Are car rental companies double dipping on damage claims?

June 27, 2007

One of the most common complaints I get from car rental customers is that they’re being charged for damages that they weren’t responsible for. They wonder if the companies are double-dipping — charging multiple customers for the same repair — as at least one franchisee has admitted to doing. But proving that kind of behavior is difficult.

Not to Cynthia Plume, a reader who I advised on her recent damage-related grievance with Thrify.

When she picked up her rental car at the airport late at night in Sarasota, Fla., there was no apparent damage to the vehicle. “We drove it several miles to our home,” she says. “The next morning, as we walked into the garage to leave, we noticed that the front end of the car had been damaged.”

She called Thrifty to report the condition of the car, and was told not to worry about it. The damage was pre-existing, and a representative assured her that anyone reviewing the file would see the report and she wouldn’t be charged.

That didn’t happen. After she returned the car, she received a $700 bill for the dent.

She called me to find out what to do next. I urged her to send a cordial but firm email to Thrifty, asking to substantiate the charge with repair records.

Thrifty backed down almost immediately, sending her a letter that her case had been “closed.”

Plume phoned the company to find out what had happened. “A customer service representative looked up our reservation, and she could not explain it because the file did, in fact, show a damage report prior to our rental,” she says. “It also showed our phone call and the customer service rep’s notations related to the previous accident report.”

The Thrifty agent went on to say she had “no idea” why Plume received a claim.

“Strange, huh?” she adds. “Double dipping? Maybe. Bogus claim? For sure.”

If you suspect you’ve been the victim of a double-dipping scam, send me a note or leave your comments below.

Jim McCann

Regarding overcharged at the time of rental car return…On a recent visit to Las Vegas, we rented a car from Alamo. When we paid the final bill, we were charged for a full tank of gas ($60.00 on their supposed fillup)even though we filled up 10 minutes from McCarren Airport. I wonder how many people who did not check their “last” bill have overpaid for a gas charge. Obviously, when the ignition is turned off the gauge who register empty. That was our case. After being delayed a half hour, the problem was finally rectifyed to our satisfaction. We never received an apology from anyone. That’s the last time we deal with Alamo.
Michelle

well, its really annoying what had happened. In my case, before my friend parked his rented car on the parking lot of the mall, I’ve never seen any damages on its headlights. When we came back, I’ve noticed a damaged on it. I remember my brother’s car has just replaced new saab headlightsyesterday. Unfortunately, he’s been charged on it.
steven martine

on a recent trip to maui, I rented a min-van from alamo. backed into the side door of dollar rent a car. received a bill for $1,375.

and then when I looked at pictures..they were billing me for front fender, license plate broken and scrapes under the fron of the car.. when speaking to alamo, and dollar they both copped an attitude. but I persisted, then they relented and took off over $400.

this goes on all the time on the island of hawaii.. renters be aware.. the rental companies are not honest out there.
Ben

I am a photojournalist, so this solution came easily to me. When I rent a car I do the following, and it only takes a few moments. Using a digital camera, it costs nothing. When the rental agent takes me to the car for a walk-around, I photograph the front of the rental office (to show location and company name), the agent standing in front of the car (showing license plate number), then I snap pictures of the car from all four sides and closeups of any existing damage. It takes only an extra minute. I download the images to a file on my computer and forget about it unless I have a dispute. It costs nothing because I do not print the photos until and unless I need them. The digital time and date stamp is automatic.
Sonja

I just rented a car from Enterprise Rent-A-Car in York, Pennsylvania. The car was brand new and the attendant distracted me, by showing me how to operate the vehicle (toyota hybrid). So, I don’t recall completely walking around the entire vehicle.

Upon returning the vehicle, yesterday, the attendant asked me to wait at the counter. Unbeknown to me he was out inspecting the car without me being present and then came back to inform me of the “discovered damage.”

To make matters worse, they had the audacity to charge my credit card for $500, my entire deductible without even giving me an estimate. I am not sure what the outcome will be, but I’m going to fight the charges to the end.
Philippe

In Maui, when returning a car to Alamo, I was told there would be a surcharge for removing excessive sand in the car (yes, excessive sand, try to avoid that in Maui !). When I asked what the surcharge would be, I was quoted an amount of $50.00
Luckily, I had time to spare before the flight, so I took the car out to a nearby gas station and spent $2.00 (and 5 minutes) to vacuum it. I brought it back and it passed the test.

How can Alamo justify a $ 50.00 charge ? Nice scam, but you lost an old client !!
Tom

I rented from Dollar Rent-A-Car at Houston Intercontinental Airport for 4 days in April, declining the LDW. I returned the car in perfect condition. Months later, I got a $750 bill for damage.

The bill included repair estimates and photos, including the license plate. The damage claim appears legitimate–I don’t doubt that someone damaged the vehicle at some time, it just wasn’t me. I just assumed that the car got damaged by an employee after I returned it. After some internet research, I now assume it is just a scam.

I now will be photographing all rent cars when I turn them in.
James McManus

1) DELAY: We confirmed our reservation with Dollar Rent A Car TWICE before departure. After presenting our reservation and payment details at Dollar’s desk at San Francisco International Airport, we were forced to wait ONE HOUR AND FIFTEEN MINUTES before our vehicle was ready. Please note—this was not waiting in line to speak with a representative, this was AFTER a representative had confirmed our reservation and taken our credit card details. This after traveling for 6+ hours with two children, ages one and three years. As an explanation, the Dollar representative said the car was “being cleaned”. The representative offered us a different type of vehicle that did not suit our needs and we refused.

2) DAMAGE CLAIM: When I returned the vehicle several days later, a Dollar representative conducted an inspection and pointed out a mark on the rear driver side panel. I inspected the mark and told the Dollar representative that it was only a MARK—not a dent or a scratch—that could be cleaned. The Dollar representative did not indicate that the issue remained unresolved, nor did he tell me to expect to be contacted by Dollar regarding damage to the vehicle in the future. The representative did not request my signature or comments on any damage report. Neither did the representative take any photographs of the vehicle in my presence. Imagine my surprise when, on September 17, 2007 I received a letter from Dollar claiming damage totaling $431.00 with an attached “Accident/Damage/Incident Report” and a photo of the alleged “damage”. Under the section titled “Describe How Accident Happened” someone, presumably the Dollar representative who conducted the damage inspection, had written “REFUSE TO SIGN” (sic).

