I got stung by Enterprise car hire.

I got stung by Enterprise car hire.

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Discussion

threadlock

3,196 posts

253 months

Tuesday 30th June 2020
quotequote all
I know it's an old thread, but I hired a car (via a broker) from Avis in the Canaries years ago. No damage recorded upon collection, and we didn't damage it while we had it. Avis waved me away casually when I asked if they wanted to inspect it as we dropped it off.

Two months after we got home there was a £400 charge on my credit card statement. Avis La Palma told me in broken Spanglish that this was for damage to the interior panels in the boot and told me to speak to head office in Spain. Head office in Spain told me to speak to La Palma. Stuck.

I contacted my credit card company (Halifax), who asked me pointedly "Did you authorise the collection of these funds from your account?" I replied that of course I hadn't since I'd known nothing about it until I got my statement, and within a couple of weeks - after the Halifax had presumably spoken to Avis - the money was refunded to me. The Halifax were brilliant and I learnt an important lesson about hiring cars.

jamoor

14,506 posts

214 months

Tuesday 30th June 2020
quotequote all
For everyone. Sign up to an Amex card and always use it when hiring a car.

Earthdweller

13,426 posts

125 months

Tuesday 30th June 2020
quotequote all
jamoor said:
For everyone. Sign up to an Amex card and always use it when hiring a car.
Why ?

paralla

3,528 posts

134 months

Tuesday 30th June 2020
quotequote all
I always do a video walk-around of every hire car I collect paying particular attention to wheels, tyres and windscreen.

I was accused of kerbing an alloy once at Geneva airport so I pulled my phone out and started playing the video, as soon as they realised what I was doing they waved me away and I wasn't charged. Makes me think they try it on all the time. The whole hire car industry is borderline corrupt and ripe for being disrupted.

Tim bo

1,956 posts

139 months

Tuesday 30th June 2020
quotequote all
Earthdweller said:
jamoor said:
For everyone. Sign up to an Amex card and always use it when hiring a car.
Why ?
Or any usual credit card.

Amex or credit card companies will immediately recompense you should this happen if you booked car hire through them, and they chase the costs with the car hire company.

It's a habit I've always stuck to, and has paid dividends when a car hire company (I forget now as it was so long ago) played similar silly buggers with a car hire I returned at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport. The car hire company charged me a sum of money against my credit card for damage made to the car which was not caused by me. Barclaycard reimbursed me the sum the moment I called them, and pursued the car hire company for the cost with my advisory that the damage was not mine.

illmonkey

18,111 posts

197 months

Tuesday 30th June 2020
quotequote all
People dropping cars off in a rush to make their flight, just agree and figure they'll deal with it later. Or "oh sod it"!

I went to the state in '17 and had a hire car. I ensured I used a company that included the insurance when I booked. I arrived after 12+ hpurs of traveling, landing at about lunch time, I was knackered. The bloke on the desk said about insurance so I said yes, meaning I was covered, but he added it on.

I didn't realise until I got back home and I had an email with the details. I contested it, but they said the insurance I paid for up front was from the seller not them. Nothing I could do.

That must catch a few of us out. Doubled up on insurance and they didn't even try to charge me for anything!

An other one was in Italy for a wedding, returning the car, we went to get fuel. It per-authorised my mates card for €100, but only required €50 or so, the receipt was a voucher for the balance of the €100 to be used at a later time. His statement confirmed it when we were home. It was an unmanned petrol station, what could we do!?

Karl_Alp

95 posts

54 months

Tuesday 30th June 2020
quotequote all
I've hired twice from Enterprise, and both times there have been issues. I might have just been unlucky.

The first was exactly like the OP. Picked up an Insignia at Glasgow airport late one night. Took photos, but not clear enough on the tyres. Got charged £170 for a replace tyre, due to a nick in the sidewall. Funnily enough if you kerbed the alloy under a certain amount, it would have been ok. Put that down to experience, and it could have been me.

The second time I had to fly back for a funeral, on the red eye from New York to Manchester. Got to first car, took lots of photos, only to find it was in Limp mode.

Went back to the desk, stood behind a couple who admitted they had bumped their car while parking..... After they had been sorted out, I was promised the car I was given would be perfect.

It wasn't. It look liked it had been used in a rally cross, and I suspect it was the one the couple in the queue had bumped, but it was superficial. I dragged the manger out, who supposedly wrote down all the damage. By this time I was tired, but did my best to take photos again, and get on my way.

I had to return it to another location (Macclesfield), and which point their damage report showed that there was other damage to the wing mirrors, and a rear dent in the boot that hadn't been captured by either me or the manager. I argued politely considering I had literally done about 30 miles in the car, and the age of the damage (it didn't look fresh) it was unlikely to be me. It was explained by the manager if it had been one of his cars, he would have let it slip, but due to the operating model and as had returned it to another branch, they had to be extra scrupulous otherwise his branch would get dinged for the damage.

I said I would take it up with head office, considering the overall state of the car when I picked it . I wasn't getting anywhere until I found that I had actually taken more photos with my work phone by mistake (both near identical iphones). This showed the damage was prior to my rental. I was given a full refund by enterprise.

