Rental car damage and insurance issues

NewEnglandMother
Thu, 27 May 2010 19:20:56 +0000

Last August I rented a car from Alamo when I brought my daughter to college. I rented with American Express and declined the insurance from Alamo. I had saved all the paperwork. About six weeks later I received a letter from Alamo claiming damage to the vehicle. I contacted American Express and they have been dealing with the issue. One interesting twist - my daughter had memorized the license plate (since we had to provide it at every hotel we stayed in) and I provided that to Am Ex from memory. The claim submitted from Alamo had a DIFFERENT license plate number. American Express would email me monthly indicating the status and Alamo NEVER submitted the required documentation. It is now 9 months later and I haven’t heard anything for a while. I have to wonder if Alamo had a ‘permanently damaged’ vehicle they would claim multiple times. I now take photos whenever I rent (including the license plate). I also should probably check the VIN too!

American Express was great. They just needed proof that I waived ALL insurance and then they took over.