3) THOUGHTS: How extremely irritating that a) a family traveling long distance was forced to wait over an hour for a car that was reserved in advance; b) a Dollar representative would point out a dirt mark and try to pass it off as “damage”; c) a Dollar representative failed to communicate to the customer that he considered the matter unresolved and that the customer would likely be contacted by Dollar in the future; but instead led the customer to assume that the transaction was complete; d) a Dollar representative would indicate a customer had “refused to sign” a damage report when in fact such a request had never been made of the customer; d) Dollar would claim $431 to clean a dirt mark off the vehicle.
After receiving this letter, I conducted an Internet search using the words “rental car damage dispute”—please note that I did NOT include the word “Dollar” in the search. I was shocked to note that TWO OF THE TOP THREE search results returned were links to websites that detailed Dollar customer complaints regarding disputed damage claims. How interesting…
Initially, I conceived of this communication as having two separate, unrelated complaints: the one hour and fifteen minute wait, and the frivolous damage claim. However, after contacting a representative from my credit card company, it occurred to me that perhaps there was a connection. I asked the credit card company representative if he could provide advice for disputing a damage claim from a rental car vendor. He said, in short, that car rental companies’ business model is not only to make a margin on renting cars; the margin contribution also comes from selling insurance to customers. In addition, a percentage of fleet maintenance costs can be mitigated by claiming damages against customers who do not purchase rental agency insurance packages. He said that car rental companies routinely claim damages in the $300-$900 range from customers who do not purchase the car rental company’s insurance package, because most customers have personal car insurance, or a credit card company, that will cover such charges, up to a certain amount. In this way, the car rental company can pass on the bulk of maintenance costs to those customers (and the customers’ credit card and car insurance vendors) who do not purchase rental agency insurance packages.
If this is true, the motivation for Dollar managers to maximize the sale of insurance packages, and also to maximize damage claims against customers who do not purchase insurance packages, clearly exists. One way to increase the probability of being able to file a damage claim against a rental customer is to minimize how much time the customer spends inspecting the vehicle prior to exiting the rental facility—theoretically, that would make it possible for the rental agency to claim damages against a customer who did not, in fact, cause those damages. What types of customers are least likely to conduct a thorough investigation? High on that list would have to be parents with young children on a long trip…force that customer, likely already stressed and exhausted, to wait an additional one hour and fifteen minutes, and the amount of time he spends conducting a thorough inspection further decreases…
Ward

I recently rented a car from Budget and was not given the “walk around” when I picked up the car. The agent did not leave his seat in the office. When I returned the car 3 days later the receiving agent pointed out a big series of scratches on the right front end. I did not do any damage to the vehicle and assume it was damaged before I got the car. He told me not to worry about it and to write the above down on the accident claim form. Yesterday I received a bill for $1000 from Budget. They say that I am responsible, even though there was no paperwork showing that the car given to me was not already damaged. What do I do?!
cheryl

A few years ago I experienced Hertz trying to rip me off for gas even though I filled up prior to return. They’ll do anything to trick the customer, hoping you don’t notice. I haven’t rented a car since because I see they’ve changed their policies now and blame the customer for poor road conditions that can damage the car and make them responsible. The could make more money this way then for the car rental so it makes much sense that they encourage this activity. I believe they get a huge discount on the cars they buy and then sell.
zmy

On 9/7/07 I rented a car from Dollar Rent-A-Car at the Fort Lauderdale Airport. I used the car until 9/10/07 and returned it with just over 64 miles driven sustaining absolutely no damages during my rental period. Dollar recently made a claim against me for damages incurred which has no merit at all. I believe the claim is a hoax and is perhaps insurance fraud for the following reasons:

1. I have the check out slip that I filled out when I rented the car.
All of the damage that is stated in the incident report is on the check out slip that I filled out on the date I rented the car — BEFORE I EVEN GOT IN THE CAR. Their claim does not include this piece of documentation. They are assuming that I don’t have this piece of paper or perhaps I would just give the information over to my
insurance company or credit card. Note: the slip that I filled out with the damages upon renting the car says it is a “check-in” slip, even though technically I was checking the car out; regardless, this is the slip that shows what damages were on the car
before I drove it off Dollar’s lot. Oddly enough, this slip does not have Dollar’s logo on it and was not signed by anyone.

2. The damage incident report says the “customer say he pick up the car with the damage.” Aside from being a poorly worded sentence, I wonder why Dollar Rent A Car didn’t check out the check out slip from the date I picked up the car to either CONFIRM OR DISCONFIRM if, in fact, the damages were sustained before I rented the car. More importantly, I never said anything to the person I was returning the car to except perhaps “thank you.” I absolutely said nothing about the damage when I returned the car. I returned it and figured that the documentation that I filled out before leaving the Dollar lot the first moment makes the scratches a moot issue. I said nothing to the attendant of that sort, so the statement that I said anything about damage is a lie, even though in fact, I did pick up the car with the damage.

2. The mileage on the auto repair estimate Dollar sent me is over 325 miles higher than the milage on the car when I turned it back in. Somewhere between the 10th, when I rented the car, and the 11th, when the damage was assessed, someone drove the car well over 300 miles. Yahoo maps puts the address written on the damage assessment only 2.8 miles from the FLL airport where I rented the car. Why does the car have approximately 6 hours of driving on it from the time I returned it, to the time it went to the damage assessment unit, the very next day?

3. One of the calls I got from the claims office to my phone asked for someone else, so I got to thinking. They are calling someone else, but with my telephone number. Perhaps a mistake, but perhaps they are calling multiple people for the same claim. What are the chances of two claims, two different people, and the same car? I suspect the company is
submitting claims for the same damages, on the same car, to different people and never repairing the damage. AND HERE IS WHY: The paperwork given to me is only for an estimate of the repair, NOT a bill for the actual repair. So there is no proof that they aren’t submitting this to multiple people for the same damages and never actually fixing the car. Why are they sending me an estimate of the repairs? Why don’t they just send me what they paid for the repairs?

4. I have the paperwork I filled out on the date I picked up the
car that shows the mileage, the damages clearly documented, etc. The company conveniently did not include this in its recent letter asking me for money — over $500.

5. The claims office is totally unresponsive and they insist only on returning my calls on the number that was on the original paperwork. I have left several messages with Dollar saying that this is no longer my telephone number. My experience has shown that lack of professionalism and unresponsiveness go hand-in-hand with poor business ethics. I have called them 8 to 9 times per day and they never pick up and I have left many messages and they have yet to return my call.

