nothing further . . . you think!!! Your next credit statement has a charge of $500 for the same car rental but there will be some variation on the car rental name; if you have been vigilant and dispute this $500 charge, the car renter will offer you credit for the $300 you have already prepaid and state that you only owe them $200: the truth being - you owe them zero. It is embarrassing to be Irish and to have to outwit these egregious thieves. I invariably dispute and protest and pursue the matter very vigorously and always win BUT it can take months and it is such a waste of time and energy. Another little scam: you collect the rental car at the airport and it is full of gasoline and you are charged for a full tank! Drop into one of the nearby gas stations and you will be surprised (or not) to find that it takes 10 euro ($12) or more to fill the tank. God bless this petty thievery!