Card payment taken with no warning

[sneijder]

Not a big issue, but a bit annoying.

I picked up a rental car and didn't notice some damage to an alloy, returned the thing and it was noted.

I discussed with the chap who explained not all damage is chargeable.

Fair enough, I missed it so signed for it.

I then got a statement saying the case had been reviewed and the amount payable was

..Exactly that, it was blank, I took it to be there was no charge.

A week later Eighty pounds was taken from my card and an invoice sent the same day,

Question is, is it OK to take payment with no warning ? If not I'll have a word.

I'm a bit peeved about 15 quid of it being an admin fee when that's been cocked up.

[dlockhart]

There is a blank pre-authorization taken in most cases when you rent a car. This is generally covered in the small print. You may be able to get a good will gesture out of them since they made 2 mistakes, but legally they are pretty tight on this sort of thing.

[Foliage]

Had the same thing but even worse imho, £38 charge after returning home from having a hire card abroad, no invoice sent, no email nothing, rang them up couldn't give me a reason over the phone, asked them to send me a receipt for the payment or an invoice they refused.. Huge international 'reputable' hire company, they refused to inspect the car at the airport as well, I had 4 hours to kill at the airport so was in no rush.

I can only assume it was a charge for not filling the car up fully, which id done prior to driving to the airport due to the lack of filling station near the airport, so it wasn't full...

[sneijder]

dlockhart said:

but legally they are pretty tight on this sort of thing.

Aye,

I'll ask them for the admin fee and remember to properly inspect the car next time..in the rain..with a six year old..by myself

Thanks chaps.

[Likes Fast Cars]

Some of these companies are sharks. Hertz screwed me years ago, unfortunately I used Amex to pay for that rental and they are an even bigger pack of thieving bds.... never used either since then.

I would write to the car rental company and explain the exact situation, you say you discussed it with their people (from what I understand in your OP). State they have 7 days to refund the charges or you will refer it to the credit card company.

I had an experience a few years ago where I had some charges added after I had returned the car, at the time of the return I walked around with their guy, asked him specifically if there was anything extra to pay (he said no "you're all set to go" (or similar words)), about a month later I get a charge for (forget what now) plus admin fees, I got straight onto them (in writing, via e-mail) plus a few calls, I was persistent and kept writing to the company; I received 2 replies in total but each time they failed to address the question, they were in the wrong (they actually did not have the correct odometer reading on the "updated" invoice for the charges to start with, I used that as a basis to say they could not have conducted a proper check of the vehicle) and in the end Mastercard refunded the money and charged it back to them.

I always find being persistent, factual, and as detailed as you can be, will get the result you want (which I assume is to have the amount refunded).

[BobSaunders]

sneijder said:

dlockhart said:

but legally they are pretty tight on this sort of thing.

Aye,

I'll ask them for the admin fee and remember to properly inspect the car next time..in the rain..with a six year old..by myself

Thanks chaps.

I tend to walk around the car, and climb in, and video/photograph it. No arguing with that when "Dave" the rental car guy is stood in the background.

[Jasandjules]

BobSaunders said:

I tend to walk around the car, and climb in, and video/photograph it. No arguing with that when "Dave" the rental car guy is stood in the background.

Yes I take all round pictures and the interior too......

[anonymous-user]

BobSaunders said:

sneijder said:

dlockhart said:

but legally they are pretty tight on this sort of thing.

Aye,

I'll ask them for the admin fee and remember to properly inspect the car next time..in the rain..with a six year old..by myself

Thanks chaps.

I tend to walk around the car, and climb in, and video/photograph it. No arguing with that when "Dave" the rental car guy is stood in the background.

I've just done that after reading all the "horror stories" quick walk round video on phone at start and rental less than a minute each end time stamped etc for piece of mind

[Dr Mike Oxgreen]

Likes Fast Cars said:

SomeEvery single one of these companies are sharks.

