Budget Accusing of Damage on Car

Hvrd on 07/09/2020 - 14:13
Last edited 10/09/2020 - 10:22

Hi all, my dad has just come back from a holiday where he borrowed a rental car. He checked it on pick up and noted no damage. On the drop off he parked the car and left, 10 mins later an employee told him that their will be $400 repair fee for damage to the driver side door as seen here https://imgur.com/90kTbjZ

My dad is certain that it wasn't there when he left after dropping it off but unfortunately didn't take any pictures as he has always had good experiences with rental companies.

Just after thoughts on what you think it could be, we're thinking it could be cleaning equipment that they use got knocked against the car.

Update: Received a $450 fee, which is a lot better than we thought it could be, lesson here is to take pictures of the whole car.

Automotive

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Comments

  • 87percent on 07/09/2020 - 14:16
    +7

    How could you not notice that?!

    • SnoozeAndLose on 07/09/2020 - 14:20

      it may be under heavy rain and OP's father choose to trust the rental company.

      • 87percent on 07/09/2020 - 14:48
        +1

        It’s the drivers side door.. passenger I could understand,

    • Hvrd on 07/09/2020 - 16:26

      my dad is saying that the damage was not there after dropping it off but that the rental people did it

  • SnoozeAndLose on 07/09/2020 - 14:18
    +6

    So in this situation, it will be the photo evident against the word from your father.

    You can negotiate the cost. I don't think anything you can do unless you have a picture or footage to prove that the current damage is there at the time of pick up.

    $400 is a cheap lesson compare to driving an uninsured car.

    • AustriaBargain on 07/09/2020 - 15:57

      It's not possible that someone did that to the car in the 10 minutes between dropping it off and photo taken? You'd need a big hammer or something to do that, or another car.

      • SnoozeAndLose on 07/09/2020 - 16:04

        I agreed, it could be a trolley.

        As I said, if there is no photo to prove that the damage is there at the time of the pick up, OP's father will be 100% liable.

  • GG57 on 07/09/2020 - 14:18
    +5

    Your dad did not borrow a car; he rented a car under a signed rental agreement, with a lot of T&Cs.
    One of the options he could have chosen was insurance, and for an increased premium he could have had no-excess insurance. Or he could have taken out the insurance through an alternate provider.

    I think he will just have to wear the cost.

  • Hithere on 07/09/2020 - 14:20
    +2

    Proving that your dad didn't do it will be nearly impossible, it'll be his word against the rental company.

    I know who has deeper pockets if it comes to a legal fight.

    Unfortunately your dad will have to pay unless he convince the rental company to waive the bill as a good will gesture.

  • bobbified on 07/09/2020 - 14:25
    +11

    That damage looks like a trolley or something. Something that's hit the door while the vehicle has been stationary.

    I think the only hope would be asking them to check the surveillance footage of the 10 minutes between when your dad dropped off the car and when they said the damage occurred. If noone approached the car during those 10 minutes, then it's pretty clear cut. If someone has, then it might be arguable.

    • AustriaBargain on 07/09/2020 - 16:03
      +3

      The way it scrapes, starts in deep and hard then across and up slightly. Maybe the door was swung open into something as a driver was getting out. And it's two deep punctures, it can't be from a trolley. What part of a trolley would puncture a door in two places like that, unless it was missing those plastic things they usually have on the corner.

  • trustnoone on 07/09/2020 - 14:27
    +1

    my dad has just come back from a holiday where he borrowed a rental car.

    Did he drop it off at an airport or similar? Maybe slim possibility theres some camera footage that shows the car being hit by something? (Trolley or something?)

    • Hvrd on 07/09/2020 - 16:32

      Was at an airport but unfortunately not in an area with cameras looking at car

  • bazingaa on 07/09/2020 - 14:33
    -1

    Did he take "no excess insurance" when renting for few extra bucks ?

    • salmon123 on 07/09/2020 - 15:47
      +9

      for few extra bucks ?

