Q uestion : Please help me with a bogus damage charge by Alamo. We picked up our car in Kona, Hawaii

Q uestion : Please help me with a bogus damage charge by Alamo. We picked up our car in Kona, Hawaii, at dusk and saw numerous small dents and dings and scratches on the vehicle. We couldn t find a form to report the damage.
We asked the agent where the form was and reported airline tickets usa to canada several areas that we were concerned about. We were advised that they no longer have that form and if there was damage golf ball size or smaller they don t worry about it.
When we returned the car two weeks later, they gave my husband an express incident report airline tickets usa to canada indicating damage to a passenger side panel. Although we explained that we had tried to report the damage, Alamo eventually sent us a notice saying that based on its investigation, we must hold you contractually responsible for this loss.
First, though, let me commend you on your choice of vacation destination. Hawaii s Big Island is one of The Travel Troubleshooter airline tickets usa to canada s all-time favorite places, airline tickets usa to canada and he recently rented a car in Kona with exactly the same problem.
How did I get around it? I wrote a detailed description of the damage on the rental receipt, brought it back to the rental agent, and asked her to sign it. She did. I also took pictures of the rental car in order to document the numerous scratches on the minivan.
Had the agent refused to sign, I would have asked for another vehicle. It s not that I demand a flawless car when I m on assignment (I don t) but I know too well the danger of being held responsible for pre-existing damage. airline tickets usa to canada And that s unfair, as you correctly point out.
I think you could have avoided being broadsided by a claim, but that would have required buying Alamo s optional insurance, airline tickets usa to canada which can double the cost of your rental, and represents a huge profit airline tickets usa to canada center to the auto rental industry.
Huh? This doesn t ring true to me. The OP detailed the conversation about reporting damage and asking for a form, and the agents reply about not worrying airline tickets usa to canada about a very specific size or smaller, and the (non-)availability of forms.
Absolutely they do. I ve had rental car agencies claim that they didn t have such a form, it wasn t in stock, no one was available to look at the damage with me, etc. At some point, you have to go about your business and can t stay at the rental car agency forever. I ve just taken pics, emailed them to my wife s email for a time/date stamp and then gone about my merry way. The couple of times the rental agencies have tried to claim I ve damaged the car, out came the pics and the dated email. That put an end to the discussion quickly.
It seems it would be the rental companies position that the more difficult it is to report pre-existing damage, the more likely the renter will give up and assume possession of the vehicle and thus, the more likely that the rental company can charge for said damage and profit.
It seems in this case, the OP knew enough to mention that there was damage, was concerned enough to make a couple of statements airline tickets usa to canada regarding the damage and this should have raised enough of a flag that they either asked for a new car, or gotten written documentation on the back of a McDonalds napkin if need be.
Every rental I ve done in the past few years has had a copy of a damage report stapled to the contract with most damage already noted. In two cases I saw additional airline tickets usa to canada small problems, noted it on my copy and then someone signed it. No problems upon return.
If you re not a savvy traveler, sure you just leave. You trust that the person in charge is being honest with you, you might be tired from a long day (or days) of travel, and you go. Before reading this blog, it never would have occurred to me to even check a car for dings before leaving with it. The onus is on the traveler to report airline tickets usa to canada problems and go the extra mile, but most travelers aren t aware of that and this is especially true if an employee has told you it s not a problem.
Just as you pack a toothbrush and other necessities, the new must is an inexpensive digital camera, especially, airline tickets usa to canada as you point out, to shoot pix of a rental car. There are also cheap disposable airline tickets usa to canada cameras: scan the prints airline tickets usa to canada to your computer for file and storage to send by email when needed.
On one rental i was not given one, when asked they were not pleased to hand it out. I noted everything (and then some, since they do not check it). I have been told to be as general as possible when noting scratches, by a former employee. Also taking pictures of a little scratch does not show up on most cameras. When renting from Sixt they sent me a $1800 bill for damage. They did not log me in or out of the lot. When i sent them a photo a the damage they did not even ask for a date stamp.
