Advice needed: Scammed by Sicily by Car (Ancona - Trieste). False smoking charges, fake damage, and safety hazards.

Ciao everyone,

I’m looking for advice or similar experiences regarding a recent rental with Sicily by Car. I rented a Seat Ibiza on May 12th for a trip from Ancona to Trieste, and the experience has been a nightmare of administrative errors and what looks like a blatant attempt to keep my €300 deposit.

Here is a breakdown of what happened:

Administrative Mess: The agent at the Ancona airport misspelled my last name on the contract and took down my email address incorrectly. I didn't even receive my rental agreement until I called them later to fix their mistakes.

Safety Issue: Shortly after leaving, the TPMS light came on. I checked the tires and all four were inflated to nearly 3 bars, which is dangerously high for a Seat Ibiza. It’s clear they didn’t perform any safety checks before handing over the keys.

The "Smoking" Scam: They are refusing to return my €300 deposit, claiming someone smoked in the car. This is a lie. The car smelled like old smoke the moment we (me and 2 colleagues) stepped in. We are smokers, but we strictly smoked outside the vehicle during breaks.

Fake Damage: They also claimed a "small scratch" on the hood upon return. Luckily, I have time-stamped photos from both pick-up and drop-off that prove the car's condition didn't change.

I have already sent a formal dispute email and contacted my bank for a chargeback.

My questions for the community:

Has anyone successfully fought a chargeback against Sicily by Car?

Are there any Italian consumer protection agencies (besides ECC) I should report this to?

Is this "smoking smell" a common tactic they use to keep deposits?

I’m honestly shocked that a company can be this negligent regarding both safety and basic data entry, yet so "precise" when it comes to fabricating damages.

Thanks in advance for any help!