While you might expect random CDs, handbags, wallets and the odd pair of sunglasses to be left behind by customers in hire cars, the more unexpected items such as grenades, mannequins and half a pint of lager are some of the more unusual discarded items car hire workers with Europcar have had to handle over the years.
Car hire giant Europcar’s Liverpool rental centre reported finding a false leg left behind by a previous customer while one of the Europcar’s outlets in Scotland came across the black ostrich feather hat most commonly worn by Scottish pipers.
One car rental customer managed to leave a suitcase packed full with £1,000 worth of designer clothes in the boot of a Europcar vehicle while car hire staff also discovered a bag of 10 odd shoes after a hire car was dropped off in Salford, while staff in Yeovil Europcar came across a pair of furry handcuffs in the back of one of their vehicles.
The items left behind in hire cars in South Africa were a tad more alarming as staff reported that a hand grenade was found rolling around the back of the car when the Europcar employee went to refuel the vehicle; the car in question had been hired by a personal protection company earlier. Finding handguns in the glove box was also reported by Euopcar staff at the Cape Town rental centre as well as a curled up snake in the car’s engine – It seems there’s never a dull moment in the life of a car hire worker!
