Marcy Schackne is mad.
She recently waited 2½ hours at LAX just to talk to a car rental agent. After completing her paperwork, she inspected three vehicles that were “beyond dirty” before finding one suitable to drive
Even the most experienced traveler can run into trouble every now and then. But how do you get out of trouble?
Gary Mullen-Schultz thought he was getting a reliable rental when he picked up a vehicle from Avis in Sacramento. Instead, he got something else — a vehicle that reeked of marijuana. Now Avis wants him to pay $250 to get rid of the smell. Can it do that?
When John Sand landed in Munich and picked up his rental car from Enterprise, he was ready for a fun-filled European road trip. Instead, he took an unexpected detour that left him without wheels for 36 hours and forced him to navigate a Kafkaesque customer service maze.
Todd Brueshoff cancels his Hertz rental through Expedia two days before pickup and receives an email confirming that there’s no cancellation fee. But wait, there is! Hertz charges him a $52 no-show fee. Can he get his money back?
Randall Lee returns a rental car to Avis after a 7-hour rental during which he only drove 57 miles — only to receive a $450 cleaning fee a week later for a “heavy smoke smell.” But hang on. Neither Lee nor his wife smoke. Can he get a refund?
Bartosz Jusypenko rents a car through Turo in Canada and returns it without incident — or so he thinks. The host claims a new scratch appeared during the rental, but the car was dirty at pickup. Now Turo wants him to pay $1,200 to fix the damage. Is that right?
All Brian Dunn needed for his business trip was a reliable rental car. Instead, he got a Nissan Sentra from Sixt that was unsafe to drive. And when he tried to return it, the car rental company slapped him with a $794 tow charge he never authorized.
Everything seemed fine when Josie Daigle rented a car in Boston from a national chain. A cursory glance at the vehicle before she drove off with her two young kids suggested the car was safe.
Victoria Muenchow hits a deer while driving a Hertz rental van, files a claim through her credit card insurance, and waits 10 months for Hertz to send a $5,873 bill. After her insurance settles the bill, Hertz demands an additional $842 for “diminished value” but can’t provide documentation. Can she fight this fee — and win?