Tbf to Enterprise they were always polite, and explained themselves, and I can see it from their perspective too. However I've had less issues with Hertz and Sixt.

I found my experience with Avis in the USA to be very different. Pick up and return in Texas was pretty slick and the car was great. Pick up in Denver Airport wasn't great. The car was a bit of mess inside with stale milkshake and the ac was crap (Dodge Journey I think), thought the local branch to our hotel sorted that out, and were awesome. We upgraded (with a discount) to a Buick SUV, which was perfect for our roadtrip.The drop off at LAX, they just took the keys and signed the paperwork. Part of me thinks this is more of a USA thing rather than Avis specific.

My advice to anyone renting - taking lots of photos, and then some more.

I just don't understand why rental cars don't do their own photos. A booth could be set up easily to do this, and it would solve all the arguments.... but I guess a lot of people will just pay up...


Edited by Karl_Alp on Tuesday 30th June 15:59

fat80b

2,242 posts

220 months

Tuesday 30th June 2020
quotequote all
Karl_Alp said:
I just don't understand why rental cars don't do their own photos. A booth could be set up easily to do this, and it would solve all the arguments.... but I guess a lot of people will just pay up...
Some do - I can't remember where (somewhere in the US), we drove through a fancy camera rig on exit that scanned the entire car and pictured it all on leaving the compound. It looked like an airport body scanner but for cars.

Earthdweller

13,426 posts

125 months

Tuesday 30th June 2020
quotequote all
Tim bo said:
Earthdweller said:
jamoor said:
For everyone. Sign up to an Amex card and always use it when hiring a car.
Why ?
Or any usual credit card.

Amex or credit card companies will immediately recompense you should this happen if you booked car hire through them, and they chase the costs with the car hire company.

It's a habit I've always stuck to, and has paid dividends when a car hire company (I forget now as it was so long ago) played similar silly buggers with a car hire I returned at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport. The car hire company charged me a sum of money against my credit card for damage made to the car which was not caused by me. Barclaycard reimbursed me the sum the moment I called them, and pursued the car hire company for the cost with my advisory that the damage was not mine.
Indeed that’s why I asked what’s special with Amex

I always use my credit card and they are very good if there’s an issue

I also have an app on my phone that date/time stamps video

I always use it when I pick up/drop off a car. It’s particularly effective when done on return and in the presence of the rental co rep on holidays etc or when cars rented through work are left with the keys hidden for a later collection

jamoor

14,506 posts

214 months

Tuesday 30th June 2020
quotequote all
Earthdweller said:
Tim bo said:
Earthdweller said:
jamoor said:
For everyone. Sign up to an Amex card and always use it when hiring a car.
Why ?
Or any usual credit card.

Amex or credit card companies will immediately recompense you should this happen if you booked car hire through them, and they chase the costs with the car hire company.

It's a habit I've always stuck to, and has paid dividends when a car hire company (I forget now as it was so long ago) played similar silly buggers with a car hire I returned at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport. The car hire company charged me a sum of money against my credit card for damage made to the car which was not caused by me. Barclaycard reimbursed me the sum the moment I called them, and pursued the car hire company for the cost with my advisory that the damage was not mine.
Indeed that’s why I asked what’s special with Amex

I always use my credit card and they are very good if there’s an issue

I also have an app on my phone that date/time stamps video

I always use it when I pick up/drop off a car. It’s particularly effective when done on return and in the presence of the rental co rep on holidays etc or when cars rented through work are left with the keys hidden for a later collection
Amex customer service is fantastic, probably the best I’ve ever had with a credit card and chargebacks are relatively common on rental cars.

gtidriver

3,334 posts

186 months

Tuesday 30th June 2020
quotequote all
Going by my own experience and reviews of Avis in Capetown Airport there favourite game is charging for fuel, the problem is the nearest garage is a few miles away, i was charged around £4 for fuel which isnt much but when most people are charged that, itll soon mount up. In an email i said when i pick up from them next time if i can get fuel in the car ill be charging them, they "let me off"

OverSteery

3,586 posts

230 months

Tuesday 30th June 2020
quotequote all
Earthdweller said:
jamoor said:
For everyone. Sign up to an Amex card and always use it when hiring a car.
Why ?
Oddly enough I would have said the opposite. Traditionally Amex was a charge card (I think), which do not benefit from protection under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act.

Or are Amex particularly good at supporting their customers in such disputes?

Personally I bought an annual excess protection policy last year when I had several car hires. It definitely saved me money by reducing the extras on everything I hired, but I didn't have to try and claim.

