??? scary letter after I returned our rental car

Parent Cafe
61

<p>Hubby & I have rented from many car companies over the years. The two we have had the most trouble with are Hertz & Enterprise. We have never yet gotten a bogus claim letter & hope we never do. We have also never purchased insurance on our rental cars and always check them in with an employee. </p>

<p>Once Enterprise kept hassling H to buy additional insurance–in exhaustion he initialed so we could get our exhausted selves & kids to the hotel. I called them as soon as we checked in to return the car since the insurance doubled our rental rate & they promised to delete the insurance if we’d keep the car under the original terms. Never rented from Enterprise again, tho my sister loves them.</p>

<p>With Hertz, once we specifically mentioned we needed an air conditioner that worked very well. After only two hours of driving–away from the airport, guess what konked out? We had to drive back to the airport to exchange the car for one that had a functioning A/C (very inconvenient). We have also had problems with one or two other Hertz rentals, but can’t recall the details.</p>

<p>Last time we were renting a car (can’t remember the company), they wanted us to rent a car that was obviously seriously damaged (it was the only one left in the category–compact). Hubby rejected the car & after having us wait for about 30 minutes to see if a car was ready, they offered us (& another unrelated couple) a double-upgrades for cars that was undamaged, which were used for the duration of our visits.
This does sound like it’s a good idea to always have an employee go over the car with us & double-check that all is OK. What a hassle!</p>

62

<p>Rewrite your letter and address it to the chief executive officer. Look up the company’s headquarters number, and ask for the ceo. You’ll get his secretary. Ask if there is a fax number where you could fax a letter. Send your letter by fax and make certain it is well written and expresses disappointment in this situation. Also let him know if you have normally rented from his company with good results.</p>

<p>CEOs do not enjoy receiving customer complaints from people who are educated, can write a cogent letter, and who may very well be in the right, especially if they are good customers. I had some trouble once on an insurance claim, and another time with a large bank. Both times I was on solid ground, and the matter was resolved in my favor instantly upon communication with the top guy. Don’t waste your time with the regional managers, etc.</p>

<p>Edit: Ok, missed the happy ending. described above. File for future reference.</p>

63

<p>Congrats, MWMomof2. I want to know if you did anything aside from mail the initial letter that you posted here, or if that was enough to help them see reason?</p>

64

<p>Just the initial letter, but I sent it out three times (in one day). To the main fax number, to R.B.'s own office fax number, and via U.S. mail. Just to make sure they didn’t miss it and that they got my point. :)</p>

65

<p>

</p>

<p>Could be. The very first letter, where they didn’t even tell me what the damage was or how much it would cost? They wanted me to provide them with my insurance number. I think they were fishing to see if maybe I would be willing to let them use my insurance to fix this car. And the answer was, no, I was not willing to do this.</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>Maybe! :slight_smile: It was therapeutic for me to tell you all about it, and I got a lot of good advice in the 60-some replies to this thread. Thanks everyone.</p>

66

<p>I rent cars frequently in the US and in Europe. I’ve had problems (minor) with all of them, but have never been scammed. I think they also keep track of frequent renters, and you are less likely to have a problem if you have a frequent renter account. </p>

<p>I’ve had a couple of dings (3 I think and all my fault), the most serious in Canada when I scraped the drivers side front bumper on a cement pillar backing out of a very tight parking space. Since it was business, I just paid the charge which was only a couple hundred dollars (Can.). The other two were never even noticed, although I did take pictures with my cell phone, just in case they tried to say the damage was worse than it was.</p>

<p>Instead of paying for the extra insurance, I figure that I’ve saved enough over the years by not paying it to make it worth my while to pay even a couple thousand $ in repairs, if necessary. You could always deposit that amount into a special account, rather than giving it to the rental company when 9 times out of 10 you don’t need it.</p>

<p>My pet peeve is being upgraded to a minivan against my will. I usually request a compact when I go to a big city. When I’m driving, and especially parking, in a strange location, I don’t want to be driving a vehicile that’s twice as big as my normal car. Usually the upgrade is “free”, but there’s a charge if I want anything other than what they offer.</p>

67

<p>That reminds me of my best car rental story ever:</p>

<p>I’m a Hertz Gold Club member, which means they have my preferences on file so it’s faster to reserve a car. My preference is a “midsized car” which – even for my petite frame – is on the small side. That’s what I learned on and that’s what I drive now. </p>

