National trying to bill me for acciedent repairs that did not happen

[DebbieB]

Hi,

Thanks for sharing your experiance. I have a reservation with National for our upcoming November trip and I am thinking of switching to Avis but I have a feeling that this is more of an industry issue than a National specific issue.

What do people think?

I have to use Avis for company business. They preassign cars and I always seem to get a crappy Chevy Classic, they are horrible to drive.

 

[betterlatethannever]

The rental folder should have a little "car diagram" where you can note any defects in the car; it should be one of those duplicate forms. You leave one with the rental agent when you drive off, and keep the other. If you don't have that sheet in your folder, ask the agent for one, and then fill it out. When you return the car, if the return agent makes a fuss, just pull out that sheet and show it to him/her. Takes only a few minutes, and covers any pre-existing damage situations. I've found National to be generally pretty good about this, as long as you fill out the paperwork.

Does National have them at the check out kiosk? As an EC member, I typically don't get ANY folder or paperwork when I check out.

Ed

 

[seashoreCM]

who works in the BodyShop area for National Orlando told me that I was correct that if I did return a car with damage the clerk would not have given me the receipt and that I should be all set with sending the letter and a copy of my receipt. It just gets under my skin that it is on me to prove this. .

You do need to save receipts, but saving receipts is very easy to do. Suppose there was no damage but the rental company simply decided to overcharge your credit card for no good reason. Without a receipt you would be out of luck.

We rented in Buffalo and returned it on New Year's Day. Budget was closed, so there was no one there to verify the condition of the car. It was, of course, just as it was when we rented it. We put the keys in the drop box and went home to Seattle. I got a bill from Budget for some damage to the front of the car. They all maintained it was my fault. I asked for pictures; they had none. I wish I had thought about taking my own, which I have done going forward. I refused to pay; they charged my credit card. I disputed the charge and lost.

I will never, ever rent from Budget again. Even if they paid me! Nor will I use my Discover card!.

This is not the first complaint of this nature I have read about regarding Discover cards. Also I am unsure of what good it does to take or possess pictures, the company could still claim the pictures were not from the appropriate date and time.

"You pay to Discover"

 

[lovesdumbo]

Hi,

Thanks for sharing your experiance. I have a reservation with National for our upcoming November trip and I am thinking of switching to Avis but I have a feeling that this is more of an industry issue than a National specific issue.

What do people think?

I've had good service with Alamo and National but had the worst experience with Avis in Newfoundland. We got a flat tire and they told us we would have to pay for a new tire since we declined the insurance. I asked them to come out and look at the very worn tire that was on the car. They came out to see it but still insisted it was our fault. They sent us to a tire store up the street but they said they didn't have a tire or something and wouldn't help us so we found a junk yard and got a used tire for $20 that had twice (or more) the tread of the original tire on the car. It really put a damper on the trip and wasted a lot of our time. We were happy that we didn't get hurt when the tire blew.

 

[manning]

I have to use Avis for company business. They preassign cars and I always seem to get a crappy Chevy Classic, they are horrible to drive.

Consider youself lucky. a long long time ago when it looked like I going to be outsourced I thought I might want to go into the travel business, so I took a course in it. One of the things you did was listen in on the reservations being made. Well I was assigned the corporate desk. There was one guy who had to use a certain company and wasn't happy about it. He claimed he was pulling out of the parking lot when the steering wheel came off.

 

[DVC-Don]

...........
On a slightly related note, I got a ticket in the mail from NYC via National for running a red light. Now, our rental was in the driveway being packed for Florida when the driver of this other van ran the light in Queens. It appeared to be a slightly different color (white vs silver) than ours, but the plates matched those in my rental agreement. ...........
.

Prior to being an insurance agent I was a police officer for 7.5 years. It was very common to find the wrong plates on rental cars when we stopped them. Seems like the guys who put the plates on don't pay very much attention to getting the plates on the proper cars. Sometimes they even came back to a different make car.

