August 5, 2008

Car hire firm, Europcar offers a wide range of vehicles and judging by the unusual items customers leave behind, they are rented by a wide range of customers.   In a survey of its branches  the list of items left in the cars would indicate that rental cars have some interesting stories to tell.  Europcar staff revealed the strangest items found in returned vans and cars, ranging from furry handcuffs to a mannequin.

All of the usual suspects were there; CDs, sunglasses and umbrellas being among the most common objects left behind, but staff at their Liverpool branch were surprised to find a customer had left their false leg in one car. Staff in Liverpool also found a pair or white, ladies shoes under the passenger seat of a car returned by a regular customer. They rang his home, but his wife answered and said the shoes were not hers. The red-faced staff covered his back, explaining that they had probably been left by the previous customer. Luckily his wife was understanding and they all laughed about it next time he came in.
 
Europcar customers are clearly absent minded, or have their minds elsewhere when handing the keys back.  Staff at different branches have found £1,000 worth of designer clothes left behind, £600 of House of Fraser vouchers and £300 in cash. Among the more unusual items include a set of furry handcuffs left in a car at the Yeovil branch, 50 fluorescent light bulbs and a Scottish Piper’s black ostrich hat, left at the Hamilton branch.  There was also a cooked sausage behind the engine of a car rented in Exeter, although there’s no indication if the sausage was cooked before it was put behind the engine!

On a fragrant note, one worker at the Stansted branch found an estate car full of plants. They couldn’t be locked in the lost property cupboard, which meant the office smelt and looked like a florists.

Catriona Lougher of Europcar comments, “The size and variety of Europcar’s fleet obviously attracts customers from all walks of life, judging by the bizarre objects staff find left in vehicles. However, Europcar staff are always professional and understanding, going the extra mile to try and reunite customers with their lost property.”

The most Common Items Left in Europcar’s Rental Cars are:-

• Sunglasses
• CDs
• Keys
• Mobile Phone
• Sat Nav
• Umbrellas
• Wallets

The most unusual Items Left in Europcar’s Rental Cars include:-

• A false leg (Liverpool)
• A stocking (Hull)
• A mannequin (Hull)
• Furry Handcuffs (Yeovil)
• 50 Fluorescent Light bulbs (Hamilton)
• A  Scottish Piper's Black Ostrich Hat (Hamilton)
• A printer (Aylesbury)
• A toy elephant (Milton Keynes)
• A car full of flowers (Stansted)
• wheelchair (Bradford)
• An ammunition case and stretcher (Reading)
• Half a pint of beer with  a CD called ‘The Art of Speed Seduction’ (Reading)
• A pair of ladies black pants (Sheffield)
• £300 cash (Sheffield)
• Colostomy bags (Sheffield)
• 10 odd pairs of shoes (Salford)
• A cooked sausage – behind the engine! (Exeter)

It seems that anything could get left in a rental car, have you lost anything?  If you’re wondering where one of your legs ended up, drop us a line and we’ll see if you can be reunited with it!

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