I did get through with them once and got in touch with a “Christine”, who had written me the letters. The moment I got on, I got another call and I apologized and told her to hold on a moment and I’ll get the other call off the line. About 10 seconds into the call I switched into, I heard her hang up. I got off the phone with the caller (I was getting my floors refinished that day and I couldn’t afford to at least take his call momentarily) and I called back less than a minute later. No answer. I called Christine back about 4 times that hour, no answer. I have left numerous messages and no one has returned my calls; although, I noticed that they called back on my old telephone number from the contract.

I believe that they really do not want to talk to me but would prefer that the claim just goes to a collection agency or that I get tired of fighting and just pay up.

My hunch is that rental car franchises make claims against people who opt not to take insurance because:

1. The rental company can make multiple claims on the same incident, only sending an “estimate of damages” and not a receipt for repairs actually completed.

2. An insurance company would ask for a receipt of actual repairs and perhaps the paperwork for the previous 3 rentals for that particular car. This would reveal that the car perhaps already had damage. An insurance company would probably also send out an adjuster, who might argue (and would likely argue) that the damage claims are inflated.

3. People would prefer to pay out of pocket than bring in their insurance company (some people’s auto insurance for their car at home covers damages to rental cars). For someone to bring in their insurance company for $500 to $1000 and get hit with higher premiums for the next 3 years seems unlikely. Also, don’t forget that most people’s auto insurance has a deductible which is probably $500 to $1000.

I am sharing my experience so that people can be on the lookout for this.
http://naady.com/car-rental/kenya-car-hire/ Kenya Car rental

wow the comments speak for themselves. I wouldn’t say interesting read because some of the comments are of concern.
Max

My situation is very similar to what others have described about being charged by Budget Rental car for damages that I did not do. I recvd a $500 charge to my credit card which I had removed against a total damage bill of $750. Budget sent my account to collections which is currently hurting my credit rating. I am curious if these occurences that seem to be widespread should trigger a class action lawsuit against Budget and others. Any comments would be welcome.
Lois Gilmore

Wednesday – I took my new Cadillac CTS to the dealership where I purchased it due to a recent recall onstar informed me of. I also had concern about the brakes on my right front wheel asting up while turning into my assigned parking space at work. The dealership has an Enterprise Car Rental office inside its place of business, so they issued me a new rental car (less than a 1/4 tank of gas) as a replacement while mine was being serviced. Of course the service work was covered under warranty & recall and they were to be billed for the rental car as well, but I gave a credit card for security.

Thursday – I received a call my car was ready so I went to pick it up and return the rental car. Got there only to find the garage closed but just so happen a service manager was in the sales lobby and he helped me… Bummer my brake still isn’t right my car hasn’t been fixed.

Friday – 5:20 I got another call saying my car was for sure ready this time but they closed at 6:00pm. Being in the metro area there was no way I could get there within time allowed so I told them I would be in on Saturday evening.

Saturday – I was called out to work and so I gave the dealership the courtesy of a call and said since my schedule and theirs has not allowed us to meet these past couple of days, please set my car out and lock the keys inside it.. Once I got off work I drove to the dealership and parked the car under a lamp post and dropped the keys in the night depository box at the service department and although certain I did a walk around to make sure I had returned the rental car in the same condition as I had gotten it. I got into my car and drove home glad to have my Cadillac back !!!

Monday – I go to work as normal, when I get home (7:30pm) I have a couple of messages on the answering machine.

1st – This is XXXXX with Enterprise we see that you returned the car but we can’t find the keys…. Please call us as soon as you get this message,

2nd – Ms G. this is XXXXX again with Enterprise and we have found the keys but I am calling to inform you there is damage on the driver’s door of the car. Please call us immediately.

Of course I called immediately. No one there…. I am upset now, I know damn good and well there was no damage to the car. I was very careful while driving this strange car to begin with and besides that I would never drive my Cadillac any other way. My assigned parking spot at work is the last spot on the row I requested it this way so I wouldn’t be near anyone because of door dings that can occur and the lady next to my spot was in the hospital all week with bronchitis besides she would park on the passenger side of me if there.

They have now charged my card 1000.00 for damages, my credit card offers me free rental car insurance coverage but since the dealership was paying for the rental I am not eligible for the coverage (IF THERE REALLY IS ANY DAMAGE).

Of course I have not seen this damage they are claiming. How can I dispute this and prove I returned this car in the new condition I accepted it in after the fact? The rental car company has taken the car to their garage offsite according to the dealership manager.

All comments and advise is welcomed and appreciated…

Thank you,
Lois
Damon Reno

I recently rented from National car rental in Little Rock, Arkansas. I got the vehicle key from the desk and proceeded to the parking garage to get the vehicle. I was not given a form or even informed that I should document the condition of the vehicle before I left. I noticed substantial scratches and dings all over the vehicle, but just assumed it was ok because it was there before I rented the vehicle. I used the vehicle for one evening, brought it back the next morning, and departed on my flight. I got a call today, which is about one month later saying that I am responsible for $1300 in scratch and dent repair for the vehicle. This is totally bogus. I inquired if they had any before or after photos of the vehicle, or if I could see the damage claim records of the previous renter of the vehicle. They became beligerant and told me that the claim information was in the mail to me and that if I didn’t pay, it would be reported on my credit. All of this just happened, so I am not done with them yet. I talked to a lawyer friend of mine, and he said that he rented a vehicle from Alamo car rental a couple of months ago, and it was the same procedure. He got in his car and noticed in the fine print paper work a form that he was suppose to fill out documenting the condition of the vehicle and turn it in before he left. He was never told about it by the person that rented him the car. He noticed the form, filled it out, and turned it in. I was not so lucky.
http://www.amur-grad.110mb.com/ amurgrades

Clearly. Thanks!
:))
DK

Similar to Damon’s experience – I just found out Alamo is trying to charge me close to $1,200 for damage to car I rented in September. I have been in an Alamo rental car since Aug 2. The car I rented had a chip in the windshield, large dent/stratches, and a license plate falling off I kept having to fix. However, I had been driving a car with low MPG and requested an exchange for a more fuel efficient car and I was happy to get the car. I just assumed the condition of the vehicle was known. This was a very small Alamo location. I had the car for a while and do not believe any damage occurred while I had the car. I find it even more suspicious that they didn’t mention any damage when I turned the car in. How can they wait days/weeks later to make a damage accusation. How do I know who has had the car since then. In fact, when I was exchanging a car at the same Alamo location, I observed a worker pulling the floor mats out of the front of a returned car and beating them on the side of the car to knock the dust/dirt out. I mean beating the mat against the car HARD. I wonder who got charged from scratches?
yc

Avis — I am being charged 1100 for a car part, left front suspension. They sent pictures of the part. I’m not understanding how a defective part (if it is/was defective) constitutes damages! Anyone have any ideas? Thanks.
Tom

I posted about fraud from Dollar above on September 24th, 2007.

