Comments on: Are car rental companies preying on careless drivers? http://www.elliott.org/blog/are-car-rental-customer-preying-on-careless-drivers/ Consumer advocate Christopher Elliott's site. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:25:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Zack http://www.elliott.org/blog/are-car-rental-customer-preying-on-careless-drivers/comment-page-1/#comment-33460 Zack Wed, 10 Feb 2010 03:09:48 +0000 http://www.elliott.org/?p=5091#comment-33460 My daughter rented a car from Enterprise while her car was being reparired from a minor accident. The first car she got smelled like smoke and had stains on some of the seats, so she took it back the next day to get a replacment. The agent told her the replacement car lookd ok and didn't go out with her to inspect it and this being my daughters first rental she looked the dark navy blue car over in the rain and didn't see anything. When she returned it the agent saw a samll dent on the truck by the key hole that you could only see if you looked at it the right way -- I know, I was there when she returned the car. They charge my daughter with the damage and wrote up a damage report and charge her $500 deposit untill they could get a repair estimate. I looked at my daughter pink copy of the rental contract and on the second auto diagram it only had a few items filled out and nothing about whether the car had damage or not when she took it off the lot. I went to the rental agent the bext day and ask for the white original copy of the contract (which he made me a copy) and it showed all the info on the second auto diagram was filled in now, showing no damage to the car. He also said there was not damage report on the car from the previous rentere. My contention here is that when my daughter picked up the second car he put her pink contract copy under the original white copy, but did not completely fill it out. Once she returned the car and he found the damage (which he may have already know about) he altered/fradulently the original white page of the contrct and filled in the rest of the information to say the car had no damage. This way he was able to get her to pay for the damage, which so far the damage repair came to guess what -- just over $500, plus admin fee=$100 and other misc fees have the bill up to almost $800 now. We have written the Enterprise Damage Recover Unit and explainted all of this in writting, but they just send another bill saying pay for the damage. We don't believe the damage occurred while my daughter had the card, but was missed when she picked it up because of the cars dark color and the weather conditions at the time. I am not sure what to do at this point other than pay for damage to a car that I don't believe my daughter did ( she is 25). I believe the original copy of the contract was fraudently altered to make it look like the car had no damage when she got it, but my daughter was never provided with a written contact fullly completed that showed on her pink copy that it (did or did not) have damage at the time she picked it up. Do you have any advise on how to handle this situation at this point or do we just end up paying a bill for something that she did not do ?? Thanks for reviewing this situation. My daughter rented a car from Enterprise while her car was being reparired from a minor accident. The first car she got smelled like smoke and had stains on some of the seats, so she took it back the next day to get a replacment. The agent told her the replacement car lookd ok and didn’t go out with her to inspect it and this being my daughters first rental she looked the dark navy blue car over in the rain and didn’t see anything. When she returned it the agent saw a samll dent on the truck by the key hole that you could only see if you looked at it the right way — I know, I was there when she returned the car. They charge my daughter with the damage and wrote up a damage report and charge her $500 deposit untill they could get a repair estimate. I looked at my daughter pink copy of the rental contract and on the second auto diagram it only had a few items filled out and nothing about whether the car had damage or not when she took it off the lot. I went to the rental agent the bext day and ask for the white original copy of the contract (which he made me a copy) and it showed all the info on the second auto diagram was filled in now, showing no damage to the car. He also said there was not damage report on the car from the previous rentere. My contention here is that when my daughter picked up the second car he put her pink contract copy under the original white copy, but did not completely fill it out. Once she returned the car and he found the damage (which he may have already know about) he altered/fradulently the original white page of the contrct and filled in the rest of the information to say the car had no damage. This way he was able to get her to pay for the damage, which so far the damage repair came to guess what — just over $500, plus admin fee=$100 and other misc fees have the bill up to almost $800 now. We have written the Enterprise Damage Recover Unit and explainted all of this in writting, but they just send another bill saying pay for the damage. We don’t believe the damage occurred while my daughter had the card, but was missed when she picked it up because of the cars dark color and the weather conditions at the time. I am not sure what to do at this point other than pay for damage to a car that I don’t believe my daughter did ( she is 25). I believe the original copy of the contract was fraudently altered to make it look like the car had no damage when she got it, but my daughter was never provided with a written contact fullly completed that showed on her pink copy that it (did or did not) have damage at the time she picked it up. Do you have any advise on how to handle this situation at this point or do we just end up paying a bill for something that she did not do ?? Thanks for reviewing this situation.