      Depends on your definition of "few bucks". It can easily increase the cost of the rental by 50-100%.

      • blitz on 07/09/2020 - 16:18

        It can easily increase the cost of the rental by 50-100%.

        Not in this case!

        • abb on 07/09/2020 - 17:13

          We don't know how long he rented the car for, I've had rental bills of $600+ (with minimal insurance) before.

  • thatonethere on 07/09/2020 - 14:34
    +16

    I would never leave a rental car for an unattended drop off without taking a shit ton of photos.

    • Hvrd on 07/09/2020 - 16:33

      yep, sounds like you need to take a 3d image of the car

      • thatonethere on 07/09/2020 - 18:37
        +4

        I do a video as it is quicker

        • Zachary on 08/09/2020 - 14:58
          +1

          Better be 2160p quality and no less!

  • Marty-69 on 07/09/2020 - 14:45
    +1

    Travel insurance?

    • Hvrd on 07/09/2020 - 16:37

      he's going to look into it with his credit card.

    • JustinHardie on 08/09/2020 - 20:22
      +1

      You can buy annual car rental excess insurance - its just over $100 a year, well worth it if you hire cars a few times per year. Not helping with this case, but maybe for the future.

  • Xistn on 07/09/2020 - 14:54
    +5

    Better call Specsavers too while he's at it.

  • Frayin on 07/09/2020 - 14:58
    +1

    As others have said. Look around for cameras of where it was parked. If there is no footage, unfortunately your dad will more than likely have to foot the bill. If there is footage, your father will either be exonerated, or found at fault.

  • try2bhelpful on 07/09/2020 - 15:15
    +4

    Yeah, this is why I put up a couple of forum posts about Rental car companies doing this. We had something similar in Spain but we had heard what they were like, and had lots of photos and a condition report that noted the damage before we picked it up. When we told them we had video proof of before, and after, their answer was the initial damage report hadn’t made it into the computer; these guys are dodgy as all hell.

    • Hvrd on 07/09/2020 - 16:36
      +1

      shame that they can get away with it most of the time as the renter has to prove it wasn't them and not the other way round.

      • try2bhelpful on 07/09/2020 - 16:38

        Yeah, they depend on the fact that once you get on the big silver bird to go home it is hard to dispute the damage.

  • Mechz on 07/09/2020 - 15:19
    +4

    400 seems pretty good for that damage. Although rental companies self insure so they won't actually fix the damage. You might be able to bargain them down to 250-300 because they won't want the vehicle unavailable for rental.

    • salmon123 on 07/09/2020 - 15:53

      400 seems pretty good for that damage.

      Why? I have it on good authority that insurance companies pay around $200/panel for a patch up and re-spray. Car seems to be a plain white color. It should be an easy fix.

      You might be able to bargain them down to 250-300

      This. Obviously start at $150 and settle at anything below $400.

      Although rental companies self insure so they won't actually fix the damage

      I believe the OP is entitled to ask for an invoice from the repairer and proof of payment, before settling with the rental agency, but I'm sure they know how to create a $2000 bill for that same job.

  • [Deactivated] on 07/09/2020 - 15:20
    +3

    I had a similar experience with Europcar, used the fast drop off where you just leave the keys in the ignition and walk away. A week later they charged my card $500 and emailed me photos of damage. The check report was not done until the next day.

    Took a lot of arguing with them to get it sorted, would never use them again. If you have travel insurance you can claim from this but the excess might make it pointless.

    • try2bhelpful on 07/09/2020 - 15:24
      +4

      Europcar are notorious for this scam.

  • Ocker on 07/09/2020 - 15:22
    +2

    (a) always go over the car twice when picking it up to not any damage compared to that listed on the rental agreement.
    (b) take plenty of photos when returning the car and also insist a representative sign off there is no new damage to the car at time of return

    • try2bhelpful on 07/09/2020 - 15:28

      Plenty of photos, and a video, before and after. Do it at multiple levels around the car. The problem is the sods are getting onto that and now claiming undercarriage damage. Might need to get the selfie sticks out.

