Bird maintains that there was no damage to the car and that Budget sent the wrong customer the bill.

Bird rented a Lincoln Towncar from Budget at the Toronto Airport in April. No one offered to do a pre-rental walkaround, and no one was available to inspect the car, he says. They just handed hotels northern ireland him the keys.
Several weeks later, I received hotels northern ireland an envelope from Budget. Enclosed was an estimate for a new tire, and a copy of a credit card billing for the new tire, charged against my credit card, for a total of $154. I did not receive a cover letter or anything to explain what happened, or why they charged my credit card.
Bird maintains that there was no damage hotels northern ireland to the car and that Budget sent the wrong customer the bill. Indeed, the mileage and rental rate didn t match his, and he can t see his own signature on the bill Budget provided.
I don t know what will happen to Bird s case, but if he s still pushing for justice 17 years later, I have to assume there are others. It only takes a few to make this the car rental industry s worst nightmare in 2013.
Whether or not they have a major problem, they certainly aren t doing themselves any favors by continuing to do things like file damage claims well after turn in, or not taking high-resolution pictures hotels northern ireland of every car before it leaves the lot.
I found it hard to really vote on this one. Does the American car rental industry have a repair fraud problem? I don t think the car rental industry itself has a problem. From what I have read on here, it is just one, Enterprise, with a corporate wide problem and several franchises that are causing the problems. I m just hoping in the end, something is done, and quick, about this.
I m not sure it is strictly the rental car companies themselves, but their franchisees, some of whom are less than scrupulous and trying to recoup whatever hotels northern ireland they can from whomever they can soak for the so-called damage.
But I still prepare for problems I never choose a car that has damage and when I return the car, I take a half dozen digital pictures of the car, at every angle and especially hotels northern ireland the windshield. Because I ve learned from reading your columns that mistakes happen (intentional or otherwise, I m not saying). Be prepared.
I encountered a very enthusiastic young lady working at a rental company I no longer use at all costs. While I was picking up the car and she was trying to upsell me the ridiculous insurance, she kept asking me what my deductible was. I told her You don t need to know that. She became increasingly frustrated with me and even at one point told me I couldn t have the car until I gave her this information. hotels northern ireland I finally said, It s enough for me to know and you not to worry about, sweetness.
You have to wonder, with today s technology, why the rental hotels northern ireland car companies haven t installed some sort of camera system to take pictures of the cars as they leave the lot. If the police department can install cameras hotels northern ireland at traffic lights . . . You d have to think its because they would lose a lot of ancillary income. It was mentioned in a recent Elliot article that the airlines is not a profit- making business model. Looks like neither is the car rental business.
Years ago, I had a rental car from Holiday Car Rental. The windshield had a pressure crack while the car was in my possession. The car was parked when it happened. They wouldn t talk about it and I wasn t equipped to pursue it further at the time, but I can tell you that their business, their owners business and their suppliers have lost thousands of dollars over this $200 event.
I rent only four or five times a year, year after year, and usually from Hertz. They have told me on more than one occasion, We do not nickel and dime you to death. When I ask about an inspection, they cheerfully agree to accompany me on a walk-around. I am not dinged (pun intended) by harassing post-rental charges.
What I have complained about recently are the aged cars I get, the last one being two years old with over 46,000 miles. Post-rental, I told them orally and in writing that my expectations hotels northern ireland were better than a Rent-a-wreck.
My brother in law had rented a car a few years ago, not sure which company, hotels northern ireland and got a bill for about $500, he fought it and the company pretty quickly and quietly went away. I must admit that my distrust of the car rental companies makes me consider vacation options that do not include car rental when possible.
If I can possibly avoid renting a car nowadays, I will. It makes little difference to me who is at fault for these outrages, either the parent company or the franchisee. Any parent company hotels northern ireland that so sloppily selects its franchisees, risks tarnishing the entire brand. When I complained hotels northern ireland to the parent company of the Payless brand a few years ago about the antics of its Las Vegas airport franchise, I was brushed off with the so-called hotels northern ireland explanation that its franchisees are independent operators and, by inference, therefore not accountable to the parent company. As if such an answer explains it. I haven t rented from any Payless brand since.