How many people reading this would have refused to believe the OP s claim that there was no form to report damage if not for the remarkable coincidence that Chris recently rented airline tickets usa to canada a vehicle from the exact same location and experienced the same issue?
Not every renter is as paranoid as they would be if they regularly followed this site. There was a time when I might have been trustful enough to think that remembering the name of the agent who told me there was no written form and who I alerted to the pre-existing damage would have been enough.
Just call the 800 number and report it, I ve reported damage the next day, it was pitch black when I got the car, and couldn t see the damage, and in Kona as well, and they were able to take the information over the phone, I wasn t charged for anything.
Agreed. Its about being a savvy traveler, which is unfortunate. When I rent a car and I see damage, I know to demand to fill out a form. When I get the usual BS about the damage not being worth reporting I have my ready reply, Yes, but I would feel more comfotable filling out the form . As an experienced traveler I know that scam and have already determined an effective response.
I remember Hertz once tried to give me a beater car. I told the agent point blank, I thought the car had been in an accident and that whoever took the car was going to be in litigation with Hertz and I didn t really want that much grief. I made them change it and give me a disount for my troubles.
The unfortunatel truth is that most people don t want to make waves and can be implicitly bullied into acquiescence. The Joe Farrells and Ravens of the world are the exception. Its easy to say in a blog how we wouldn t never accept such and such treatment, But in real life that s much harder for most people.
Photographs with a date stamp. You cannot tell me that people on vacation do not have a camera with which to take photos of the damage with a boarding pass or the contract right next to it or clock in the background. Are people truly that slow witted that the thought airline tickets usa to canada of a photograph using a cell phone or camera that they brought for their vacation never comes to mind?
finally, if they see loss of use ask them to prove the loss of use they can t do that. Trust me that claim is never paid by insurance companies because they must prove not that they rented all their cars but that they turned people away.
Something that s always airline tickets usa to canada confused me about these episodes is: Why does the rental airline tickets usa to canada agency not go after the person/renter who actually committed the damage? Why do they wait days, weeks, months and, generally, apply it to someone who had nothing to do with it? Is it a matter airline tickets usa to canada of someone s refusal to pay so they just keep tagging people until one sticks?
And if these are legitimate damage claims, as the agencies seem to imply, why do they simply give up the moment someone like Chris is involved? Forgive me, but, if someone has damaged my car, I m not giving up until it s fixed. I don t just shrug my shoulders and say, Oh, well, my mistake .
How do you know that they haven t gone after them as well. This is the gift that keeps on giving, airline tickets usa to canada or at least potentially. There is no legal requirement for them to repair the car after billing you for the damage so it is possible that they bill as many customers as possible for the damage.
I was taking pictures of a rental in California while the agent told me that they never fuss about the scratches and small dings that were all over the car I just said that on the East Coast they do, so I kept taking photos. She recognized me when I brought the car back and said nothing about the scratches, never was sure if it was because they were documented or because they really would not have been a problem.
Of course they make it difficult. It s a good source of revenue let the next renter pay for the damages. If you notice damage when you pick up the car and don t take photos of it, you re out of luck. Having a conversation with the rental agent is about as helpful as talking to a tree unless something is put in photo/writing. Travellers have to take care of themselves, nobody else will.
The reason I raised airline tickets usa to canada the question was that she DID know to ask for a form. And not only that, but the staff effectively told her that she had to report anything larger than a golf ball and there WERE holes larger airline tickets usa to canada than a golf ball by the OP s own statement.
that s funny they say you have 6 degrees airline tickets usa to canada of evaluation on some of these tests I guess when I hit 85% it was that I was good in every category for architect except for 2 agreeableness and talent . . .
one last point if they charge you for damage ask for the parts! The reason here is that if damage is more than a couple of days old you see oxidation and other evidence of deterioriation in the damaged area. Unless you rented the vehicle for a month . . ..these will not be present.
The other issue in the loss of use claim is the amount of time that elapses if they charge me for loss of use I want to know how long it took for repair, why it took that long and show me a photo of the repair with a time and date stamp and some identifying mark its the same white Camry that got fixed . . . license plates are not enough.
If you start asking enough questions most of the time they ll go away because if they make a claim that is later discovered to be