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DAMAGE CLAIM

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? 

Avis charged me $450 for a “heavy smoke smell” in my car — but I don’t smoke!

December 3, 2025December 3, 2025 by Christopher Elliott

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? 

Categories The Travel Troubleshooter
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? 

Turo is accusing me of causing $1,200 in damage. But I didn’t do it!

November 26, 2025November 26, 2025 by Christopher Elliott

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? 

Categories The Travel Troubleshooter
Locked out of their Airbnb during a rainstorm, guests were billed $385 for the faulty keypad. Airbnb sided with the host, refusing to drop the unfair charge.

Locked out and charged $385 for getting into my Airbnb — is that fair?

November 5, 2025November 5, 2025 by Christopher Elliott

A couple faces a $385 charge after an Airbnb keypad fails during a rainstorm. The locksmith blames the weather, but Airbnb sides with the host. When weather wreaks havoc, should guests foot the bill?

Categories The Travel Troubleshooter
Guest uses a provided hair dryer, an outlet burns out, and Vrbo tries to charge $1000 from the deposit. Who's responsible?

An outlet burned out in my Vrbo — why are they charging me an extra $1,000?

October 14, 2025September 29, 2025 by Christopher Elliott

Picture this: Something goes terribly wrong with your vacation rental, and instead of fixing the problem, the owner slaps you with a $1,000 bill. And when you complain to the rental platform, it tells you that you’re out of luck and then charges your credit card

Categories Advocacy
Turo renter gets hit with a $500 bill for cracked paint she believes was already there. See how she challenged Turo's damage claim.

Help! Turo is charging me $500 for cracked paint on my rental car

August 14, 2025August 13, 2025 by Christopher Elliott

Latisha Thompson rents a car through Turo and is charged $500 for a paint job that she says was defective to begin with. Can she get a refund?

Categories The Travel Troubleshooter
Stacey Wall rented a car from Enterprise in Phoenix and took photos of a small dent on the door before driving it. Weeks later, she received a $1,391 damage claim dated three days after returning the car. Despite providing timestamped evidence of pre-existing damage, Enterprise insisted she was responsible. After escalating the issue, Enterprise reviewed the photos again and agreed to drop the claim, leaving Stacey relieved but questioning why this happened with her rental Windstar.

I have proof that I didn’t damage my rental car. So why do I have to pay?

November 24, 2024October 9, 2024 by Christopher Elliott

Stacey Wall has proof that she didn’t damage her rental car. So why does Enterprise want to charge her, anyway?

Categories The Travel Troubleshooter
Michael Roehricht found himself in a tough spot after damaging a rental car from Enterprise in Germany. Despite his efforts to work with his car insurance company to cover the damages, Enterprise refused to provide the necessary repair invoice, leaving Michael in limbo. With his insurance company’s deadline approaching, Michael reached out for help. After a frustrating back-and-forth, Enterprise finally provided the documentation, allowing his insurance company to settle the claim for $17,552. This case highlights the importance of obtaining a repair invoice in rental car disputes.

How do I get a repair invoice from Enterprise? My insurance company needs it

October 23, 2024October 2, 2024 by Christopher Elliott

Michael Roehricht needs a repair invoice from Enterprise to file a claim with his car insurance company. Why won’t the company send him the paperwork?

Categories The Travel Troubleshooter
Josephine Donatelli was charged $515 by Enterprise for a missing head restraint and hat shelf from her rental car. However, she insists she returned the vehicle exactly as she rented it. Enterprise sent the claim more than a month after the return, with insufficient evidence to prove it was her rental car, including no photos with identifying details like a license plate. After disputing the charge with her credit card company and contacting Enterprise, a representative apologized for the error and refunded the money, acknowledging the confusion and promising future rental credits.

Billed $515 for a missing head restraint on my rental car. But is this the right vehicle?

August 19, 2024August 14, 2024 by Christopher Elliott

Enterprise charges Josephine Donatelli $515 after it discovers a missing head restraint in a rental vehicle. But was it her rental vehicle?

Categories The Travel Troubleshooter
Did Jesse Treakle lose the cargo cover in the BMW x-5 he rented from Enterprise in Zürich, Switzerland? Of course not. So why is he getting these demand letters from PurCo, telling him he must pay $1,202 in the next 10 days?

I didn’t lose the cargo cover in my rental car. Do I still have to pay this $1,202 damage claim from Enterprise?

April 29, 2024April 22, 2024 by Christopher Elliott

Did Jesse Treakle lose the cargo cover in the BMW x-5 he rented from Enterprise in Zürich, Switzerland? Of course not. So why is he getting these demand letters from PurCo, telling him he must pay $1,202 in the next 10 days?

Categories Advocacy
Avis billed one of its customers $573 for damaging a windshield. But there was no damage to the windshield. What should he do?

Windshield damage on my Avis rental! Do I have to pay $573?

April 9, 2024April 8, 2024 by Christopher Elliott

Avis billed one of its customers $573 for damaging a windshield. But there was no damage to the windshield. What should he do?

Categories Advocacy
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