]]> By: Jeff Price http://www.elliott.org/blog/are-car-rental-customer-preying-on-careless-drivers/comment-page-1/#comment-25432 Jeff Price Thu, 15 Oct 2009 06:51:46 +0000 http://www.elliott.org/?p=5091#comment-25432 I've just had a similar problem with Budget in Belfast. When I returned the car, there were two scuff marks on the rear bumper. My wife rubbed one of them off with her handkerchief! The other one was very superficial and as I have two cars of a similar colour, I know it would have polished out easily. When I returned to the compound to take photographs they were most reluctant to tell me where the car was. A month later I have received a bill/estimate for £261 which suggests that it will take four and a half hours to 'repair'! It seems like they have a licence to print money. DO NOT USE BUDGET! They may seem cheap but.... I’ve just had a similar problem with Budget in Belfast. When I returned the car, there were two scuff marks on the rear bumper. My wife rubbed one of them off with her handkerchief! The other one was very superficial and as I have two cars of a similar colour, I know it would have polished out easily. When I returned to the compound to take photographs they were most reluctant to tell me where the car was. A month later I have received a bill/estimate for £261 which suggests that it will take four and a half hours to ‘repair’! It seems like they have a licence to print money. DO NOT USE BUDGET! They may seem cheap but….

]]> By: Ric http://www.elliott.org/blog/are-car-rental-customer-preying-on-careless-drivers/comment-page-1/#comment-23206 Ric Tue, 25 Aug 2009 18:33:00 +0000 http://www.elliott.org/?p=5091#comment-23206 Do not rent from Budget - and especially not in Ireland. Budget is the only 'large' rental company that is 100% franchise. There is no central company with which to file a complaint, as with the other large rental companies - you are dealing only with a local or regional small business who have paid a franchise fee so that they can use their signage. With Budget, you are 100% responsible for all expenses that may be incurred once you drive the vehicle from their lot. If the engine falls out of the vehicle 10 minutes later, or the clutch burns out as detailed above, the repair is entirely done at your expense. With Hertiz (National, Avis, etc), if the engine falls out of the vehicle, they will hire someone to gather you and get you another vehicle. The other majors will not charge you for absurd vehicle malfunctions. This appears to be a little known fact. SPREAD THE WORD. If you do have a malfunction with a Budget vehicle, you are far better off going to an independent garage and arranging the repair yourself, for Budget will soak you clean if they are left to repair 'your' vehicle. Do not rent from Budget – and especially not in Ireland. Budget is the only ‘large’ rental company that is 100% franchise. There is no central company with which to file a complaint, as with the other large rental companies – you are dealing only with a local or regional small business who have paid a franchise fee so that they can use their signage. With Budget, you are 100% responsible for all expenses that may be incurred once you drive the vehicle from their lot. If the engine falls out of the vehicle 10 minutes later, or the clutch burns out as detailed above, the repair is entirely done at your expense. With Hertiz (National, Avis, etc), if the engine falls out of the vehicle, they will hire someone to gather you and get you another vehicle. The other majors will not charge you for absurd vehicle malfunctions. This appears to be a little known fact. SPREAD THE WORD. If you do have a malfunction with a Budget vehicle, you are far better off going to an independent garage and arranging the repair yourself, for Budget will soak you clean if they are left to repair ‘your’ vehicle.