Enterprise in downtown Chicago asked me what my insurance deductible was, too. I told the man, None of your business! It is fair that they know who you have insurance coverage with, but your financials hotels northern ireland are off limits! When we walked out to the car, I pulled out my phone and photographed every square hotels northern ireland inch of the car. What a horrible feeling thinking that the company you are doing business hotels northern ireland is looking for a way to scam you! I also told the young man he d be smart to find a more honorable business to be in. Photograph your rental car, people! (And, I m sticking with Hertz!)
I was just alerting everyone to the fact that I have a second post scheduled for noon today. It s the long-awaited interview with Delta s Allison Ausband. It has nothing to do with Budget or with rental cars.
The car rental industry in America seems to have built its business model around fraudulent repair hotels northern ireland charges. Whether that s the corporations or the franchisees, the car renters are the ones who get hit with those charges.
I hope the US follows suit, just three weeks ago I believe hotels northern ireland enterprise tried to scam me out of some existing damage claim revenue. I rented a car while mine was in the shop and picked it up early one morning before work at 730am. It was still dark out and it was a damp morning, hotels northern ireland and they parked the car so that one side was hidden up against hotels northern ireland their parking lot sign. Like I always do, I pulled out my iPhone and took a video as I walked around the car looking for damage. I did my best to get a video of the hidden side but it was hard to get to. I signed no damage and was on my way to work. At lunch, I came out to the car and BAM three huge scratches near the top of the door and a small dent on the side that was hidden from view when we inspected the car. The paint was chipped and the damage was obvious. I pulled out my phone in a panic to review the video and by some miracle hotels northern ireland you could faintly see something on the tape that showed something.
I called hotels northern ireland up the Enterprise yard and spoke with the agent and told them what happened. I went almost immediately to the enterprise yard and talked to the agent. hotels northern ireland He didn t even want to see the video. hotels northern ireland They just marked the damage on the rental hotels northern ireland agreement and sent me on my way. It was easy, perhaps too easy, this was a 2012 car with few miles and they signed off on it like it was nothing. I truly feel they knew about the damage and thought they could charge me for it when I returned the car.
It s the same reason they only do inspections upon return, it s in their best interest to do it upon returns. If there was a previous scratch they will charge you upon return if it wasn t noted. There s a high likelyhood that people won t challenge the claim so they get more revenue for the same scratch. If it does get challenged, they can quietly go away.They have to know this is happening.
I do agree that Hertz, while being a little more expensive than most other agencies, I ve heard far far fewer complaints than with other companies. Also, hertz has a policy of light scratches (under 2-3 inches) not being charged or noted and they also note existing hotels northern ireland damage with a white dot or red dot of paint on the car near the scratch so it shows that it was previously recorded.
One of these days there will be a revolt , people will rent for a day with full insurance and return cars with scratches, dents cracked windshields, flat tires etc. All the small things the car rental companies are pulling off. Then there might be changes
It s when they do go away easily that you REALLY need to be suspicious. If it is legit and they had somebody dead-to-rights they don t just give up. But if they re systematically floating hotels northern ireland bogus bills just hoping people will pay without question, then it s in their best interest to just drop it when somebody fights. hotels northern ireland Way easier to just send another bogus bill to somebody who might quietly pay than get ensnared in a dispute that might cause them troubles.
Although I understand your point I have been able to check with people who know about windshields. A pressure crack is caused by an improper installation from what I m told, so although the renter is responsible from what I understand, hotels northern ireland this would be easy to prove otherwise. If the engine falls out of the car when you drive out of the lot, are you going to pay? I won t.
My last rental had 6 miles on the odo. As in single digit mileage, in case someone thinks I didn t type it completely out. I was completely surprised. I thought it might have been the trip odometer, but I fiddled around with the display, and it was 6 miles.
I have never had Hertz or Avis try to charge me with per-existing or fake damage. That seems to only happen with Dollar and Enterprise. Multiple times I have had Hertz bill me later for gas, when I returned the vehicle full (I always keep the gas receipt). And I have had Both Hertz and Avis one time each give me cars that broke down within minutes of leaving the lot. Avis immediately came out with a new car and swapped it out, Hertz scratched their heads and refused to do anything