My follow up: I continued to receive some letters and phone calls from Dollar requesting that I pay for the damage. Each time I categorically denied that I committed any damage and that I would pay nothing. I sent all letters via registered mail. One caller raised her voice and threatened to sick “collections” on me. No matter, I calmly denied everything. After about 6 months, it stopped. If a collection agency is involved, they haven’t tried to contact me. And even if they did, my response would be the same.
Jeanette

We rented a car in Germany from Avis. We paid for the vehicle before we arrived. My husband signed what he thought was the document for us to take the car. Now Avis says that we agreed to their insurance- which we clearly did not in Canada and verbally at the Munich airport.
Why is our word worth nothing? The credit card company will not back us up either!!!!!!!!!!
We feel really ripped off!!!!!!!!!!Anything we can do short of hiring a lawyer?
The insurance was much more than the rental of the car!!!
Jeanette
mikhaeel

I rented a car from Pacific car rental and the car had minor scratch on the windshield and also on the front bumper. They don’t write the markings and they say dont worry about it . Then they try to bill me for it and i asked where is the paper work for the repair. Oh i gotta go and get it i will call you when i have it. The customer service agent there was very hesitant on this matter which leads me to believe they have a scam going on.
Paul Collins

The Thrifty car rental franchisee in Germany (Terstappen) is running a damage ripoff scheme. We rented a nice Mercedes from them in Frankfurt for nine days with no issues until we returned the car. They noted a tiny (about 2″ long) scratch on the UNDERSIDE of the molded front bumper. I can’t say whether this was there before I rented the car, but if it was it was insignificant enough that I don’t believe I would have noted it on the rental form. I was irritated because I thought it was below the threshold of “damage” and had no idea how it had occurred (it is possible it occurred while parked or something). Anyway, the agent assured me that the repair cost would be low and we would hear from them within 10 days. But, they would have to keep our 1200 Euro deposit until the damage cost was determined. We had to make our flight…..so what was I to do. I waited the 10 days and never heard from them, so I emailed them saying I would dispute the VISA claim if I did not hear from them soon. I still did not hear from them, but I got a VISA credit for $427 (about $300 Euros). So this tiny scratch cost me 900 Euros (over $1200!!). I will be looking to recoup by fighting with Thrify in the states. I have seen a number of very similar claims about the Terstappen operation in Frankfurt and Munich….I would like to get together with a bunch of other wronged parties and bring civil (maybe criminal) suit against them. How might I go about this?
gwynne

Hi. Yesterday I was riding my bike, which accidentally scratched a rental car because when I was merging into a turning lane, the car in front of me stopped suddenly. It’s not a terrible scratch, but the driver was very upset. I think we were both at fault, but still the woman took my license and told me I would have to pay for charges out of pocket because I don’t have car insurance (i don’t own a car). She has insurance, but she doesn’t want to pay. Should I pay out of pocket to the car rental place or pay to her insurance company? Not sure if one or the other is better. Thanks!
omer

I rented a car from Budget in Mechanicsburg PA.It was almost closing time for the store. I was prompted to sign all the paperwork including the damage claim form before even seeing the car. I took the car home. On the way I realized that the car was still pretty dirty. There was an overwhelming cigarette smell and thought I would wipe the dashboard and spray it with anti-odor material. As I was doing this I noticed a small crack on the very bottom portion of the windshield. I called Budget back immidiately. The store had already closed. So I went to the store the next day after work and showed the crack to the employee. She asked me if I ever got on a highway since it looked like it would have been caused by a speedy object hitting the glass. I told her that wasn’t on any highway any nothing hit the windshield. She told me that she would note this and not to worry, that it was good that I brought the car back instead of waiting. 3 days later I returned the car and got my return receipt and left the store. Not until almost three weeks after that did I get a Damage Claim bill in the mail for $600 for the replacement of the windshield. Frustrated, I called the number on the bill. The lady that answered the phone was very unprofessional. From calling me “honey” to saying she cannot believe me because when I was teling her the story I wasn’t remembering exact times for the rental. (I missed it by t10-15 minutes :) Easy for her since she has all the info on the screen in front of her). Anyways, needles to say I am very dissapointed and will inform everybody, including the better business bureau about this…
Connie

Hi,

after reading your article, I am almost sure that this is happening to me. My husband and i rented a car over three months ago and are now just being informed that there was damage to the car. we were sent a letter from a claims company for Thrifty. The letter doesn’t even say what the damage was, only “physical damage” and “loss of use” as well as a $100 admin fee. They also said in the letter that if we didn’t pay in a month that they would send us to collections. i don’t see how they can wait 3 months to tell us that there is damage and then be so threatening with their letters. i realy hope i can reason with them and show they why it would be rediculous to pay for something 3 months after the fact. thanks in advance for your time!
Cynthia

Upon inspection my husband did not find any damage on an Enterprise rental car we had while ours was in for repairs. He drove it 5 miles home and when I got in the passenger seat I saw a star type ding in the windshield on my side. He went back to Enterprise and they said it hadn’t been there before!
Even though you aren’t supposed to get things fixed yourself we took it to the auto glass place to see about a minor repair. We were told by this professional that he couldn’t repair it as it had already been repaired once before! Upon return to Enterprise we took a signed letter outlining the issue, included the glass repairman’s card, and had the Enterprise employee sign our copy of the letter to acknowledge it.
In Italy full CDW is required by law and that was fine but it doesn’t cover windshield damage. While cleaning the windshield the wiper blade chipped the windshield. Piece of junk Italian car cost us 100 euros extra. You can only protect yourself sometimes, I guess it is just part of the travel experience and expense.
Carver

@Cynthia

Why can’t you repair things yourself? It seems to me that if I am going to be charged for something then I should be able to get it repaired.