<p>I was in Jackson, MS one day – truck country!! – and they gave me my keys for the car. It was a Yukon!! I climbed into it (and you really need to climb up!) and drove it to my hotel. I swear, the thing felt like it was 30 feet long! I was terrified to change lanes since I couldn’t even seen behind me.</p>

<p>When I got to the hotel, I called Hertz and told them I just couldn’t drive the damn thing. They invited me to return the car to the airport and pick up another. “No,” I said; “You don’t understand. I am a hazard on the road in this thing; I’m afraid I’m going to kill someone!”</p>

<p>They sent a nice man to my hotel with a sedan, he took the Yukon away, and all was well.</p>

<p>I like Hertz.</p>

68

<p>VeryHappy-H is Avis Preferred and on one of his business trips to Dallas his name didn’t have a slot number listed (for rapid pickup) so he went to the rep who informed him that his reserved midsize was unavailable but they would be happy to upgrade him to…a Hummer! He said it was a few minutes before he could stop laughing long enough to say…“Uh, no thanks, what else have you got?”</p>

69

<p>

Maybe the next time they’ll bring you one of those yellow Corvettes they rent now.</p>

70

<p>Pulling up this thread rather than begin a new taking-D-to-school-in-a-rental thread. Here’s our story (aka my vent):</p>

<p>Decided that we would rent a minivan rather than trust ours to get to Ohio from Atlanta. Got it from Enterprise via H’s company policy. Cheaper to rent by the week, since we needed another car for S2 anyway. H picked it up Thursday. It had just been returned the night before and hadn’t been detailed. Nasty! Filthy outside and inside. </p>

<p>Very uncomfortable minivan, too, especially for D in the back seat. Called and Uplander or something like that? But it did the trick. We filled it pretty full.</p>

<p>Coming home, in the middle of Kentucky on I-75, the rear right tire blew. Had a puncture and a big rip right in the center of the tread. Made a very loud bang. We were on a straight road, so it doesn’t seem like we hit something, or the front tire would have hit it first. H wonders if something came off the car. Fortunately we were right near an accident pull-over spot, so we could get off the highway a little.</p>

<p>H called Enterprise. They offered to send someone to change the tire, but H said it would be faster if he did it himself. It was a compact spare, and he wasn’t thrilled about driving back to Atlanta on it, though. Enterprise said to find a Goodyear, Firestone, or Pep Boys, to put on a new tire. They have a contract with those three places, the rep explained. He provided us with one phone number, but the place was closed (Sunday afternoon.) </p>

<p>I phoned several relatives before I found one home and sitting at a computer! She Googled tire places for me, but we weren’t having much luck - out in the Kentucky boonies. (Literally. Middle of the Daniel Boone Forest). Places weren’t open, or wouldn’t be by the time we got there. We finally found a Pep Boys who was willing to wait for us, but they weren’t aware of any agreement with Enterprise.</p>

<p>So we called Enterprise back. Nope. First guy gave wrong info; no agreement with Pep Boys.</p>

<p>We could get back to Atlanta safely, but had already wasted a lot of time changing tire, etc, and driving under 65 the rest of the way wasn’t appealing. Enterprise sent us to the airport in Knoxville to exchange the car. Our GPS found several airports in the area, and we didn’t know which was right. We called Pep Boys to cancel our visit, and they told us which airport! (Kudos to the Pep Boys north of Knoxville!)</p>

<p>Had to wait a bit at the airport - only the manager could help us. Turns out that when we called Enterprise, I grabbed the agreement out of the glove compartment, but accidentally grabbed the one the previous renter had left there, so numbers weren’t matching up. No big deal for us; the manager was on the phone for awhile though.</p>

<p>We didn’t need a van anymore, so asked for something smaller. Got a PT Cruiser. Clean. They were real nice about gas. The van had an 8th of a tank when we got it. We were returning it 3/4 full. They gave us a full tank on the PT Cruiser and let us return it empty. (Of course, the van tank probably held a lot more gas!)</p>

<p>We returned the car today. They knocked off a day’s rental cost for our troubles.</p>

<p>Although I could have done without the hassles, all in all, I’m happy with how Enterprise treated us. Not sure if it made a difference that we went through the company policy to rent it, but the people were very nice and cooperative to work with.</p>

71

<p>Quite an adventure. I do usually check the tires - at least the outer walls. One time I got a rental with obvious sidewall damage. I’ve had a AAA membership for many years and AAA might have been a decent option to get a tire changed.</p>

72

<p>Just to point out that rental car company screwups aren’t always in the company’s favor:</p>

