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A few dollars more

June 6, 2006

Q: I recently rented a car from Dollar Rent A Car in Oakland, Calif. Before I left the rental lot, I walked around the vehicle and filled out a form acknowledging the car was undamaged. I inspected the car after I returned it, with the same results.

About a month later, I got a notice from the Dollar claims department saying there was a huge scratch on the back bumper of my rental. They enclosed a picture. It is not something that I, or the person checking in the car, would have missed when walking around the vehicle.

Now Dollar wants a total of $730 from me — $630 for damages, plus a $100 “administrative fee.”

But I don’t think I did it. If I had, I would have filled out an accident report and had my credit card company coverage pay for it. I called the claims agent, and he has admitted that the damage could have happened in the Dollar parking lot after I left the car.

Dollar is sending me letters threatening litigation over nonpayment, which seems a little heavy-handed. If they can convince me that the scratch was there when I returned the car, I will gladly take responsibility, but I just can’t believe I missed seeing it.

– Jenna Munson, La Jolla, Calif.

A: So two people — you and a Dollar representative — walked around the car and didn’t see this scratch when you returned it. And now Dollar wants to charge you $730 for something that wasn’t there?

I’ve spoken with attorneys who represent car rental customers in damage disputes. They tell me that they have successfully argued that once a car is returned, and you have a signed receipt from the rental agency, the company can’t ask you for more money. So already, Dollar’s claim against you is probably not the strongest.

Unfortunately, this kind of thing happens too often. Car rental agencies are increasingly looking at their claims departments as a source of revenue, and they are aggressively pursuing not only legitimate claims, but also the most questionable cases.

There are a few ways to make sure you don’t get stuck with a bill for damage that you aren’t responsible for.

First of all, make sure you have a signed receipt from the agent who receives the car. Second, consider taking a picture of the car from all angles before and after you rent. (With today’s digital cameras, this is pretty easy and doesn’t take up valuable film.) Pay close attention to the bumpers and windshields, since they are the big trouble spots for damage.

If your rental company presents you with an extra bill, you can send this documentation back to the company as proof of your innocence. Also, be sure to ask for repair records, any photographic evidence that the rental agency has and double-check that the license plate from your rental matches the car in question.

I asked Dollar to take another look at your case. It did, and found that your file didn’t contain an important piece of evidence: your signed check-in slip from the rental agent.

Dollar apologized for the inconvenience and dropped its claim against you.

Christopher Elliott is the author of Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals. Critics have called it “eye-opening” and “inspiring” — it’ll “grab your attention and won’t let go.” Order your copy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or iTunes.

15 comments

  • Don Jancauskas

    I am going through exactly the same problem with Dollar at their Denver location for a February rental. The car was returned without any damage, as it was received. Within the last two weeks, I have received a letter along with a Dollar taken picture dated two weeks after I had returned the car. I wrote tham back I did not cause the damage as they accused me of and have not yet heard back from them.
    Do you have other complaints from Dollar renters about this same problem. If this is a practise they are starting maybe the public needs more information.

  • Carver Farrow

    I had the reverse happen to me. I caused some minor damage to a couple of cars over the years. Small scratches and the like. However, I only rent from car rental companies in which I am a frequent and preferred renter. No one has made an issue, even though I told the companies about the damage. I have to believe that they decided that my continued loyalty and business was more important that a couple of dollars .

    The other thing is that companies threaten litigation all the time. Its actually fairly rare for them to follow through, especially for small sums.

  • Jackie C.

    I had a similar experience with Enterprise in Madison, WI. It was an early flight so I was told to leave the car in the marked stall, drop the keys in the box with my mileage info. A week later, I received a letter stating that I was being charged for a cracked windshield. No rental car employee was present at drop off to verify my claim of no damage so it was very upsetting to me. Fortunately, after several weeks, their claim against me was dropped.

  • Ed

    My position exactly. I only rent from one car rental agency. While I don’t rent from them often enough to be a frequent renter, they do treat me well and I get no hassles from them. I have had bad experiences from the “bargain” car renters…it’s nice to use a Premium rental company and get the respect I deserve.

  • Arthur R

    This story is disturbing as it reminded me of a different ripoff by Dollar @ ABQ. At check in we were offered a cheap upgrade for a more powerful car. Turned out the car was bigger and heavier but gutless. We were unable to exchange the car as we were in the middle of the NM high desert. On return, Dollar was utterly unmoved by our complaints about the car. We were not permitted to speak with a manager and were stonewalled at every turn when we tried to address the situation post-return. Dollar has lost my business forever. This story only confirms my distaste for the company.

