Foreign Car Rental P**S Boiler!

[Lordbenny]

I'll keep this brief....recently (7th December) flew into Verona and hired a Passat Estate from Locauto, a well known, Italian rental firm.

Had the car for 3 days a travelled 1500 miles! returned the car with NO DAMAGE AT ALL....you probably know where this is going now don't you!

So, just looked at the bank statement and have seen the original hire charge then 2 days later another charge for £295!!!

A call to their customer services and yes, you've guessed it....apparently we damaged the car!

The car was looked over and signed off when we dropped it off but I can't remember being given any paperwork! so, yes, you could say I was being naive for not checking that we had paperwork but I really didnt thing they'd pull this fast one! S!!!!

Customer services said I'd have to send them an e-mail to get a copy of the document that I signed to say that I agreed there was damage and until then they would be keeping MY money in their account!

Seems its not the first time this has happened: https://sites.google.com/site/dontrentlocauto/the-...

Just a warning to you all really!

[B'stard Child]

Lordbenny said:

I'll keep this brief....recently (7th December) flew into Verona and hired a Passat Estate from Locauto, a well known, Italian rental firm.

Had the car for 3 days a travelled 1500 miles! returned the car with NO DAMAGE AT ALL....you probably know where this is going now don't you!

So, just looked at the bank statement and have seen the original hire charge then 2 days later another charge for £295!!!

A call to their customer services and yes, you've guessed it....apparently we damaged the car!

The car was looked over and signed off when we dropped it off but I can't remember being given any paperwork! so, yes, you could say I was being naive for not checking that we had paperwork but I really didnt thing they'd pull this fast one! S!!!!

Customer services said I'd have to send them an e-mail to get a copy of the document that I signed to say that I agreed there was damage and until then they would be keeping MY money in their account!

Seems its not the first time this has happened: https://sites.google.com/site/dontrentlocauto/the-...

Just a warning to you all really!

I was burnt once on this - luckily not badly cost wise but it still irritated me that I was unable to dispute the claim from 2500 miles away 2 weeks after the holiday ended.

Now all damage is noted and agreed on collection (the staff aren't normally that happy about points raised but probably mark the card as a fussy person) and on return I make a point of photographing it from every side and angle once I've arrived at the rental return.

Never had an issue since I started doing that ^

[OldSkoolRS]

Sorry to hear your tale...if it's any consellation I once hired a car for a two week holiday. On the first night someone hit it and drove off. Reading the small print and checking online we realised we weren't covered for this and could be stung with a repair bill only limited by their greed.

By the end of the holiday I'd repaired the damage; resprayed and filled the split (plastic front wing) using materials we found in the villa we were staying in and aerosols bought from motor factors with translation by my OH to get what I needed.

We always wondered if I'd just missed this damage when I collected the car, so it could have confussed the hire company when it came back repaired.

[OdramaSwimLaden]

As is said already, the staff hate it but I get them to mark every single little point in detail. Sometimes it's 20 plus marks......I got stung for 800 Euros in Spain for tiny little scratch/damage that existed when it was there collecting the car. So tiny it "doesn't matter"; it did.

[Bonefish Blues]

B'stard Child said:

Now all damage is noted and agreed on collection (the staff aren't normally that happy about points raised but probably mark the card as a fussy person) and on return I make a point of photographing it from every side and angle once I've arrived at the rental return.

Never had an issue since I started doing that ^

This, always, on collection too, in sight of the staff.

[Shadow R1]

Before leaving any hire place, make sure it has a 0 excess, if not then don't hire, simple as.
Ive hired in france, spain, usa, no problems.

They just see you as a stupid money machine from another land.

[davepoth]

If I have a foreign rental, I make sure I return it out of hours, and try and park in a busy area. That way any damage happened after I dropped off the keys.

[Airtrixx]

Slightly different but i once returned a hire car in France with a full tank of fuel, (I had picked it up with a full tank) and then got charged on my cedit card later for a full tank of fuel.

A nice little scam for them as the amount in dispute was worth stealing but was not worth the effort for me in trying to recover it.

[redstu]

Airtrixx said:

Slightly different but i once returned a hire car in France with a full tank of fuel, (I had picked it up with a full tank) and then got charged on my cedit card later for a full tank of fuel.

A nice little scam for them as the amount in dispute was worth stealing but was not worth the effort for me in trying to recover it.

was it meant to be returned empty?
That is a scam ! Its often impossible to do that. I'd rather just be charged for actual use even at inflated rates.

[Alpha97]

davepoth said:

If I have a foreign rental, I make sure I return it out of hours, and try and park in a busy area. That way any damage happened after I dropped off the keys.

Pretty sure the rental agreement will say that you are responsible for the car until it has been checked over by an employee and if you drop it off out of hours you do so at your own risk.

[Vixpy1]

I drove a Meganne Scenic hire car into a tree stump once and put a huge hole in the bumper. Took it back and the girl inspecting told me she would have to charge me 50 Euro's.

I was like.. er ok

[LHD]

Vixpy1 said:

I drove a Meganne Scenic hire car into a tree stump once and put a huge hole in the bumper. Took it back and the girl inspecting told me she would have to charge me 50 Euro's.

I was like.. er ok

That my friend, is a fking result.

[Kong]

LHD said:

Vixpy1 said:

I drove a Meganne Scenic hire car into a tree stump once and put a huge hole in the bumper. Took it back and the girl inspecting told me she would have to charge me 50 Euro's.

I was like.. er ok

That my friend, is a fking result.

Are you sure? See bold text

[Nickyboy]

I never understand the problem with rental firms in Europe and the UK whether its big chains or independents, every mark is noted and charged accordingly. I've rented numerous cars in the US from various staes and not once have they checked for damage before or after the rental. One car had marks all over the rear bumper, we asked them to note it down and they just said they're not interested in scratches etc

[Aphex]

Used to see this day in day out. Try to resolve with the retailer and then when you get nowhere, contact your credit card company, tell them you've tried to resolve but cannot, you didn't sign for anything and they'll refund you. I'd personally never rent a car based on time in a credit card centre

[loafer123]

Alternatively, hire from RentAWreck like I did in Sweden this summer. They don't care about dents!

[matthias73]

Go back to the same place. Drain engine of most of its oil. Rag the nuts off it. Loosen various bolts in the engine bay. Make sure it wont last another 20 miles.

Then get it checked over and get the carbon copy.

Revenge good sir, is a dish best served cold.

[davepoth]

Alpha97 said:

Pretty sure the rental agreement will say that you are responsible for the car until it has been checked over by an employee and if you drop it off out of hours you do so at your own risk.

Every day's a schoolday I guess. That particular rental company didn't have that term.

[littlebasher]

Years ago, I hired a car in Spain that fell foul to someone breaking in (and wrecking the locks in the process). Later the same week it was parked up when a truck which was too tall for the overhead power cables ripped them from a house, and pulled half the wall down on the car. Needless to say it was a right state, cracked windscreen, both wings and bonnet dented to st etc

I dropped off the car at the airport and posted the keys through the hire company's letterbox as they were closed. Never heard from them!

[Polarbert]

Nickyboy said:

I never understand the problem with rental firms in Europe and the UK whether its big chains or independents, every mark is noted and charged accordingly. I've rented numerous cars in the US from various staes and not once have they checked for damage before or after the rental. One car had marks all over the rear bumper, we asked them to note it down and they just said they're not interested in scratches etc

Yeh I've done this too. They have so many rental cars available I think it just wouldn't be worth their time. Although my cousin did get stung for damages she didn't cause and they tried to charge her for loads of little things, like a new licence plate.