In fact, I remember I had a blow-out with a rental car. Budget told me that if I could get it to Goodyear, the tire would be replaced and directly billed to Budget, but if not, I could get it replaced and they would deduct the cost from my bill.
http://ask.com J.(philly)

I rented a car fro Enterprise on a Sunday.(supposely no damages) Returned 1 day earlier than suppose to. Upon returning the car at another office closer to my home I was informed that there was a pinhair scratch under the trim of the paassenger side door.I infomed the employee at this office that I did not scratch the car nor did i park anywhere that the car could get scratched because I only went to work and back home. there are no trees or bushes at work and I parked in my driveway beside my house to keep the car from getting any damages. A damage claim was filed by Enterprise and after 2 weeks or so I heard from them. In the meantime, I on several occasions I called and visited the office that I originally rented from and no one could give me any answers until they heard from the claims office. To make a longer story short, I received a letter from Enterprise staing that they tried to contact me several times and couldn”t. (never heard from them until I received this letter).The letter stated that the damages found were caused by me and I owed $377.00 plus.Upon speaking to someone from damage control, the amount went up to $508.00. $100.00 (2 days for not being able to use the car and a fee for filing plus other charges). If I don”t pay these charges it will be submitted to collections then to court where I would have to pay the damage fees plus court cost if I’m found guilty. WOW now what. I feel that I’m being accused of doing something that someone else did and they weren’t caught so now I’m suppsse to pay for their damages .
Patricia Martin

I’ve had an experience with Enterprise which is similar to what a lot of people are describing here. I rented from a location close to JFK in NY last October. When I rented the car, it was dark, and the lighting in the lot was bad. When we did the walk around, the guy didn’t inspect the roof of the car. In fact, I’ve never seen anyone inspect the roof of a car during a rental. However, when I returned, the agent actually stood on the bumper to look at the roof, and claimed that there were about 20 scratches there. I never had anything on the roof, and nothing fell on it – so how could those scratches have gotten there? I definitely suspect that I’m being scammed here. Is there any legal recourse for this?
Angy

I am disputing a charge of $962.92 that Enterprise rental company sent me a bill for.

On November 17, 2009 I went to Enterprise at 601 South Cameron Street, Harrisburg PA to pick up a rental car. My car was in the shop getting fixed from an accident after someone ran me into a barrier on 581 and fled the scene. When I got to Enterprise this lady that took care of me seemed to be helpful. She walked around the car and marked down all the damage that she saw. We talked about the insurance and since the car was in good condition I declined it since I park in safe places and don’t really drive that much. I signed off on the papers so that I could get the key. I left the office and everything seemed fine for a week.

It was December 1, 2009 when I was at work and got a call from the same lady that I dealt with when I first got the car. She stated that she needed to give me another car and take the car I was currently using. I informed her that I was getting my car back the very next day, in less than 12 hours, but she insisted that they had to have the first car back. She came to my work and stated that she was in a hurry as well as she knew I was since I wasn’t on lunch or break. She had already started to mark down damage on the car before I got a chance to meet her in the parking lot. When I got down to talk to her she was almost finished and she said to me that she was finding a lot of damage from the previous user. I took a look at the paper she was filling out and saw that there were a lot of damages. It seemed as though she got everything after looking at the car and the paper. There was a lot of writing and this car was really beat up. I initialed the paper since she was in a hurry and I had to get back to work. She did not ask about insurance on this car which I would have taken considering the poor condition of the car and the fact that she was finding countless amounts of damage as we were standing there. She handed me the key and I went back to work. The very next day, December 2, 2009, I had to go to work so my husband took the car to pick up my car at L.B. Smith Ford Lincoln Mercury, and since there was an Enterprise on site he was told he could just leave the car there. He drove from New Cumberland to 1100 Market Street, Lemoyne. When my husband went to give the key to the Enterprise representative the representative was extremely rude to him. The guy walked around the car and stated to my husband that there was a dent on the car that wasn’t marked down previously. My husband explained that we had the car less than 12 hours and didn’t drive anywhere except home from work and then to the Enterprise location. He also told the rep working for enterprise that there was a bunch of damage when the car was given to me. My husband refused to sign anything since the damage was not ours. My husband left the site and accidentally left the papers in the car. When he told me about this I immediately called Enterprise and they directed me to the Damage Recovery Unit. I spoke with a rep and they told me that there was nothing reported and that unless I receive something in the mail not to worry about it.

On February 5th I received a letter as well as the bill from Enterprise for $962.92. After looking at the bill I saw that they charged me for two dents, loss of use, a depreciation fees, and administrative fees. On the letter dated January 29th 2010 it stated that I needed to remit payment within 10 days. I made a call to a guy named Mike Smith at 352-313-4637 who was the representative that was working on my case in the Damage Recovery Unit and asked what I can do to dispute this. The guy was extremely rude and short with me. He told me that if the payment wasn’t in the office within 10 days that they were going to send me to a collection agency. I asked Mike if I could get a copy of the reports to see what other damage was reported that day and he said he was not able to release that information to me. I also asked if he could send me pictures that were taken after the previous user returned the car and after I returned the car. Mike said that they only have pictures of when the car was in the shop getting fixed from the damage I caused. I was told that he would email me the pictures without a problem. I waited and waited and still no pictures. Since I am looking into buying a house and need to keep my credit in good standing I had to make the payment in full which I did. Along with the payment I also sent a letter stating that even though I am making the payment I am not accepting responsibility of the damage on the car. The payment and letter were sent certified to Atlanta, GA and delivered February 15, 2010. I have not heard anything since.