  • Frank Urquiza

    My story is similar….After returning our van back to Enterprise….a water hose blew as we were entering the parking lot…the attendant told us not to worry about it and signed the reciept and told us everything was ok…A month later they sent us a bill for over $800.00 saying that the Air Conditioner had a hole in it from a rock or something that caused it….at first not wanting to pay for something we didnt do intentional,,,,they threated litagation so we wound up paying it…I Will NEVER use Enterprise again..and this is after being a Enterprise user for over ten years…..Check your car carefully when returning..

  • John Ypma

    The suggestion about the documentation seems to be key in todays environment. I’ve found Enterprise and Budget seem to be the most agressive at making claims. They walk you around the car for damage and often don’t note it, making comments like “Oh, that’s not really big enough”. Then when you return they zap you. Last week at Enterprise in Grand Rapids, the Assistant Manager laid on the ground to find scratches under the front bumper. Pretty ridiculous.

    My sense is someone has come up with a new idea that this can be a newly found profit center. I really doubt if they make some of the repairs anyhow.

    Another scam I got into was at Budget where they ask if you have company insurance (I did) and did you want to decline there’s (I did), then they circle the boxes for signature/initially. Like a dummy I did and later found one was to accept their insurance. Apparently it was so frequent that the check-in person told me what to do and what to expect. (Complain and expect to wind up paying about 1/2…I did and walked off feeling stupid).

  • Stefan V.

    I took our family to Orlando on June 1 and rented from Dollar at the airport. We filled out the agreement in the airport and then took the paperwork to the key pickup which is in the garage. The girl at the counter had me sign and then gave me keys and said its in L31.

    My wife and two children lugged behind me and we went and loaded in the car. I noticed that there was some paint on the rear bumper but didn’t think anything about it. Surely it was noticed from the previous rental I thought to myself?

    When we dropped it back off at the airport on June 7, the guy checking us in made a comment about it and I told him it was there when we picked it up. He said…oh no problem, just sign this accident form and state that on it. So, I did and signed and left to catch our flight.

    Today, a month later, July 3, we receive a letter from a 3rd party claims company saying we owe $225 for the paint on the back bumper.

    I called Dollar claims and left a message. I would pay without hesitation if I’d done that damage, but it just makes me fume that I’m being made to pay for something I didn’t do!

    To me the first issue is that the sheet of paper they give you when you rent has a place to note any damange, etc. BUT, you have to sign that sheet in order to get the keys and even find out where the car is. Does that make sense? It seems backwards to me.

    2nd issue – I probably should have told that guy I wasn’t going to sign any damage report form. But, we were trying to make a flight and he acted like it wasn’t going to be a big deal.

    Anyone have suggestions? I’ve thought about just telling them I won’t pay and let them turn it over to whomever they want. But, I told my wife that what would probably happen is that we would be turned over to a small claims court and end up paying even more. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

  • Bart

    This is for Stefan V., but for everyone else who rented from Dollar as well. When I rented a car from Dollar in Orlando, I wasn’t able to inspect it before getting the keys or the spot it was parked in. We picked it up at night, and in the morning we saw damage. I am a journalist, and I was travelling with a photographer– we photographed the car. On the damage, there were stickers saying “reported” and a number. When we handed the car in, we were told to fill out an incident report. And months later, we got an enormous bill, about $1000 damages. Lucky for us, we have access to an attorney. We’re of course challenging, and we will work to get the Florida State Attorney involved. It appears Dollar Rental Car in Orlando Florida has a brutal scam going on. Sorry to Stefan V and anyone else who got caught in this.

  • Gina S

    I have had a similar experience with Dollar. I picked the car up in SMF, at night, did a walk around and saw no damage. When I turned the car in, the attendant noticed a small dent in the bumper. The dent was so small, that I couldn’t see it straight on, I had to view it at an angle. I received a bill from Dollar for $213, which included a $50 administration fee. When I talked the representative at Dollar, he was consistently rude, dishonest and argumentative. My credit card company paid for everything, but the administration fee. I don’t feel I should pay for this fee, considering the attitude and ignorance I had to tolerate from the representative. It is only $50, what, if anything could Dollar do?

