Dubai Car Rental Damage

thefly99

I recently rented a car from Budget in Dubai and scraped it against a car park barrier doing some minor damage.  Since no other vehicle was involved I didn't file a police report.  When I returned the car they said that since I don't have a police report I'm liable for the full repair cost rather than the excess of AED 2000.

I'm back in the UK now and they've assessed the repair at AED 5213.25 (which I think is way too high) and are asking for that (less the deposit of AED 1500 which they charged to my credit card).

The rental agreement says that I have to pay the first AED 2000 of every incident resulting in damage or loss or the cost of such damage or loss but doesn't specify in what circumstances you would be liable for the full cost.  It does say that a police report is required for every accident but doesn't say that failure to get one makes you liable for the full cost.

So far I have only agreed to pay the AED 2000 excess.

Are they correct in asking for the full cost?
If I refuse and only pay the AED 2000 excess can they persue me for the balance in the UK?

jbrassy

Did you get car hire excess insurance? This would cover this kind of stuff 

thefly99

jbrassy said:

Did you get car hire excess insurance? This would cover this kind of stuff 

Yes, but that will only cover the AED 2000 excess.

DoboChopSueyBar

The reason why a police report was required is so that they could get the damage repaired under their insurance policy - no matter how minor. No police report = no repair possible under insurance. However there was no need to call the police, reporting the collision using the Dubai Police app (under 'Simple Accident Report' option) with photos of the damage & barrier would have been enough. You would have been given an accident ref number and that would have been enough.

https://www.dubaipolice.gov.ae/wps/portal/home/services/individualservices/reporttrafficaccident?firstView=true

This service allows drivers of vehicles damaged as a result of a collision with another vehicle or object, to obtain a minor or medium traffic accident with no injuries report (provided that the accident is not a result of being under the influence of alcohol) so the applicant may carry on the matter with the insurance company. Note that the report is valid for 3 months from the date of issuance.

LightFlare

thefly99 said:

I recently rented a car from Budget in Dubai and scraped it against a car park barrier doing some minor damage.  Since no other vehicle was involved I didn't file a police report.  When I returned the car they said that since I don't have a police report I'm liable for the full repair cost rather than the excess of AED 2000.

I'm back in the UK now and they've assessed the repair at AED 5213.25 (which I think is way too high) and are asking for that (less the deposit of AED 1500 which they charged to my credit card).

The rental agreement says that I have to pay the first AED 2000 of every incident resulting in damage or loss or the cost of such damage or loss but doesn't specify in what circumstances you would be liable for the full cost.  It does say that a police report is required for every accident but doesn't say that failure to get one makes you liable for the full cost.

So far I have only agreed to pay the AED 2000 excess.

Are they correct in asking for the full cost?
If I refuse and only pay the AED 2000 excess can they persue me for the balance in the UK?

unlikely - but it might not be a good idea to ever go  (or via) there again

They arent known for their leniency

thefly99

DoboChopSueyBar said:

The reason why a police report was required is so that they could get the damage repaired under their insurance policy - no matter how minor. No police report = no repair possible under insurance. However there was no need to call the police, reporting the collision using the Dubai Police app (under 'Simple Accident Report' option) with photos of the damage & barrier would have been enough. You would have been given an accident ref number and that would have been enough.

https://www.dubaipolice.gov.ae/wps/portal/home/services/individualservices/reporttrafficaccident?firstView=true

This service allows drivers of vehicles damaged as a result of a collision with another vehicle or object, to obtain a minor or medium traffic accident with no injuries report (provided that the accident is not a result of being under the influence of alcohol) so the applicant may carry on the matter with the insurance company. Note that the report is valid for 3 months from the date of issuance.

Yes I've since found all of that out but it needs to be done in UAE.  I did try using a VPN but it didn't work.  If the staff at the return desk had mentioned that I could do it on an app then I would have done that before leaving but they never mentioned anything about it.