Bitting believed that he was being billed for someone else s damage. He filed a complaint with the B

For starters, the car didn t appear to be the one that Bitting, an account executive 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 Bureau, which at the time gave the car rental company a rating of F, he says. Within one way car rentals europe 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 implicating Budget one way car rentals europe in a scheme to systematically and intentionally defraud customers by overcharging for minor repairs that sometimes aren t even done is making headlines in Canada.
one way car rentals europe British Columbia s Attorney General, Shirley Bond, is reportedly investigating allegations of fraud at several Budget locations, 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 one way car rentals europe General s office and also asked me to help. Enterprise s claim, he said, was ridiculous and filled one way car rentals europe with inconsistencies and cryptic notes that he couldn t understand.
I asked Enterprise to review his bill, and it dropped the claim against him. I ve had numerous conversations about damage claims with Enterprise in the recent one way car rentals europe 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 one way car rentals europe that closing damage claims to avoid extra scrutiny may not be enough.
one way car rentals europe 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 one way car rentals europe about the Canadian investigation.
That said, our industry one way car rentals europe serves millions of customers every year, providing affordable and accessible vehicles at the airport, as well as in thousands 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 industry s current damage-recovery practices. After all, it has had years to fine-tune its claims one way car rentals europe 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 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 one way car rentals europe car rental franchise one way car rentals europe 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 one way car rentals europe could start hemorrhaging money. So it isn t necessarily what the American one way car rentals europe car rental one way car rentals europe companies say about damages that could be damning it s what it says to its employees one way car rentals europe 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 one way car rentals europe a Lincoln Towncar from Budget one way car rentals europe 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, he says, he received a notification from Budget that it had charged $154 to his credit one way car rentals europe 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 to come clean about delays, then it s just a matter of time before one way car rentals europe 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 waiver.
one way car rentals europe Not in our experience. When our bank cancels a card at our direction, that card is completely canceled and no further charges are posted to that card s number. I shouldn t admit it but we have avoided paying parking tickets one way car rentals europe 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. one way car rentals europe 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 one way car rentals europe 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 one way car rentals europe 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 one way car rentals europe 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, one way car rentals europe 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 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.
What s your problem? If you're having trouble with a business - any business - and you've reached a dead end, maybe I can help. Send me an email and I'll investigate. (I can't promise a fix, but I take every request seriously.) If you want to connect with other consumers, why not sign up for my free weekly newsletter , RSS feed or free daily email updates ?
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