I do not accept responsibility for this and feel that I was set up to take a car that they knew was damaged. I don’t know how to resolve this but I was obviously set up!
Al

On 2/27/10, I rented a car from Enterprise/National at the Allentown, PA, airport, in order to drive to the Harrisburg Airport, 53 miles away to retrieve my car, which had been parked there when I flew to Florida for a vacation. My return flight to Harrisburg had been cancelled due to a snow storm and the only other airport I could use was Allentown, leaving me with the problem of how to retrieve my car in Harrisburg. I had the rental car all of an hour and a half (the time it takes to drive from Allentown to Harrisburg. The entire drive was interstate highway and the car was never parked anywhere from the time I rented it until the time I returned it an hour and a half later. At the Harrisburg Airport, their employee checked in the car with no damage. Now, two weeks later I get a form letter from National telling me that I am liable for a 2 foot long scratch on the hood. Impossible.
Priyanka Joshi

Enterprise might sell themselves through their great deals, but they make up for it by the unwarranted damage claims. We rented a car for a short travel to the airport from Thousand Oaks to LAX. When we returned the car, a sales person inspected the car and said that there were scratches on our car. Unfortunately my husband had not carefully inspected the car as it was taken at night and the scratches were so minor that a untrained eye would not have noticed them. The sales person sent us to another officer who looked through the records and said that these damages were not caused by us and were on their records and we were relieved and left. However when were back from our vacation we recieved 3 letters from Enterprise asking us to pay for the damages ($350), which we had not caused. We were harassed by their customer representative and damage claim reps and finally we just paid the amount. But I want to warn all enterprise users to atleast carefully check the rental cars…the problem we faced has been reported by others too. Enterprise is very disappointing :(
http://www.MauiCarRental.biz Frank

I’m the owner of a small independent car rental company, Frank’s Friendly Cars Maui Car Rental. Vehicle damage is a very difficult area to deal with, both for us and for our customers. To help to avoid any confusion, we conduct a pre-rental checkout for each customer, to establish the exact condition of any pre-exisiting damage. Even so, there can be disputes. When this happens, we are always respectful of the customer.
Kenny Dee

I just got hit with a $300 bill for a crack in the windshield of a vehcile that I rented from Enterprise Rent-A-Car. At my first walk around I notice small minor knicks on the passenger side of the vehciel and we mark the damages, but neither one of us notice the damage to the windshield, cause I believe that it wasn’t noticeable, cause it was small at first, and then it grew bigger cause of the 600+ miles that I put on it that weekend. When I try to dispute that the fact that the car had previous passenger side damage and this crack on the windshield might have been damage at that sametime, and if they would not post me for the damage cause I know that the car was not damage in my possession. They were not willing to do so. Trust me I will be very visual next time I rent from these folks, even if it is a small nick in the glass. They will get me another vehicle.
R K

OMG, I am having a very similar experience with ENTERPRISE. Now I have no doubt they totally blame customers for their own faults and make customers pay for the damages caused by whoever earlier. I recently had a case of hit and run, I got hold of the driver, and the case was ofcourse settled in my favor. So under his insurance, I was provided repairs to my car damage and a rental car. They gave me a nice car which had a small dent on passenger side, but the rep told me it is considered minor wear and tear. Very next day, my own car was fixed so around 4:00 I returned the rental car to enterprise. I asked the cashier 3 times if she wanted to go out or have someone check the car to see if it is in good shape, and she said all three times, no it looks fine and not to worry about anything. So I drop the car with them, and asked them for some notification of this upon which they gave me a paper that stated Rental Car Return date/time etc. More than a week later, I receive a letter from Enterprise Damage Control Dept that there was some damage to the vehicle returned and I am liable for that. Damage estimate is stated yet to be made. I was shocked as nothing had happened to the vehicle at all during the one day I had it and even when I returned it. It was totally as I rented with not even a single scratch. I double checked it myself before I gave it to them.
So I called the Enterprise guy who helped me with rental. His name is Mike Kenny, he is located in Montrose Automotive, Germantown, MD. He told me there were some scratces on passenger side. During the whole conversation, he was so so unprofessional and extremely rude. He told me he had left a message for me next morning, Such a big liar as I never received any messages from them. If I would have, why wouldn’t I get back to them the same day. Then he tells me though I dropped the car around 4:00 pm a day before, he did not walked out and checked it until 8:00 or 9:00 am next morning, so any damage that had occured during that timeframe is my responsibility. This is such a ridiculous claim. How I am responsible if you did not check the car for 16 hours since i dropped it off. I mean I did not have the keys to the car, it was not in my parking lot or possesion, I have a paper from you all that I returned it fine, then how in the world is is my responsibility? I told him that anyone during those 16 hrs may have done something and how can you throw this on me. I wanted to talk to his manager, and he tells me he is the manager. WOW To Enterprise for having such unprofessional, rude, ill talking, and careless managers in their locations. I am thinking that maybe he himself is in trouble for not checking it for so long, and that is why he threw it on me in first place. He never notified me same day because then I would want to go check it and talk with him, but he lied that he left a message. Then he is not even willing to talk to me to explain anything. He literally was ready to hang up the phone and told me he cannot do anything about it..That’s it, it is your fault. I am so upset for being accused of something so wrong and false, and then receiving such mistreatment from him.

Anyways, I called my insurance and notified them of whole situation. Hopefully they will work something out. Otherwise I am going to go file a claim in court against them, and sue both Enterprise and this guy for such trouble, ridiculous customer service, false accusation, and harrassment. I would not take blame for something that I did not do or I am not responsible for. For sure, no one in my circle is ever going to rent from Enterprise ever again. So Beware, don’t be fooled by enterprise reps. Specially, dont even think about going to Montrose Automotive in Germantown, this is where this unprofessional manager from enterprise “Mike Kenny” works.
donna

Oh my, we too have been hit by the claims of damage to a car we returned and they signed off on and we went off on our way. I have since noticed that we did not fill out the damage report, since they gave us paper work and a car and were told to find it by number in a huge parking lot. When we checked it back in we were given a receipt and told all is well. Now I get a letter stating they need police reports and info for the accident and don’t have the necessary info from when we left.
Hawaii, this must be a standard since you are most likely not going to return quickly. I did not take pictures, I have rented many cars and this is the absolute first time for this kind of report. I feel as if I have been HAD! Budget is the culprit on Kauai.
On the second car we rented they thoroughly went thru our paperwork for damages and dings etc. Upon that return as of yet I have had no response. That was on Hawaii itself. and Alamo.
We shall see how this will progress, but I bet I”m the loser as well as many other people for this “scam”.
Tonya B

