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Remembering Alamo's Flat Tire
The Travel Troubleshooter · October 25, 2002

Q: We rented a Mitsubishi Eclipse from Alamo Rent A Car for two weeks in Las Vegas and returned the vehicle on August 31, 2002. But two weeks later we got a letter saying we owed Alamo money for unstated damage to the vehicle.

The only incident we had was a flat tire, and four different customer service representatives told us that the tire was covered as "routine assistance" because no damages or loss occurred to the car.

Alamo has not detailed why it is claiming charges for damages and now wants us to simply turn over our car insurance policy number and credit card for them to bill as they see fit. Needless to say we are extremely unhappy. Can you help us?

-- Maya Mehta

A: Apparently, Alamo expected you to fork over your credit card number and insurance policy after it sent you a vague letter suggesting you had damaged one of its rental cars. When you didn't, it tried to use a variety of other tactics - including threatening you with insurance fraud and offering you a $10 gift certificate, good toward any future rental, in exchange for your compliance.

It's odd behavior for a company that's operating under bankruptcy protection, that's for certain. You would expect a business on the brink of insolvency to bend backwards to make people like you happy.

But after contacting Alamo and hearing its side of the story, I think you probably just got caught in the wheels of the car rental company's bureaucracy and aren't the victim of a plot to score more money from unsuspecting customers.

Here's what happened: According to Renee Perkins, Alamo's director of damage recovery, you did indeed have a flat tire. Under your car rental agreement, if the tire can be fixed, it's covered by the company. If it has to buy a new tire, however, you're billed for it.

Perkins says the customer service representatives you spoke with thought the damage was minor. Upon closer examination, the tire was a goner and needed to be completely replaced at a cost of $81.90.

Since four Alamo employees told you that the tire wouldn't cost you anything, Perkins agreed to waive the $81.90 and close the file. The $10 gift certificate is still yours to keep.

Perkins says you handled the situation correctly. When your tire blew out, you called Alamo's roadside assistance for help. You read your contract carefully and asked four employees to make sure you understood the terms of the agreement, too.

Lesson learned: If there's any question about damage to a rental car, make sure that you get it resolved - in writing, if possible - before you leave for the airport. In a case like yours, where it's your word against that of several employees, it's difficult for someone like Perkins to determine whether you were mislead or if you were bending the truth.

If you're really worried that the damage might end up costing you, take a few pictures of the car. They might come in handy when you dispute the car rental company's claim.

Christopher Elliott is National Geographic Traveler's ombudsman. This column appears weekly on this site.