Edited for accuracy.

[13m]

Foliage said:

Had the same thing but even worse imho, £38 charge after returning home from having a hire card abroad, no invoice sent, no email nothing, rang them up couldn't give me a reason over the phone, asked them to send me a receipt for the payment or an invoice they refused.. Huge international 'reputable' hire company, they refused to inspect the car at the airport as well, I had 4 hours to kill at the airport so was in no rush.

I can only assume it was a charge for not filling the car up fully, which id done prior to driving to the airport due to the lack of filling station near the airport, so it wasn't full...

Alamo perchance?

[jith]

Never rent a car with a credit or debit card. If you use cash they cannot do this to you. It's one of the oldest tricks in the book to boost their profits, and they will use any excuse to hit your card for a payment.

J

[jesta1865]

jith said:

Never rent a car with a credit or debit card. If you use cash they cannot do this to you. It's one of the oldest tricks in the book to boost their profits, and they will use any excuse to hit your card for a payment.

J

Hertz wouldn't let us do this in OZ in case we just pissed off with the car.

Still not only did we have the peace of mind we had the money already, but the final bill was far less than we expected.

[Derek Smith]

Take photographs of the car in front of the sales staff, get them in the picture if possible.

I take a picture of rear wing and wheel, each door, front wing, mirror. Then front, bonnet, etc. I feel certain that they put something on the rental form as I've never been hit for anything like this.

On the matter of credit card, I have Capital One and used them when an amount was taken off my card without notification. When I canceled the item they said that they 'cannot refund monies' once they'd been taken, this despite the fact that this was three weeks prior to delivery. This was a hosting agreement. The host fought it but C1 got my money back.

It's the only time I've used their claims dept but they delivered.

[Likes Fast Cars]

Dr Mike Oxgreen said:

Likes Fast Cars said:

SomeEvery single one of these companies are sharks.

Edited for accuracy.

... and quite rightly edited, thank you sir.

[Likes Fast Cars]

jesta1865 said:

Hertz wouldn't let us do this in OZ in case we just pissed off with the car.

Still not only did we have the peace of mind we had the money already, but the final bill was far less than we expected.

Yes there are ways of getting back at these thieving bloody bds such as pissing off with the car, the thought has crossed my minds on occasion.

[Sheepshanks]

jith said:

Never rent a car with a credit or debit card. If you use cash they cannot do this to you.

I can't believe any rental company would rent for cash without a substantial deposit.

[jshell]

fking Hertz nailed me once. Never again with those s!

[spookly]

I rented a VW CC GT with near delivery miles on it a few weeks back.
Drove it to NL and back.
He barely looked at it when he checked it back in. Then signed the paper to say no damage and I was on my way.....

That's the critical bit... if they don't want to inspect it then and there then always ask for the return form to be signed as no damage... either that or get them to check it.

Did you not get a year long policy for next to nothing for an annual policy to cover hire excess charges? Might want to do that too next time.

[Toltec]

Likes Fast Cars said:

Dr Mike Oxgreen said:

Likes Fast Cars said:

SomeEvery single one of these companies are sharks.

Edited for accuracy.

... and quite rightly edited, thank you sir.

Then again in balance I seem to remember a post on PH where a chap with experience in the rental sector mentioned cars coming back with tyres swapped out for worn ones.

[Likes Fast Cars]

Toltec said:

Likes Fast Cars said:

Dr Mike Oxgreen said:

Likes Fast Cars said:

SomeEvery single one of these companies are sharks.

Edited for accuracy.

... and quite rightly edited, thank you sir.

Then again in balance I seem to remember a post on PH where a chap with experience in the rental sector mentioned cars coming back with tyres swapped out for worn ones.

Now that is just plain... I don't know how to describe it, ..... Creative? Desperate?

The majority of us wouldn't even consider doing that, just seems like too much trouble to go to. But why penalise the good customers to cover the losses these aholes cause?