I rented a car from Enterprise in Rocky Mount, NC on May 28, 2010. I picked the car up around 5:30pm. The reps Rose and Janet kept stressing to me how busy the office was because it was a holiday weekend. I was placed in a 2010 Malibu. I walked outside to do an inspection of the Malibu and the rep Janet advised me to stop because we would do our own walkthrough together. When Janet came out we started from the rear passenger side of the car we focused on the doors below the handles and the hood and trunk of the car. I was picking out scratches that I thought Janet should have been noting she told me that was normal wear and tear. I arrive in VA I drove none stop there and parked the car in my sisters garage. My older brother reviewed the car and told me I should have had Janet note things on the car regardless because what would happen is the person who checked me out would not check me in… I left on Sunday to come back to NC I did return the car on Sunday or Monday because the office was closed. I returned the car on Tuesday around 5:30. As my brother stated a guy at the counter takes the key goes outside while I am standing at the counter inspects the car & then asks Rose for assistance. I followed them out and they are trying to say I am responsible for a dent in the frame of the door on the driver’s side near the side view mirror. When I driving the car nothing flew off a car or truck to hit the Malibu, when I pumped gas I never left the car because I swiped my debit card at the pump. Sunday and Monday the Malibu was in my yard no storms happened that would cause something to blow and hit the car, no children were outside playing. Janet states wear and tear does not include dents and I told that office neither Janet or me focused on that area of the car even though Janet stood near that part of the car when she had me turn it on to look at the gas gauge. That dent was there when I left their office on Friday. I am the type of person if something happened while in my possession I would own up to it but that dent did not happen while I had the car. Friday, I noticed the reps tried to force their insurance on me and the reps were a bit anxious when I told them it was my first time renting. Now, I feel like I am being part of a “double dip” skim and being taking advantage of because of my lack of knowledge with the rental car process (complete inspections or lack of by me and the Enterprise rep). How is it I couldn’t inspect the car alone but the guy went outside without me when I returned the car).

I called my insurance company to dispute the claim Enterprise is trying to place on me. What else can I do to NOT pay for someone’s dent?
Donna

Hi Elliot,

I rented a car from Enterprise in Mahwah, NJ. Drive it 90 miles, and dropped it off in Toms River, NJ. I DID NOT get out of the car. When I dropped it off, the manager came out to inspect the car. He pointed out a MINUTE scratch on the roof of the car, and on one of the doors. He said that I must have done this because Enterprise only rents out PERFECT cars. We went inside, where he filed a report. I insisted he call the Mahwah office where I rented the car, and the manager there claimed that there were a few scratches on the car. The Mahwah Manager told me not to worry, that the report was standard operating procedure. I called the Enterprise Headquarters. They also told me not to worry. Well, today, a month later, I received a bill in the mail from Enterprise for $523!!!! Help!!! What do I do? I REALLY did nothing to the car!!!
Sharon

Rented a vehicle from Enterprise in Las Vegas. Had it for 24 hours. After returning it the Enterprise rep noticed a foot-long scratch in the drivers side rear door. This “scratch about a foot-long and into the paint on the drivers side rear door” was documented. That was all the description on the “Accident Report” said (though it really wasn’t an accident – it must have been vandalism sometime in the night). When we got the repair estimate it was for $784 for a sideview mirror, trim, handle, electrical system, antenna, quarter panel, and bumper. 9 hours of labor and 7.7 hours of painting! Hello?! They’re dealing with the wrong person if they think they can pull this over on me! After reporting this scam to my insurance company and asking them not to pay until these false claims were investigated, Enterprise wrote back and said “the repairs in question have been removed.” They did not provide a new estimate. I requested before photos showing damage. These photos showed NO damage to a sideview mirror, antenna, etc., etc. They showed the scratch in the door and a scrape on the trim on the door and extending to the trim on the quarter panel. The Enterprise claim rep known only to me as “DRU2″ said the photos “prove” the damage to the quarter panel and trim. Well, yessireebob, there sure is damage to the trim and quarter panel – too bad it wasn’t my fault and wasn’t recorded on the “Accident Report” which the Enterprise rep filled out himself. Don’t let these rental car agencies bully you! I won’t.
sam

I previously rented a car at an alamo car rental center on 6/12/10 and returned it the next day. when i recieved the car they had me sign the rental forms inside where as with enterprise car rental centers i normally do a walk-through with them. upon exiting there was noone around to direct me to the minivan i rented. after searching for someone for some time i ended up going back inside only for them to tell me to “just go pick a car and you can leave”. upon check-out at the gate, a man took a copy of the information (once again not checking the appearence of the car and we were on our way. i was the only drive and unfortunitly never did a walk-through on the car myself. upon returning the car a alamo agent inspects the car and tells me that there is damage to the car. i expected a scratch only to find the side rear fender pushed in. he claimed that i did the damage because they would have not rented the car to anyone like this. i called customer service and they said that there were no claims made previously and that there wasnt one for me yet, “so who’s to say they wont just say it was someone else’s fault”. i dont know what to do. they finally contacted me and told me that if i dont pay 1,050 for the damages, they would send the claim to my insurance comany. please help
http://mandel.jerry1@gmail.com Geraud (Jerry) N Mandel

Double dipping by insurance fraud. Franchisees charge the renter for damage and also file a claim with their own insurers.
KA

We recently rented from Alamo. Upon leaving, the CSR outside who checked us out looked at the car and sent us inside because there was existing damage on the vehicle (which we marked before we originally left the lot). The girl inside told us that there were previous damage reports and closed us out. We just got a bill for $1100 saying we are responsible for whatever damage is there. Is there anything we can do?
Dianne

August 11, 2010, I picked up a Hyundai Accent from Enterprise, 1010 S. State Street, Jackson, MS. I had reserved it the day before for just one day’s use (8-11-10). The representative and I walked around the vehicle and there weren’t visible damage. I signed the paperwork and drove it home about six miles from the Enterprise office. I parked and went inside my home to prepare for guests (family) who were enroute to my home. They arrived and visited for 30 minutes. Two of the family members were leaving for their home in TN. They requested directions to the Wal-Mart about four miles from my home. This was about 10:30 a.m. I decided it would be easy to show them by leading them there. I picked up the keys to the Hyundai and walked to it along with my Aunt. I inserted the key in the driver’s side, I made one clockwise turn to unlock the door, I pulled the door open and shockingly the Side Molding on the driver’s side door popped a loose and pressed into the small fragile Molding on the fender and it immediately fell to the ground. It is clear to me that something had happen. Being a honest person, I drove the car back to Enterprise (1010 S. State Street, Jackson, MS) and they said because it happened in my possession, I was responsible. I had four witnessess present at my home standing beside the car when this popped off the vehicle. I want everyone to be aware of this kind of scam that may be going on. The Enterprise Representative rushed the car over to a bumper repair shop and got a quick estimate. I had to pay them $145 for that damage that I had nothing to do with. I was so shocked about this until I let them keep the car which still caused financial lost to me because I did not get to use the car as planned, but still I had to pay $34.95. When I picked it up it was on Empty. Therefore, I lost gast money because I had driven to the gas station and gotten a fourth of a tank of gas. of “nothing”, I The Representative handling the vehicle rental had told me to bring it back with the same little gas that was in it that morning prior to pick-up. He said the customer who turned the car in had keep it for awhile–meaning they had it for an extended amount of time. I could tell that because the seats had extensive food spots on them. This company has destroyed my “Trust”. I will be forever be concerned now that the rental companies are being dishonest. You can’t trust a “walk around” any more. Damage could be hidden. I want to contact Hyundai about this….I know they are not making a weak product such as this. It is sad that all of this mess caused me an unnecessary lost $187.95. I will think twice about renting a car now.
Dianne