]]> By: Ashley http://www.elliott.org/blog/are-car-rental-customer-preying-on-careless-drivers/comment-page-1/#comment-20541 Ashley Tue, 30 Jun 2009 01:02:53 +0000 http://www.elliott.org/?p=5091#comment-20541 I recently had a troubling experience in Ireland (apparently notorious for scamming tourists). I rented a car from the Dublin airport, a VW Golf, and it was acting funny from the start. It stalled when the clutch was almost fully depressed and the gears would grind even when the clutch was fully depressed. At first I dismissed the stalling as learning a new cars behavior. But after only driving the vehicle for 9km, the clutch burnt out leaving me stranded. Keep in mind I have years of experience on a stick shift as it was the first car I learned how to drive. I filled out an incident report and was told I would be contacted within days if there were any issues. I left Ireland for the USA 16 days later. 6 weeks after THAT, I received a bill in the mail. They had already charged my credit card $1801.13!!! This was over $200 to tow the vehicle from Dublin to Galway (apparently there are no car shops in the country's capital?) along with $700 for 8 hours of labor, plus parts, an a "loss of car hire" fee. Even insurance companies get to assess damage before paying. Why wasn't I afforded this opportunity? There is no way I burned out a clutch in only 9 km and there is no way it should cost almost $2K to repair. I'm stuck because I can't fight an international battle. Budget of the U.S says they have no jurisdiction. I've filed a complaint to the Better Business Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission and have sent certified letters to the car agency. It sucks because for the last month I have been raving about how wonderful Ireland was. So beautiful and everyone was so nice. I even had my coworker convinced she would retire there (she retires next month). This has completely ruined my impression of the country and of Budget. To them, $1800 is less than they will lose from my office not renting from them anymore... but to me, $1800 is everything! I recently had a troubling experience in Ireland (apparently notorious for scamming tourists). I rented a car from the Dublin airport, a VW Golf, and it was acting funny from the start. It stalled when the clutch was almost fully depressed and the gears would grind even when the clutch was fully depressed. At first I dismissed the stalling as learning a new cars behavior. But after only driving the vehicle for 9km, the clutch burnt out leaving me stranded. Keep in mind I have years of experience on a stick shift as it was the first car I learned how to drive. I filled out an incident report and was told I would be contacted within days if there were any issues. I left Ireland for the USA 16 days later. 6 weeks after THAT, I received a bill in the mail. They had already charged my credit card $1801.13!!! This was over $200 to tow the vehicle from Dublin to Galway (apparently there are no car shops in the country’s capital?) along with $700 for 8 hours of labor, plus parts, an a “loss of car hire” fee. Even insurance companies get to assess damage before paying. Why wasn’t I afforded this opportunity? There is no way I burned out a clutch in only 9 km and there is no way it should cost almost $2K to repair. I’m stuck because I can’t fight an international battle. Budget of the U.S says they have no jurisdiction. I’ve filed a complaint to the Better Business Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission and have sent certified letters to the car agency. It sucks because for the last month I have been raving about how wonderful Ireland was. So beautiful and everyone was so nice. I even had my coworker convinced she would retire there (she retires next month). This has completely ruined my impression of the country and of Budget. To them, $1800 is less than they will lose from my office not renting from them anymore… but to me, $1800 is everything!

]]> By: Treva http://www.elliott.org/blog/are-car-rental-customer-preying-on-careless-drivers/comment-page-1/#comment-14624 Treva Sat, 20 Sep 2008 04:13:34 +0000 http://www.elliott.org/?p=5091#comment-14624 I just recently rented from a company in San diego named Travcar rental and they did a number on me by authorizing my charges for $190.00 over my $33.00 estimated charges. Well they did not tell me this and they did not have that in the contract I signed. I called them to find out why they did this and they told me that was standard across the board, which I dont believe because they have to tell you what your charges are, well ironically after that discussion they told me that there was new damage to the vehicle that there was a dent on the bumber and I told them that when I picked up the car there was scratches all over the car and I told the attendant that and he said they knew about that. Well this hole situation put me in a bind because I could not rent from another company when I was stranded because of this credit card situation, I decided that I did not trust them and closed the credit card and the credit card company said I can dispute the charges. I do not mind paying them the $33.00 what I owe but them trying to add the ding on the bumper and make more money off of me is ridiculous. By the way I like the camera idea, this is the first time this happened to me and i have rented quite a few rental cars believe me I will be taking the camera with me next time. Thanks Treva I just recently rented from a company in San diego named Travcar rental and they did a number on me by authorizing my charges for $190.00 over my $33.00 estimated charges. Well they did not tell me this and they did not have that in the contract I signed. I called them to find out why they did this and they told me that was standard across the board, which I dont believe because they have to tell you what your charges are, well ironically after that discussion they told me that there was new damage to the vehicle that there was a dent on the bumber and I told them that when I picked up the car there was scratches all over the car and I told the attendant that and he said they knew about that. Well this hole situation put me in a bind because I could not rent from another company when I was stranded because of this credit card situation, I decided that I did not trust them and closed the credit card and the credit card company said I can dispute the charges. I do not mind paying them the $33.00 what I owe but them trying to add the ding on the bumper and make more money off of me is ridiculous. By the way I like the camera idea, this is the first time this happened to me and i have rented quite a few rental cars believe me I will be taking the camera with me next time.