      • salmon123 on 07/09/2020 - 15:54

        now claiming undercarriage damage.

        Is the undercarriage even on the pick up condition report?

        • try2bhelpful on 07/09/2020 - 16:02

          Probably not. But the onus would be on the renter to prove that they didn’t cause it.

          • salmon123 on 07/09/2020 - 16:10
            +1

            @try2bhelpful:

            But the onus would be on the renter to prove that they didn’t cause it.

            I'm sure the rental company would try to claim that and some people would fall for it, but no, the onus isn't on the renter to disprove damage.

            Rental cars always have warning stickers to indicate parts are "security coded" to stop people from stealing parts … Think about the practicality of checking a car for all the correct security coded parts, after each rental (both the renter and the rental company). They'd be digging a hole for themselves, in terms of admin work.

            I'd say the undercarriage story is limited to a bad branch. I've heard a few stories about claims for scratched windows, but again, that's probably limited to a few bad branches.

            • try2bhelpful on 07/09/2020 - 16:37
              +1

              @salmon123: I hope so, but I thought the damage scams were limited to a small number of branches, until they tried to sting us. Just putting it out there and to warn people to check under their doors for damage caused by scrapping the door on curbs, etc.

              This is long but it is a pretty comprehensive approach on car rental

              https://www.ridehacks.com/ultimate-guide-to-rental-car-insur…

              The other point to keep in mind with undercarriage damage is that it is often excluded from insurance.

  • [Deactivated] on 07/09/2020 - 16:18
    +2

    Pops slammed the door into some railing, great shame and dishonour

  • netjock on 07/09/2020 - 16:39
    +2

    unfortunately didn't take any pictures as he has always had good experiences with rental companies.

    Expensive lesson. 5 minutes to take photos or video. How much is that on an hourly rate.

    • try2bhelpful on 07/09/2020 - 16:50
      +1

      Yeah, but I’d rented a lot of cars in Europe, without taking a video, until I read an article about these dodgy damage scams. I’m not blaming pops - it could, easily, have happened to me on our last trip if I hadn’t read the articles. They tried it on, we had the proof, they backed off with a piss poor excuse. They know most people won’t take it further so they “try it on”.

      Hindsight is 2020. If we’d had 2020 vision on 2020 in 2019 we all would’ve all done things differently.

  • Drakesy on 07/09/2020 - 16:54

    Yeah, have heard too many stories like this from rental companies. Take a walk around with the rental agent noting any additional damage that they don't pick up on their pre-inspection and photograph every panel and wheel on the car.

    Do the same at drop off, just with a camera to ensure this doesn't happen. Unfortunately without drop off pictures it's going to be hard to dispute.

  • hashtagbargain on 07/09/2020 - 17:01
    +3

    Australian Car Rental Conciliation Service - rental car industry ombudsman at your service.

    • Hvrd on 07/09/2020 - 17:15

      handy, thank you

  • sfk10 on 07/09/2020 - 17:45
    +1

    Doesnt look like a trolley damage, more like a pole that rammed into it

    • Hvrd on 07/09/2020 - 18:51

      yeah or even a rail, maybe even some sort of clamp

  • lainey13 on 07/09/2020 - 23:51

    And that's why on pickup a drop off for EVERY rental car I will take photos and a video of the whole thing and mark every little thing on the condition report. Also get travel insurance that covers car rental excess.

  • gbarlett on 08/09/2020 - 07:39
    +2

    Ask them for a copy of the video footage of the vehicle entering their premises when it was returned.
    Most organisations have security cameras on the premises.

  • andrea0104 on 08/09/2020 - 08:36
    +1

    Last time I rented a car they took photos when I picked it up and when I dropped it off but that was Hertz. I would never do the "drop off the keys" return. I want to be there when they inspect it.