<p>This summer, I rented a car from Enterprise for three months because our family needed a extra car for that period. I somehow scraped the paint on the left side of the car, just over the wheel well. I don’t know how it happened. Maybe somebody hit the car in a parking lot, or maybe someone in my family scraped something like a lawn mower against it in the garage.</p>

<p>In any case, when Enterprise learned about the damage, I was given a different car and told that I would receive a bill for the repair.</p>

<p>A month passed. I received no bill. So I called the Enterprise corporate number I had been given. It turned out that my local agency didn’t submit their estimate in time (they get a month). So I didn’t have to pay a cent.</p>

73

<p>Oh, I forgot to mention – since the Uplander was so dirty when we got it, it was hard to see if there was any scratches on it at all. When we turned it in in Knoxville, we mentioned that. The guy shrugged and said small scratches and marks aren’t considered a problem, they are considered normal “wear and tear”.</p>

<p>That comment is what made me think to mention it on this thread to begin with!</p>

<p>BCEagle - we have AAA. Plus the Uplander was under warranty for road service as well. Plus Enterprise was willing to send someone. We chose not to wait for help doing something my H could do himself. We were in the middle of nowhere on a very hot, muggy Sunday afternoon - would have waited quite awhile, I’m afraid.</p>

<p>Marian - you got a nice reward for being conscientious!</p>

74

<p>Whew binx, what an ordeal!
This reminded me I have to book a rental car for an upcoming trip to AZ. Well, thats if I get to go-- and am not rescuing SD from NOLA and/or trying to get him back there…</p>

75

<p>Apparently the Forum Gods are angry with me, because a rental company (budget in name as well as in price) just chose me as its latest scam victim. Rented car for five days, returned on time, agent did the usual check without incident, and I paid with my card. Took shuttle to airport (where I found my flight had been cancelled – thank you very much). Got call on my cell “The car you rented has damage.” Took shuttle back to rental office. Got very surprised look from agent. I’ll skip the next two hours of “discussions” and “incident forms.” I did not cause the damage. Their demand was to pay whatever the company deemed appropriate. Their compromise offer was to have my insurance pay the identical amount. The damage? (You’re gonna laugh.) One end of the grab handle above the passenger’s door had come loose. Scam. No doubt about it.</p>

76

<p>What did you do, NewHope? You didn’t have to pay, did you? I hope you took pictures. Did you pull out your screwdriver and fix it for them?</p>

<p>In Knoxville, when we got the second car, as the manager was walking around the car, double checking, I was following him with the camera. He acted like he’d never seen someone take photos before. That’s when he told us that small scratches and such weren’t a problem. My H informed him that they were considered a very big deal in Germany and that we got in the habit of taking photos when we couldn’t completely understand the language. That’s only half-true, but I still think it doesn’t hurt for them to know we photo-document everything.</p>

77

<p>binx - This occurred just yesterday, so I don’t have an epilogue yet. I didn’t do the damage so I’m disinclined to pay obviously. I called the credit card company, and the nice lady suggested I take a couple of days “to get perspective” before I took any further action. I did offer to rent the car one more day (my flight had been canceled) and get the damage fixed. That offer was refused. I offered to have the damage fixed by the local dealer at my expense. Offer refused. As I said in the earlier post — scam, do doubt about it.</p>

<p>One more thing. As I was filling out the Incident Form at the rental counter, agents were telling new customers “walk around the car, note any damage, and have the person at the exit booth note it on your contract.” No suggestion at all about an interior inspection.</p>

78

<p>These stories make me sad. I will contribute a tip about rental cars that may occasionally brighten your day. Sign up for the “club” that the rental company has. This is generally free, and it entitles you to wait in a different (and often much shorter) line at the airport. I have this with Dollar, and it has saved me time several times, as well as making me feel like a big shot when I stroll past the lesser beings waiting in the long line.</p>

79

<p>I’d consider:</p>

<ul>
<li>Writing a letter to the CEO of the company.</li>
<li>Sending them a bill for two hours of my time.</li>
</ul>

<p>I’d ask for the badge number and name of the employee and ask to see the operating manager. I generally do this when I have a dispute with a company anyways. I imagine that a certain number of people do roll over and just pay it.</p>

80

<p>Update: I related my rental car experience to my brother, and he reciprocated with an experience of his own. Different rental car company (think small denomination currency) and different specifics, but the same bottom line: “You owe us big for damaging our car.” Believe it or not, the company’s reasoning was even sketchier than in my case. Lots of threatening letters, but in the end they dropped it.</p>