Carrie Finegan’s rental car has a dent on it, and the company wants her to pay for the repair. But did she do it, or was the dent on the car before she rented it? Why doesn’t the company seem to care?
RENTAL
You’re standing in front of your rental car. Now what?
Bayard Allmond is told his rental car won’t come with an extra driver fee for his wife, but when he gets his bill, he finds the surcharge, anyway. Is there any way to get his car rental company to make good on its promise?
Think of it as an invisible road hazard.
When the hot water doesn’t work in your hotel room, you call the front desk and with any luck, it gets fixed. But what if you’re in a rental apartment?
Richard Hartman rented a car from Alamo in Montreal this summer. It’s a decision he regrets.
Tania Rieben thought she’d scored a bargain on a one-bedroom condominium in Maui for spring break. She’d found the vacation rental through a popular Web site called VRBO.com and then negotiated directly with the owner.
When Marcella Knight opened the door to her vacation rental property in Rehoboth Beach, Del., a few weeks ago, she saw a dump. Not only was the unit dirty, but it was also in dire need of maintenance, she says.
Sometimes, even death isn’t a good enough reason for a refund.
Amy Hutt is no beginner when it comes to the vacation rental game. She’s booked several homes through VRBO.com, a site owned by HomeAway, in the past, and she felt confident about turning to it for a trip to Bali this fall.
Peggy Suvak’s car rental started routinely enough. When she picked up the car from an Enterprise location in Indianpolis, an associate walked around the vehicle to check for damage and seemed to have “no concerns.”
Timothy Taylor gets an unpleasant surprise in the mail after returning his rental car: A claim for $2,000 in damages. He didn’t do it, and his car rental company agrees, but after agreeing to drop the matter, it reverses course. Can it be talked out of this wrongful claim?
Diana Somerville was looking forward to a week in Canada with her family last Thanksgiving. But the weather gods were not smiling upon her. Just before she was supposed to drive up to Victoria, a major blizzard struck near her home in Washington State, making the roads impassable.
This is the front bumper of Jeffrey Scheid’s rental car in Reno. See anything? Yeah, neither do I.
Phillip Barszczowski’s Hertz car, which he booked through Priceline, cost $122. Not bad for a four-day rental in Wyoming, considering what rates have been doing lately.
Elliott is consumer advocate 
I'm on Facebook: Please "like" 
WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM? If you're having trouble with a travel business - any business - and you've reached a dead end, maybe I can help. Send me an