  • saltypete on 08/09/2020 - 09:46

    We learnt the hard way in Edinburgh last year. Took before pics of the rental car, but not the tyres specifically. When we dropped it off, they went to a mark on the sidewall almost immediately and we ended up being charged for it. While it is possible it was our damage, the location was not somewhere that we thought it possible for us to have done. My guess is that they noticed it after signing off on a previous return and just threw it on to us.
    Lesson learnt, take photos of whole body including TYRE shots.

    • GG57 on 08/09/2020 - 10:03
      +1

      Was that hire from Budget or a different provider?

      • saltypete on 09/09/2020 - 09:13

        It was through Avis, but when we turned up at the location they were Budget, Avis and a few others as well. They were pretty bad, when we returned the vehicle it took ages as they were dealing with 3 separate groups that were angry and complaining.

  • OzHunterNSW on 08/09/2020 - 12:13
    +2

    SCAM SCAM SCAM
    You must fully inspect vehicle…. take photos. and drag out the office person to point out what is already there.

    This indicates that you are aware of pre-existing damage… and want them to confirm there being so.

    You have been scammed

    • GG57 on 08/09/2020 - 12:59

      Maybe

  • blutek on 08/09/2020 - 13:00
    +1

    The Hertz agencies I've used (EU) provide you with photos of the car, when picking up.

  • PCHammond on 08/09/2020 - 19:32
    +1

    I, for one, have never taken photos before/after and I have never had a problem.

    I only rent through Hertz and have rented in Europe, USA and probably 100 times in Australia

    • try2bhelpful on 08/09/2020 - 19:40
      +3

      You might want to start.

      • kiitos on 09/09/2020 - 16:37

        I definitely will be from now on… Not that I can see myself meeting to rent a car for a while…

  • jsb on 08/09/2020 - 21:01
    +1

    Based on the damage shown in the photo, its definitely not $400 damage but a lot more than that.
    I would say, either you paid extra for excess reduction and $400 is the excess, or you are being scammed.
    What is the proof that its even the same car? Have they given you photo from the corner showing the rego and damage together?

    • Hvrd on 09/09/2020 - 10:00

      we're waiting for the final cost as they get the estimate and are charging for loss from not being able to rent it out, ill update what that is when we know.
      It is the same car, my dad took the photo.

      • ol mate on 09/09/2020 - 18:08
        +1

        Loss of rental income is a bunch of BS.

        Ask them to provide their fleet utilisation logs for proof that they did not have other cars available (all sizes larger - they can provide upgrades to other customers) for all days from rental return to when it supposedly was in repair, as well as after (that damage isn't something that would stop them renting it out so they should mitigate your loss by repairing during "low" season).

  • HeWhoKnows on 08/09/2020 - 21:52
    -1

    Unfortunately its difficult to argue the point without any photos.

  • Ken1977 on 09/09/2020 - 21:46

    This is a common scam, they tried it on with me after hiring a car in Brisbane, sent me a photo of damage done to the car, after I sent them the before and after photos I never heard from them again. I would use a program to check the EXIF data on the photo and see when it was actually taken. It’s probably a photo they use regularly, taken weeks ago. It may not even be from the car you hired.

    • GG57 on 10/09/2020 - 09:40

      It is OP's father's photo

  • Ken1977 on 10/09/2020 - 14:01

    Are you sure as it doesn't say that, it says he left. Unless he went back and took the photo himself. Maybe OP can clear it up. Otherwise it could be any of the white cars in their fleet.

    • GG57 on 10/09/2020 - 14:07

      If you are replying to my comment, OP has provided that info just a few posts above (on 09/09/2020 at 10:00)

    • Hvrd on 10/09/2020 - 15:52

      yes was the same car, he took the photo when he went to look at it

  • min2 on 19/09/2020 - 06:01

    Fighting a similar case with Europcar right now. Totally agree with all posts in this tread that they are scammers. The whole rental car industry should be investigated by the consumer watchdog. Has anyone had experience with lodging a complaint via their ombudsman and what was the outcome? Would be keen to learn.

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