Edited by OverSteery on Tuesday 30th June 16:56

Goulash Pond

283 posts

177 months

Tuesday 30th June 2020
quotequote all
In my experience Amex are not helpful. Several years ago I hired a 5 series from Hertz at Belfast airport. I returned it as planned on a Sunday afternoon. There was no one in the returns office but a sign saying leave keys with the valeting team. I did this but they were not interested in checking the vehicle over.
3 days later I received a phone call from Hertz asking when I would be returning their car! I told them where I had parked it and who had the keys. I asked them to call me back to confirm they had the car, no call received but a few days later a letter claiming a nail in a tyre and that the cost of a replacement had been billed to my Amex. This despite them not even knowing where the car was for several days after I returned it.
Several calls and letters failed to resolve this so I asked Amex to reclaim the payment. They said it was their word against mine and so they couldn’t help.
Since that time I have always taken multiple photos on collection and return. Don’t suppose they care but I have never used Hertz since and never will.

CABC

5,528 posts

100 months

Tuesday 30th June 2020
quotequote all
OverSteery said:
Earthdweller said:
jamoor said:
For everyone. Sign up to an Amex card and always use it when hiring a car.
Why ?
Oddly enough I would have said the opposite. Traditionally Amex was a charge card (I think), which do not benefit from protection under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act.

Or are Amex particularly good at supporting their customers in such disputes?

Personally I bought an annual excess protection policy last year when I had several car hires. It definitely saved me money by reducing the extras on everything I hired, but I didn't have to try and claim.

Edited by OverSteery on Tuesday 30th June 16:56
some Amex (gold above i think come with excess protection included. in that case Amex will be motivated to challenge the hire co. i've never used it, though i believe it's still a std ex protection in that you pay then claim, so maybe not. anyone used Amex for this??

Camelot1971

2,698 posts

165 months

Tuesday 30th June 2020
quotequote all
Amex in the US provide a lot of car rental perks but I haven't seen that in the UK. I have a UK Amex credit card and there's nothing special about it (but agree their customer service is excellent).

carreauchompeur

17,830 posts

203 months

Tuesday 30th June 2020
quotequote all
gtidriver said:
Going by my own experience and reviews of Avis in Capetown Airport there favourite game is charging for fuel, the problem is the nearest garage is a few miles away, i was charged around £4 for fuel which isnt much but when most people are charged that, itll soon mount up. In an email i said when i pick up from them next time if i can get fuel in the car ill be charging them, they "let me off"
Yuup, been there, did that in Feb. We literally filled the bloody thing up at the airport fuel station and got stung for a fiver.

Repaid, after a few emails!

Drawweight

2,863 posts

115 months

Wednesday 1st July 2020
quotequote all

I only hire a car if I’m on holiday so I just pay for the top damage waiver.

It’s probably the uneconomic way to do it but I look at it as a tiny part of the overall cost of the holiday and it gives me peace of mind.

Few years ago I hired a niceVW Up from Sixt while I was in Cyprus.

Unfortunately while exploring the mountains what started off as a normal road turned into literally a dirt track I ran over a large stone which clattered the underside of the car. I jumped out, had a quick look but didn’t see any damage so drove on.

This was on our last full day there. Next morning our plan was a drive round the coast, have a meal and make our way to the airport. All this changed when I saw the pool of oil underneath the car.

So we jumped in the car (after checking it had at least some oil left) went straight to the airport and parked the car in the allotted parking bays. The guy came over, went round the car and everything was fine. Fortunately he didn’t look underneath (well who would)

Never heard a thing from them.

Snails

915 posts

165 months

Wednesday 1st July 2020
quotequote all
gtidriver said:
Going by my own experience and reviews of Avis in Capetown Airport there favourite game is charging for fuel, the problem is the nearest garage is a few miles away, i was charged around £4 for fuel which isnt much but when most people are charged that, itll soon mount up. In an email i said when i pick up from them next time if i can get fuel in the car ill be charging them, they "let me off"
Assuming they do not have their own means of filling their cars on-site, then every car they hire out will be a few miles short of a full tank and will come back a few miles short. Sneaky.

PaulD86

1,651 posts

125 months

Wednesday 1st July 2020
quotequote all
Interestingly I have hired a number of vehicles from Enterprise and been very happy with the service. When I hired a Transit Luton Van from them last year for a 1400 mile trip to move my sister back from the south of England, the van told me it needed more Adblue as I was driving back north. I filled it when I stopped for diesel and thought nothing more of it. Upon returning the van the guy asked if I'd been happy with it and I said yes and casually mentioned the Adblue. Immediately he said, "oh we'll cover that - tell me how much you put in and I'll refund you for it". I said I didn't have a receipt for it and he said "not a problem" and refunded me what I told him it had cost me. I thought that was pretty good service personally.

As always with any rental, I pay by credit card and take plenty of pics when I pick up the vehicle, but I have found Enterprise to be very fair in the past.

littlebasher

3,767 posts

170 months

Wednesday 1st July 2020
quotequote all
They tried to stitch me up for a windscreen, 6 weeks after i had dropped the car back off.

Threads like this are the reason why i always take a load of photos when i drop hire cars off. A nice set of pictures of the windscreen were sent off to their damage team and they graciously decided to drop the charge.....


Contrast this to a car i hired in Majorca, a wall had collapsed on it and the car looked pretty much a write off to me. As the drop off was at night, you just posted the keys back through the letterbox of a portacabin. Never heard from them about it.