car rental - think i have been 'ripped off '

benny123

i have recently hired car with avis car rentals
when i took car back, the attendant , who was the most obnoxious jobswoth, said he saw a 'chip' on bumper, when i looked, i initially could not see anything but with my glasses and a very close inspection,i saw a chip the size of a full stop so less than 1mm, he said the bumper would need replacing !! so the cost to me was over £200
i presumed the cost of car rental would have included insurance for this but he told me that i had opted out of an additional cost for collision insurance ( news to me ! ) but i had signed the paperwork so i agree i should have read the small print but at the same time i feel this should have been explained to me as an option.
Because i had a flight to catch, i had no choice but to pay with credit card but on reflection, i feel i have been robbed .
Incidentally another customer at the car park could not see the mark either and was so concerned on my behalf that he went back to rental desk to cancel his car for fear the same could happen to him as he had not been asked about additional insurance either so i can't help thinking it is a regular scam
so what to do now ? could i cancel payment to them i made via credit card or contact customer service, i gather from trip advisor that it is hard to make a complaint about car rental problems
any suggestions or similar experiences ?
thank you

newfoundglory

I have only ever rented with Enterprise, and to say they were scrupulous in checking for marks BEFORE the rental would be an understatement. Did you/they not check the car before they let you have it?

vikingaero

95% of the time, car rental firms never pay for a car to have minor cosmetic repairs. Sure they charge people the excess each time there is damage so it's a good earner for them. If they do get it repaired then it will be at trade rates by a smart repairer for £30. More often than not the car will be sold with the damage at auction.

I would have kicked the car to make sure there was something worth repairing!

andygb

I agree with the other posters, the rental/credit hire firms look on this as an opportunity to make even more money out of a doggy hire car. I had dealings with DriveAssist, and would never use them again. Why are they charging customers for damage repair, when the car you are provided with, has evidence of minor scuffs and scrapes from every previous customer?
They are all supposed to be regulated by the FSA, which figures, because it was the same bunch of cheats who regulated the banks.

pendulum

Hire cars do big mileage and always have marks. When I last hired a car there were so many little marks and scratches that I could have stood there a full hour pointing them all out (and still missed some). All I could do was bring the guy back and make sure he marked the major ones on the sheet, but there were loads of tiny little marks that weren't declared because there were just too many of them. Charging you for a tiny 1mm mark is just a scam.

benjus

I was in a similar position with Hertz at Geneva airport a few months ago (I didn't actually pay them there and then, but I they had already reserved the excess amount on my credit card and I signed the damage form). I called the Hertz UK head office to ask for a full report of the damage and a breakdown of the costs incurred. In the end they replied to say they had no record of any damage and released the excess on my credit card

I suggest you do the same, and then dispute the transaction with your credit card issuer if Avis's response is unsatisfactory. Enclose copies of all correspondence to/from Avis when sending the letter to dispute the transaction.

Edit - just for the record, I remembered that it wasn't Hertz but Alamo...

danielvmn

I don't have much to add, but I am curisous about one thing, if they say they will have to replace the front bumper, could you take the old bumper home with you?
Since you are paying to get it replace...

scheming_gypsy

danielvmn wrote: »

I don't have much to add, but I am curisous about one thing, if they say they will have to replace the front bumper, could you take the old bumper home with you?
Since you are paying to get it replace...

I was going to suggest the same; go back and take the bumper off seeing as you've bought it

useless_git_requires_wife

With me, I've discovered that the smaller, local car hire firms have been the most reliable and least likely to pull a fast one over the years compared to the 'big' names. Just my experience.

Enfieldian

scheming_gypsy wrote: »

I was going to suggest the same; go back and take the bumper off seeing as you've bought it

I likes that idea, I do...


"So, Mr Jobsworth... It is a £200 excess for ANY and ALL damage?"

Hoof! Crack! Smash!

Police get called? "No officer... Criminal damage, you say? It's fine, I have already paid a damage excess so it is a civil matter at best" (Well possible breach of the peace if you are still kicking lumps out of it when they turn up!)

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Kilty_2

I'm pretty sure BVRLA set a guideline as to what constitutes "fair wear and tear" to a rental / lease vehicle - ie stonechips etc.

I'd suggest checking this out and making a formal complaint.

Tip - ALWAYS inspect a rental car when you take delivery. If there is damage that is not on the damage sheet, call them immediately or inform the agent if you pick it up in person. Make sure it's recorded and if you do this over the phone take photos.

For those saying rental cars are always beat up - I tend to get ones in good condition every time the company I work for hires me one, but then it's a big corporate contract so maybe they pull out the stops a bit. Had a few dodgy ones but not many.