In reply to david morse:
I had this trick when hiring a van in the UK; I would suggest not using "A1 National Van Hire."
I called several times requesting the deposit back (£250). Their excuses ranged from, "you don't get the deposit back until after 10 working days" to, "we've lost your bank details" or, "it will be in your account in 3 working days."
I had booked on a visa debit card and the building society were really helpful in getting the money back. The building society refunded me after a short investigation. I had to show the building society:
a. Evidence that the deposit was refundable on return of the vehicle(did that using the company's website).
b. Correspondence showing my attempts to get the deposit back (I had sent e-mails but also included details of phone conversations that were listed in the e-mails).
c. My booking reference with the company.
I would have thought that the protection on a credit card would ensure you a refund from the card company and they will have to claim the deposit from the hire company. I was fortunate that my building society was very useful as I had only used a debit card.