Ironically, the only time I have ever damaged any rental vehicle was a scuff that was smack-center i

For starters, the car didn t appear to be the one that Bitting, an account executive super 8 motels for a federal agency in Washington, had rented. The dates when the damage occured didn t match the dates on which he d driven the Mazda 3. The pictures were taken weeks after he d returned the car. And questions to Enterprise s damage recovery unit, asking for an explanation of the inconsistencies, were met with silence.
Bitting believed that he was being billed for someone else s damage. He filed a complaint with the Better Business super 8 motels Bureau, which at the time gave the car rental company a rating of F, he says. Within days, Enterprise sent him a letter threatening to turn over the case to a collection agency.
Complaints about allegedly bogus damage claims appear to be a growing problem. I receive several requests for help every week. And a series of reports super 8 motels implicating Budget in a scheme to systematically and intentionally defraud customers by overcharging super 8 motels for minor repairs that sometimes aren t even done is making headlines in Canada.
British Columbia s Attorney General, Shirley Bond, is reportedly investigating allegations of fraud at several Budget locations, super 8 motels and it wouldn t be surprising if a suspicious eye were eventually cast south of the border.
Bitting, for his part, was undeterred by his setbacks. He contacted the Virginia Attorney General s office and also asked me to help. Enterprise s claim, he said, was ridiculous and filled with inconsistencies and cryptic notes that he couldn t understand.
I asked Enterprise to review his bill, and it dropped the claim against super 8 motels him. I ve had numerous conversations about damage claims with Enterprise in the recent past, and it believes that customers in the United States single it out for what they believe to be fraudulent damage claims because it s the largest car rental agency.
Cases such as Bittings, it argues, are usually reversed as a gesture of goodwill, not because they are invalid. This seems to make its customers happy. But there s a growing consensus among industry-watchers that closing damage claims to avoid extra scrutiny may not be enough.
Sharon Faulkner, the executive director of the American Car Rental Association, a trade group for the car rental industry, says that her constituents are obviously concerned about the Canadian investigation.
That said, our industry serves millions of customers every year, providing affordable and accessible vehicles at the airport, as well as in thousands super 8 motels of neighborhood locations, and we re proud to be of service in so many communities for the long term, she adds. Overall, the industry does a very good job of managing vehicle damage claims.
The problem may not be the car rental super 8 motels industry s current damage-recovery practices. After all, it has had years to fine-tune its claims process, and with the possible exception of a few rogue franchisees, it s difficult to imagine this kind of fraud being carried out at a chain-wide super 8 motels level, with senior management s blessing.
Rather, two other issues could broadside the industry. The first is how car rental employees are trained. One former Budget employee told Canadian broadcast network CBC that he d been told to inspect vehicles from top to bottom and report any damage to managers no matter how minuscule, starting with the windshield. I spoke with a former car rental franchise owner in the States recently, who told me that she paid her employees to find damage on vehicles after they d been returned.
Current and former car rental employees are only too aware that their business model is fragile. Take away the expensive insurance, fuel purchase options, navigation systems and aggressive pursuit of all damage to the vehicles, and your location could start hemorrhaging money. So it isn t necessarily what the American car rental companies say about damages that could be damning it s what it says to its employees about them.
The second problem: People never forget. If you ve been dinged for damage that didn t exist when you returned your vehicle, you could spend years, and even decades, pursuing justice. Did I say decades? Yes.
Walter Bird contacted me recently because he d received what he claimed was a bogus bill after he d rented a Lincoln super 8 motels Towncar from Budget in Toronto in 1995. No one had offered to do a pre-rental walkaround, and no one had been available to inspect the car, he says. They d just handed him the keys. Several weeks after returning the vehicle, super 8 motels he says, he received a notification from Budget that it had charged $154 to his credit card for a damaged tire. No explanation, just a bill. He s still furious.
It s people like Bird who make me think that this time, someone, somewhere, is going to say enough. If the Federal Trade Commission can stop hotels from hiding resort fees and the Transportation Department can force airlines super 8 motels to come clean about delays, then it s just a matter of time before this issue is taken up by an agency with meaningful regulatory oversight.
Okay, I ll be honest. I m not holding my breath. So, in the meantime, do this: Take multiple pictures of your car before and after your rental. If there s damage, make sure you note it. If you re uncomfortable with the pre-existing damage, ask for another car. If you don t think your insurance will cover you, buy the extra collision-damage super 8 motels waiver.
Not in our experience. When our bank cancels a card at our direction, that card is completely super 8 motels canceled and no further charges are posted to that card s number. I shouldn t admit it but we have avoided paying parking tickets issued in a couple of cases in Italy and one in France by canceling a card used at the car rental agency right after returning the vehicle. You may need to check this out with your lending institution.
A similar thing happened to ,me in Canada in the 90s. I filed a complaint and the Dollar rental car did not move forward. HOWEVER, the Dollar rental car in Boston did. My VISA card upheld my complaint and did not charge the extra to my VISA account. I called corporate and they agreed with me and said I could quote them to the local company in Boston; however, they could not do anything because the Boston rental agency was locally owned. I noticed my added bill had a different name from Boston rental car. I was so unhappy because RCI had made my reservation and would not be my voice . Two of three credit agencies went with me, but a third did not. We returned the car to an employee and he said all was well. Three days later we got a call at home accusing us of damaging the car. I will never rent with Dollar again.
A similar thing happened to ,me in Canada in the 90s. I filed a complaint and the Dollar rental car did not move forward. HOWEVER, the Dollar rental car in Boston did. My VISA card upheld my complaint and did not charge the extra to my VISA account. I called corporate and they agreed with me and said I could quote them to the local company in Boston; however, they could not do anything because the Boston rental agency was locally owned. I noticed my added bill had a different name from Boston rental car. I was so unhappy because RCI had made my reservation and would not be my voice . Two of three credit agencies went with me, but a third did not. We returned the car to an employee and he said all was well. Three days later we got a call at home accusing us of damaging the car. I will never rent with Dollar again.
More than once I have pointed out damage to a car I was renting and the agent seemed perplexed that I would not drive the car off the lot before they marked down the location of the damage. A couple of times I have been told that whatever I was pointing out was too minor or just a scuff gee, if it is a scuff it didn t come off when you washed this car. I still make them write it down.
Ironically, the only time I have ever damaged any rental vehicle was a scuff that was smack-center in a 8 pre-existing dent marked on the rental agreement.and I was able to rub it off amid the already cracked paint and deformed steel.
More than once I have pointed out damage to a car I was renting and the agent seemed perplexed that I would not drive the car off the lot before they marked down the location super 8 motels of the damage. A couple of times I have been told that whatever I was pointing out was too minor or just a scuff gee, if it is a scuff it didn t come off when you washed this car. I still make them write it down.
Ironically, the only time I have ever damaged any rental vehicle was a scuff that was smack-center in a 8 pre-existing dent marked on the rental agreement.and I was able to rub it off amid the already cracked paint and deformed steel.
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