Thanks

Treva

]]> By: Jeep and car rentals in St. Lucia http://www.elliott.org/blog/are-car-rental-customer-preying-on-careless-drivers/comment-page-1/#comment-13537 Jeep and car rentals in St. Lucia Mon, 21 Jul 2008 20:31:31 +0000 http://www.elliott.org/?p=5091#comment-13537 in my opinion, car rental companies must have seen this business in light of the careless drivers. in my opinion, car rental companies must have seen this business in light of the careless drivers.

]]> By: Tenerife rentals http://www.elliott.org/blog/are-car-rental-customer-preying-on-careless-drivers/comment-page-1/#comment-13294 Tenerife rentals Wed, 09 Jul 2008 18:27:40 +0000 http://www.elliott.org/?p=5091#comment-13294 Remember when people rented cars mainly for the purpose of vacation transportation? These days, things have changed. The car rental industry has grown by leaps and bounds; the most current estimates available put annual car rental revenue at a whopping $17.6 billion. <a href="http://cheap-car-rental-tenerife.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">Cheap Car Rental Tenerife</a> <a href="http://cheap-car-rental-tenerife.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">http://cheap-car-rental-tenerife.blogspot.com</a> Remember when people rented cars mainly for the purpose of vacation transportation? These days, things have changed. The car rental industry has grown by leaps and bounds; the most current estimates available put annual car rental revenue at a whopping $17.6 billion. Cheap Car Rental Tenerife http://cheap-car-rental-tenerife.blogspot.com

]]> By: Skip http://www.elliott.org/blog/are-car-rental-customer-preying-on-careless-drivers/comment-page-1/#comment-13261 Skip Tue, 08 Jul 2008 21:20:14 +0000 http://www.elliott.org/?p=5091#comment-13261 For years I have done a personal inspection of each and every rental car I use, and make careful notes on the forms each time I check the car out and check it back in--and I take my sweet time about it too, so they remember who I am. This past year I have begun including photo evidence of the inspection, along with the attendant included in at least one photo. It's more work, but it has saved me a world of grief. For years I have done a personal inspection of each and every rental car I use, and make careful notes on the forms each time I check the car out and check it back in–and I take my sweet time about it too, so they remember who I am.

This past year I have begun including photo evidence of the inspection, along with the attendant included in at least one photo. It’s more work, but it has saved me a world of grief.

]]> By: Paula http://www.elliott.org/blog/are-car-rental-customer-preying-on-careless-drivers/comment-page-1/#comment-13211 Paula Tue, 08 Jul 2008 13:49:37 +0000 http://www.elliott.org/?p=5091#comment-13211 We have just returned from 16 days in Ireland. Before we checked out the car in Belfast, I took photographs of the car. I made a joke and made the car rep stand in the picture with my husband. I used my cell phone and played it like a joke. Two weeks later we returned the car in Dublin. They started to go on about dings in dents. We listened to his well scripted monologue. Finally, as I didn't want to be late for our Guniess tour, I took out my cell phone and showed him the car photographs. He didn't know were to go, except to tell us we owned them more money for gas. I got home, called AMEX and Hertz and they took care of the revenge surcharges. We have just returned from 16 days in Ireland. Before we checked out the car in Belfast, I took photographs of the car. I made a joke and made the car rep stand in the picture with my husband. I used my cell phone and played it like a joke. Two weeks later we returned the car in Dublin. They started to go on about dings in dents. We listened to his well scripted monologue. Finally, as I didn’t want to be late for our Guniess tour, I took out my cell phone and showed him the car photographs. He didn’t know were to go, except to tell us we owned them more money for gas. I got home, called AMEX and Hertz and they took care of the revenge surcharges.

]]> By: Joyce http://www.elliott.org/blog/are-car-rental-customer-preying-on-careless-drivers/comment-page-1/#comment-13175 Joyce Mon, 07 Jul 2008 15:21:32 +0000 http://www.elliott.org/?p=5091#comment-13175 I've never had a problem returning a rental, but thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and ideas. Have never taken pictures, but will from now on to prevent going through what several of you have. I’ve never had a problem returning a rental, but thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and ideas. Have never taken pictures, but will from now on to prevent going through what several of you have.

]]> By: Gareth http://www.elliott.org/blog/are-car-rental-customer-preying-on-careless-drivers/comment-page-1/#comment-13112 Gareth Fri, 04 Jul 2008 08:47:35 +0000 http://www.elliott.org/?p=5091#comment-13112 I had a similar problem in Barcelona a couple of years ago - checked the car out in the dark, where there was nothing on the damage report but I noticed a dink on the car the following morning. I took a picture and when we got back to the hold I was completely awaiting a confrontation. Fortunately the inspector was too hot and couldn't care less, and gave me a copy of the damage report - stating it was fine! I had a similar problem in Barcelona a couple of years ago – checked the car out in the dark, where there was nothing on the damage report but I noticed a dink on the car the following morning. I took a picture and when we got back to the hold I was completely awaiting a confrontation.