August 11, 2010, I picked up a Hyundai Accent from Enterprise, 1010 S. State Street, Jackson, MS. I had reserved it the day before for just one day’s use (8-11-10). The representative and I walked around the vehicle and there weren’t visible damage. I signed the paperwork and drove it home about six miles from the Enterprise office. I parked and went inside my home to prepare for guests (family) who were coming to my home. They arrived 9:48 a.m. and visited for 20 minutes. Two of the family members were leaving for their home in TN. They requested directions to the Wal-Mart about four miles from my home. This was about 10:30 a.m. I decided it would be easy to show them by leading them there. I picked up the keys to the Hyundai and walked to it along with my Aunt. I inserted the key in the driver’s side, I made one clockwise turn to unlock the door, I pulled the door open and shockingly the Side molding on the driver’s side door popped a loose and pressed into the small fragile Molding on the fender and it immediately fell to the ground. It is clear to me that something had been covered up. Being an honest person, I drove the car back to Enterprise (1010 S. State Street, Jackson, MS) and they said because it happened in my possession, I was responsible. There were four witnesses present at my home standing beside the car when this popped off the vehicle. An Enterprise Representative rushed the car over to a repair shop that he said Enterprise uses and got a quick estimate. I had to pay them $145.28 for that damage that I had nothing to do with. I was so shocked about this until I let them keep the car which still caused financial lost to me because I did not get to use the car as planned, but still I had to pay $34.95. When I picked the car up it was on Empty. Therefore, I lost gas money because I had driven to the gas station and gotten a fourth of a tank of gas. The Representative handling the vehicle rental had told me to bring it back with the same little gas that was in it that morning prior to pick-up. He said the customer who turned the car in had kept it for awhile–meaning they had it for an extended amount of time. I could tell that because the seats had extensive food spots on them. He said that the previous customer stated to him that whoever gets this car will love it because it is good on gas. I wish that would had been true. My “Trust” has been destroyed. I will be forever concerned now that the rental companies are being dishonest. You can’t trust a “walk around” any more. Damage could be hidden. I want to contact Hyundai about this….I know they are not making a weak product such as this. It is sad that all of this mess caused me an unnecessary lost $187.95. I will think twice about renting a car now. I have never damaged a rental car and I am a person of integrity that would own up if it were true. Even though it is all a lie, Enterprise received $145.28 to replace the molding that someone else damaged. I was told by the Representative that if it does not cost this amount of money ($145.28), the difference will be credited back to the credit card. I called the office a few days later to follow-up with the representative and he told me that it took that amount to repair the molding.
I have done extensive research since August 11, 2010, and I had no clue that Enterprise would allow this to happen to its customers. I had already made plans to reserve a nice vehicle for September. But, now I am truly afraid of the hidden possibilities.
Erika

I recently rented a car from an Alamo location in the Orlando airport. When I walked outside, the Alamo employee said to pick whatever car in a certain row. We did not look at the car for existing damage together. It was at night in a parking garage but from what I could see, the car looked fine with a minor few scratches near the trunk which is common for rental cars. The Alamo employee did not ask me to look for damage on the car. When I returned the car, the Alamo employee handed me a receipt and said nothing. A week later, I get a letter from Alamo Rent a Car’s Damage Recovery Unit saying that their was damage to the car that I rented and to contact my insurance company. There was no dollar amount or description of the damage. I did not choose the Alamo rental insurance as I have my own insurance. I do not want to pay Alamo a dime as I did not damage this car. What should I do? PLEASE HELP MR. ELLIOTT! Thank you, E
Conor T

Just back from Italy, we rented a Nissan Micra from a Thrifty franchise in Naples airport. I asked the guy would there be someone to come with us to the car and inspect any damage, he told me not to worry, they had a list of all damage.When we got to the car it had 7 noticable areas of damage so I took a photo of each of them. Now we’ve received a charge on the c/c for €300. I’ve called them and they tell me it’s for damage to the left rear wing. I have a photo of this damage and can therefore prove it wasn’t me. I’ve emailed them asking for them to send me a photo so I can definitively prove (my photo has the date and time on it). They are effectively stealing my money, what are my chances of getting it refunded? Any advice?
Eric3232

I have made the mistake of renting a car from Thrifty (Terstappen) in Frankfurt Airport: On returning the car they showed me a tiny mark on the windscreen and charged me almost $1,000 for it. It didn’t mattaer that repairing this damage is less than $150 (I have a quote!). In addition, they refuse to produce any evidence that they used my money to repair the damage after all. At the bottom line, they may be using this very small unnoticeable damage to rip you off, guys. Beware and stay away from these people!
Mike

Terstappen is definitely running a damage rip-off scheme. I had them pick up the car due to bad weather. The car had extensive
original damage, which was noted on my rental form. The person
coming to pick up the car claimed there was new damage, which I disputed. He did not write down any new damage, and I signed
the form. Terstappen is now claiming I signed a form indicating new damage and keeping my entire deposit of 1100 Euros. I intend to sue them and will be putting up a website to warn people away from them. I have already turned away business from them. Do not rent through Dollar or Thrifty in Germany because it goes through Terstappen.
http://homepage.aiminspections.com car sales inspections

It is always important before renting a used car review before use to ensure that the vehicle has no scratches for the company that leases the vehicle does not attempt to collect this type of damage.
anon

You can contact the Federal Trade Comission (FTC). Under the Bureau of Consumer Protection for Unfair or Deceptive Practices Affecting Consumers Section 5 of FTC Act, 15 U.S.C. 45. You can contact the FTC at 1-877-FTC-HELP or(1-877-382-4357)or go online at http://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov.

Also you might be interested in this youtube video where this investigative news reporter is going undercover into on of these car rentals places: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lBlNXau7lY