 

[treehugger]

I have a question for those who take before and after photos for documentation of condition. How do you prove that they are the before and after? I just don't see how they would hold up to a challange without some sort of undisputable evidence in the photo proving the date and time (besides the stamp on the photo, that can easily be adjusted.) Also, if taken with a digital camera I don't know how they would hold up in court given the capabilities of editing software. Photos are great for proving damage, I don't know how effective they'd be in the reverse. Just curious because I am always looking for ways to protect myself from headaches like the OP had.

 

[safetymom]

There is information that goes along with every photo. It is hard to edit the photos to change that data. Unless you don't have the date set correctly on your camera every image would have this data.

 

[atigeg]

Even though they could dispute the photos, I figure that if they are trying to blame me dishonestly, having some sort of evidence shows that I am aware of those games and am willing to fight...that's often enough to make a dishonest company back off and pick on someone who is less prepared. I make sure that the background of the photos show the location (i.e. rental garage or lot). In the case of a one-way rental from Cocoa Beach to MCO, they'd know when the initial photos and the later ones were taken because of the location.
Barb

 

[lonegungirl]

Are there certain views of the car that you photograph? I have never been charged for anything, although I am always neurotic about it. The last time I rented from National at the WDW car center, there was no diagram on the rental envelope to mark any scratches, and when I pulled the car in, there was no one to check it or give me a receipt. I gave the keys to the lady inside, and she said that was it, and I left...which also makes me nervous, but I was never charged for anything.

Frankly, if they don't have a method for documenting damage before you leave with the car, I don't see how they can reasonably hold you responsible for damage they find after you bring it back. Reason, however seems to have little to do with it.

 

[RayRing]

I will not use National again.

About 2 years ago, I used National car rental for a 3 or 4 day rental. When I picked up the car, I noticed that the carpet behind the driver appeared to be burned in several small spots. Since the carpet had been cleaned, I assumed that it was noted by National, and didn't think anything more about it.

Several weeks after my trip, I received a letter indicated that I owed several hundred dollars for repairs. I called National, and explained that the carpet was like that when I picked up the car. They said that I was resposible for the damage.

I then called American Express (which is the card I used for the car rental), and explained the situation to them. American Express said they would take car of everything, "and they did".

I don't know what American Express did, but I never herd from National again. And I will never rent from national again.

I have never had this problem with any other car rental company.

Just wanted everyone to know to "cover" themselves when they rent a car.

 

[HappyLawyer]

I am so glad i read this, i will also be taking pictures before and after from now on

 

[DisneyWorld Delight]

We had the gas situation from Port Canaveral to MCO (Budget) too. The tank wasn't full, I went back in to tell the lady, but she was so busy, she said not to worry about it. We went directly to the gas station and kept the receipt. At MCO turn in, the Budget guy got all "attitude" on me and said, "Why didn't you fill up the gas." I told him it was empty when we got it, he disagreed with me and I whipped out my receipt. Turns out, they owed us money, I'm sure it was not the $10.99 per gallon they were going to charge me! We didn't bother to get it, running behind for flight. (This did not turn me off of Budget.)

But to this day, I realize, it probably wouldn't be too hard to get someone else's gas receipt off the ground. I suppose he could have disputed that.

There are just too many loopholes, and too many people trying to take advantage of you, letting your guard down is not an option anymore.

 

[littlestar]

Just wanted to bump your thread as this very same thing just happened to us with National. Opened my mail and there was a claim from National. Their claims department is closed on the weekend, so I'll have to call on Monday. They are billing us for damage they say happened in April. Four months ago!

Car was fine when we dropped it off. Attendant checked the gas guage, walked around and looked for any damages, popped the trunk, and everything was good to go. Then the attendant printed the handheld computer receipt with the charge amount on it (which luckily we still have).

Wish me luck.