Fortunately the inspector was too hot and couldn’t care less, and gave me a copy of the damage report – stating it was fine!

]]> By: Carver Farrow http://www.elliott.org/blog/are-car-rental-customer-preying-on-careless-drivers/comment-page-1/#comment-13071 Carver Farrow Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:58:53 +0000 http://www.elliott.org/?p=5091#comment-13071 I've been very fortunate. In 10 years of rentals, I have never been "dinged". I limit my rentals to Hertz and occassionally Budget. I have been a long term member of both loyalty programs. I’ve been very fortunate. In 10 years of rentals, I have never been “dinged”. I limit my rentals to Hertz and occassionally Budget. I have been a long term member of both loyalty programs.

]]> By: Don http://www.elliott.org/blog/are-car-rental-customer-preying-on-careless-drivers/comment-page-1/#comment-13068 Don Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:43:25 +0000 http://www.elliott.org/?p=5091#comment-13068 I rented from Budget in Las Vegas last month - 2 hour wait in line, all the cars were dirty and smelled terrible (food, vomit), you check out in a darkened garage where the attendant uses a mini flashlight to go over the car and mark a damage report (he missed several dings which I pointed out to him) but return in a more brightly lit area - I took pics of my return and the attendant said that was a good idea because he/she had been criticized by management for not making up enough damage claims. No more "Budget" - never have these problems with Hertz or Avis. I rented from Budget in Las Vegas last month – 2 hour wait in line, all the cars were dirty and smelled terrible (food, vomit), you check out in a darkened garage where the attendant uses a mini flashlight to go over the car and mark a damage report (he missed several dings which I pointed out to him) but return in a more brightly lit area – I took pics of my return and the attendant said that was a good idea because he/she had been criticized by management for not making up enough damage claims.
No more “Budget” – never have these problems with Hertz or Avis.

]]> By: Gary Zeune, CPA http://www.elliott.org/blog/are-car-rental-customer-preying-on-careless-drivers/comment-page-1/#comment-13046 Gary Zeune, CPA Wed, 02 Jul 2008 02:17:03 +0000 http://www.elliott.org/?p=5091#comment-13046 Want to know how to protect yourself from the 'ding' scam. TAKE YOUR CAMERA. When you rent the car whip out your camera and take pictures. Ask the agent to stand beside the car. Casually mention that the camera date/time stamps the pics. Do the same when you return the car. I rent 35 weeks a year and I've never had a rental company try to scam me. Works every time. Want to know how to protect yourself from the ‘ding’ scam. TAKE YOUR CAMERA. When you rent the car whip out your camera and take pictures. Ask the agent to stand beside the car. Casually mention that the camera date/time stamps the pics. Do the same when you return the car. I rent 35 weeks a year and I’ve never had a rental company try to scam me. Works every time.

]]> By: Jay Cee http://www.elliott.org/blog/are-car-rental-customer-preying-on-careless-drivers/comment-page-1/#comment-13044 Jay Cee Tue, 01 Jul 2008 23:32:59 +0000 http://www.elliott.org/?p=5091#comment-13044 Three years ago I rented a Fiesta from Hertz Zurich. Returned the car six weeks later to the airport where it was inspected and I was issued a computer bill. Back home, a week later, my CC was billed for an extra SFR 500. Heated email exchange followed with the Hertz Swiss Customer Service. I was being billed for a damaged babyseat and baby poop soiled car seats. I'm 68, travelled alone and never had a babyseat or baby in the car during the location. I finally got billed for "only" SFR 200 because the car was "dirty" (it just needed a car wash, the inside was clean) and got a $50 coupon to atone for the baby fracas. Three years ago I rented a Fiesta from Hertz Zurich. Returned the car six weeks later to the airport where it was inspected and I was issued a computer bill. Back home, a week later, my CC was billed for an extra SFR 500. Heated email exchange followed with the Hertz Swiss Customer Service. I was being billed for a damaged babyseat and baby poop soiled car seats. I’m 68, travelled alone and never had a babyseat or baby in the car during the location. I finally got billed for “only” SFR 200 because the car was “dirty” (it just needed a car wash, the inside was clean) and got a $50 coupon to atone for the baby fracas.

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