Car hire scams
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at 08:21 by MartynSinclair.
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RebeccaBallatineParticipantJust read this interesting report on the BBC about people being unjustly charged for “damage” caused to their vehicle after hiring it abroad:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11503509
Fortunately this has never happened to me but it’s something to bear in mind. Has this happened to anyone else? And does anyone really take photos of their hire car before returning it? I guess it’s a good idea…
11 Oct 2010
at 07:17
stmcdonaldParticipantWhen you return your car there is usually an agent to do a ‘walk-round’ so any issues can be addressed there and then. However, if you return your hire vehicle to a car park or outside office hours ALWAYS take photographs – you just might need them for any potential dispute with the car hire company.
11 Oct 2010
at 07:40
waterszParticipantmy company books with avis and they have pulled their fair share of extra charges on me in the past including one legendary battery charging fee!!!!
like the guy above said do a walk round urself and take pictures
also procedure at avis is to report any discrepances to the guy on the gate rather than que up again11 Oct 2010
at 07:50
StephenLondonParticipantA few digi-photos on iPhone or Bberry never hurts and is easily deleted a month or two after rental. France used to be pretty bad for adding extra charges, so I make sure wherever possible to get the agent to provide a receipt, citing they’re accepting the car back in good condition and with a full tank.
11 Oct 2010
at 11:44
TominScotlandParticipantProblems can arise when you return a car on a dark, wet night and the car hire attendant wants to get things sorted quickly – said from bitter experience! If you have time, insist on a properly lit place for the handover and go over the car with that person. Photos are also a very good idea!!
11 Oct 2010
at 13:07
CharlesRhonaParticipantBetter still ask for a quote that includes full CDW. This is compulsory in most US States and I have never had a problem with extra charges. In recent visits to Australia and Greece I asked the car hire firm to quote me a rate that included full CDW. They did so and the small additional premium was worthwhile paying knowing that there would not be any problem if I was involved in an accident or incident that resulted in damage to the car. Must say I was amazed the Greek Car Hire Company (Alianthos in Crete) was prepared to offer this given the state of many of the roads there!
12 Oct 2010
at 07:55
PotakasParticipantJust paid 300 pounds on Avis for a 4cm scratch low in the bumper, although i wasn’t sure if i did it , i didn’t do many complaints.
I would like to ask why they don’t repair the cars from previous scratches. The car i rent had about 20 scratches (marked on the contract). i suppose that all of them have been charged to someone. I can understand that on the damage i made they will have to paint all the bumper but the bumper had on the other side 2 -3 scratches, so how this think work? They charge everyone for a full repair of the bumper and they repair it for the cost of one ?
8 Nov 2010
at 18:44
YorkshirePuddingParticipantI got a bill for £400 from Hertz for damage to car door that I did not notice until I got the car home from rental lot. Car was collected from Hertz with no one present, very cold and raining, car park dark and car black. I argued (very politely) with Hertz explaining the circumstances and got refunded. Interesting point though was that the local Hertz office, where knew the guys quiet well, said this often happens at airport locations because they know you are in a hurry…..
8 Nov 2010
at 21:01
PotakasParticipantActually i thought that because the damage wasn’t marked on the contract i had to pay .
The thing that made me very uncomfortable was that after he checked the car he gave me a form to fill (how the accident happened etc.), i asked him what is this for (because it was my first time paying for a damage on a hired car) and he answered very aggressively, he actually said: ” I could actually charge you for many other damages” (meaning : so fill the report and go away..). Can i do anything about the thread he told me? Because as i said previously i never denied to pay for the damage and i don’t want to pay 300 pounds and be considered as a favor to me also, i don’t want to be threaten in order to fill the report .
Any advice would be welcome.
Regards
Potakas
16 Nov 2010
at 16:29
UpgrademeParticipantI experienced two shocking scams when I rented a vehicle with AVIS from Malta airport MLA.
1) Although the Avis website claims that the office is open from 00:00-23:59 they apply an ‘out of hours’ surcharge if you arrive after 19:00!!
2) They fill half the tank with fuel, make you pay a ‘mandatory fuel purchase’ and then instruct you to bring the car back ’empty’. What a rip-off! The island is tiny and I rented a very fuel efficient car; so it would have meant several complete tours of the whole island before getting even close to using up the fuel. The mandatory fuel purchase charge scam is operated by a number of car rental companies in various countries – and I’m sure that they cover themselves in the small print – but I found the Malta one to be particularly cynical.
Grrrrrrrrrrrr!
18 May 2011
at 13:22
stevescootsParticipantAvis turkey was the worst for me.
I took the car, a terrible Focus with over 80k kms on the clock, it had to be 5+ years old. Driving from Istanbul to Cannakle, about 4 hours. it started to rain and behold I found the wiper plades were ruined! I had to stop, buy new ones. Avis refused to compensate me even though i gave them the old ones as well, on top of that they charged me twice the forecourt rate to top the car up and billed me for 4 wheel trims stating damage when there was none. all compliants went through Avis turkey and i got nowhere with them.
on the other hand everywhere else has been excellent service with Avis so i continue to use them
18 May 2011
at 14:11
roddersParticipantBeware Hertz in Dubai. I returned the car a Toyota Fortuna which had a scrape on the plastic running board on the passenger side, which I was unaware of when the car was returned, and certainly did not do. There was no duty manager available to debate this with, as it was “his day off” nor any deputy, and I have now found a charge of AED 500 on my card to repair the damage….never again Hertz. Hertz then sent the bill to an incorrect email address.
Avis from now on for me, who have always adopted a much more cooperative approach when things have happened.
1 Jun 2011
at 19:11
Charles-PParticipantI have an employee who worked for a major car hire firm during his university holidays. He talked about the “regular charge damage”. This is a scratch or dent which they never repair but which gets charged for every rental. Very popular if the damage is down low, out of the eye line.
2 Jun 2011
at 09:16 -
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