  • Patricia

    I am having a very similar problem with Dollar and I am furious. I rented a car from the St. Louis airport Dollar Rent a Car for two days. I checked the vehicle before I drove it off of the lot, no damage, and, without buying the extra insurance, was on my way. At 6:30 am two days later, I dropped off the car, parking it behind a line of other cars that had also been returned.. I checked it for damage and took the keys in to the office. No one came out to check for damage in my presence. About one week and a half later, I received a letter from the claims person saying that there was damage to the car’ passenger side windshield and that I would be hearing from there claims company regarding the bill. I was flabbergasted!! There was absolutely no damage to the car. After calling the claims woman and finally corresponding through email, she said that the crack in the windshield was so bad that it had legs and the whole windshield had to be replaced.

    I wrote back and requested all of the Ready Tags from the cars rental history as well as a picture of the damage. She declined. I wrote back and asked for the last ten ready tags and that I will contact a lawyer if need be. I also stated that a judge would subpeona the info if it were taken further. I have not heard back from the woman, but I did receive a bill for the windshield–$182 for the windshield, $100 for administrative fees and $20 for lost rental revenue. I am not paying for this damage!!!! I did not cause it!

  • Jean Bass

    I have had similar experiences with ALAMO, NATIONAL and AVIS. I have now decided that I will pay more up front and go to HERTZ, which I have never had a problem with.

  • Sharon

    I just had a call (May 21) from Dollar in Anchorage – a franchisee owned by the Floyds.
    The claims person, Karen, told me they were charging me for a cracked windshield on a car, a Dodge Caliber, I rented in early March (!).
    I told her there was no crack in the windshield when I turned the car in, and this was not my responsibility. She said they had pictures. I said the pictures could have been taken days (months!) after I rented, and she said that they were taken when the car was being readied for the next renter. I said there was no crack when I turned the car in, and she said it could have come from a chip that then turned into a crack when the car went through the car wash for cleaning. I told her I did not get hit by any rocks and that if the crack was caused by a chip it got there before I rented and was too small to notice, or perhaps got there from passing cars in the parking lot after I rented. I have no idea, but when I turned the car in there was no damage. She said they were going to turn it over to a 3rd party claims person. Any help is appreciated.

  • P.Anderson.

    On a recent trip to Hungary I rented a car via the internet from Europcar. The company supplying the car was Buchbinder in Vienna. When I returned the vehicle,a representative said that there was a scratch on the wing mirror, I argued the fact because the only mark to be seen was a black rubber mark that could be easily removed with a damp cloth. He then proceeded to rant something in German and knowing that my flight was imminent kept jestering to me to sign the booking-in form. I did, thinking that would be the end of it.
    Weeks later my credit card bill arrived and I was stunned to discover that Buchbinder had taken a payment of 406.80 Euros.Which was approximately the excess on the rental agreement. After several phone calls and e-mails I eventually managed to get a copy of the invoice detailing the repair.(written in German). Some were as follows : Replacement mirror housing,€298.66.
    Paint and labour,€206.25. plus extras. With tax the bill totalled €692.26.
    An expensive mirror for a Hyundai 110 !!
    What was just as astonishing was the fact that the repair was made on the same day as the car was returned.(pm). EurotaxGlass who carried out the(so-called) repairs must be commended on thier speed or was it that German efficiency that we hear so much about.?
    Europcar say that they are unable to help me, but then why should they as they already have my money.

  • Rose

    BEWARE – DO NOT RENT A CAR FROM NATIONAL in NYC
    7 a.m. this morning I arrived at a National Car rental office on W 40 St. in Manhattan (NYC) to pick up a reserved car. All correct official ID was established. An American Express Rewards coupon for $75 was presented. The National Car Rental supervisor, Michael, refused to honor the coupon saying that I should have read the fine print because AMEX Rewards coupons are not accepted at NYC locations !!

    That rebuttal was not what I wanted to hear after rising at 5 a.m preparing to drive several hours to a funeral!

    When the original reservation was made with National over the phone I stated an AMEX coupon would be presented at the Manhattan car pick up address. I asked many question when reserving from National and getting the $75 coupon from AMEX to be sure all would run smoothly on the day of the funeral. The AMEX coupon was downloaded from the web following phone instructions from AMEX.

    I gave the details of my reservation and coupon all substantiating the careful way in which I made the reservation and got the coupon but the supervisor continued to deny and rebut. He then suggested I take a cab to JFK airport and catch a National Car Rental from there where the coupon would be accepted! Absurd hardship! 45 minutes cab ride in the wrong direction (1.5 hours round trip) to give National my business! No thanks!

    Thumbs down to National for bad, discourteous and insensitive customer service and double thumbs down for their original misinformation. Thumbs down as well for American Express for misinformation and misrepresentation.

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