 

[Tiffany]

Just wanted to bump your thread as this very same thing just happened to us with National. Opened my mail and there was a claim from National. Their claims department is closed on the weekend, so I'll have to call on Monday. They are billing us for damage they say happened in April. Four months ago!

Car was fine when we dropped it off. Attendant checked the gas guage, walked around and looked for any damages, popped the trunk, and everything was good to go. Then the attendant printed the handheld computer receipt with the charge amount on it (which luckily we still have).

Wish me luck.

Hi,

I do wish you luck. I am glad you have your receipt. I sent my letter and a copy of the receipt already and basiclly made it a negative consent letter based on how my Insurance Agent told me to word the letter. If I do not hear anything else from National I am considering the matter closed. Make sure you state in your letter that you returned the car in the same condition in which you rented and attach a copy of the receipt that the attendant.

 

[littlestar]

Tiffany,

When I call National on Monday, I'm wondering how many people I'll end up talking to. Did you say you ended up talking to about five people? Did they transfer you back and forth? Also, was National the one that told you to send the letter stating the car was fine when you dropped it off and include the receipt, or did your insurance company tell you to do that? I'm kind of wondering what to expect.

We've rented from National for years and never had a problem like this. It's really scary. I told my husband I'm glad that was probably our last trip to Hawaii. I don't even want to have to rent a car anymore after this.

This makes Magical Express or towncars at Disney even more attractive for us.

 

[kathie859]

I read this post with interest as the exact same thing happened to me in Ft. Myers with a different car rental agency only in this case I received a call my my insurance company's adjuster asking about the car rental company's claim against my policy for alledged damages. I advised my carrier that there was no damage to the car when it was returned and that the rental employee had done the "walk around" inspection with no comment when I returned the car. The impression that I received from the adjuster was that this type of claim was not uncommon!!
My advice to all is to take the time to thoroughly inspect the car before you leave the premises and take the time to stay with the car during check-in. In the past, I think I was so excited and anxious to get on with my trip that I overlooked this part of renting a vehicle.

 

[manning]

National, owned by Alamo!!!!!!

Just rented from Enterprise the other day (dealership picked up the charge). Boy did they try to get me take insurance. When I said no, she said you know you are responsible for any possible damages. I said no, you took my Diners Club card and they are primary insurance. YOU will have to deal with THEM if there are any damages, which there wheren't. They also have on the papers you have to sign that in the event of an accident you will file an accident report with the state. Duh, it's the law, your license is suspended if you don't.

One nice thing with Hertz, you don't go thru the elaborate production of walking around the car at check-out/check-in. Maybe it's because I'm a Gold Club member with a corporate discount!!

One funny (?) thing did happen last time I used Hertz. I had to extend the rental another week. The computer went whoopy, crashed and didn't take the extension. On top of that Diners Club formed an alliance with Master Card resulting in new cards being issued. When I activated the new card, it deactivated the old one (that's the one the car was rented on). Needless to say when they called home to advise me of the problem, a relative, staying with me, took the call and didn't advise me of the problem, only to call Hertz at my convenience. I got a registered letter demanding I return the car or face arrest. One phone call straightened it all out. They gave me three days free.

 

[Tine731]

Quote (Just rented from Enterprise the other day (dealership picked up the charge). Boy did they try to get me take insurance. When I said no, she said you know you are responsible for any possible damages. I said no, you took my Diners Club card and they are primary insurance. YOU will have to deal with THEM if there are any damages, which there wheren't. They also have on the papers you have to sign that in the event of an accident you will file an accident report with the state. Duh, it's the law, your license is suspended if you don't.)

Was this in FL by any chance?? I had the same experience when I rented a car at the Melbourne airport. I rented several times at MCO and never had to sign other papers execpt the general rental contract. I used my Amex Platimum and have never had a problem in the past.

 

[Lewisc]

Unless you purchase, the over priced, damage waiver from the rental car agency you are responsible for all damages. You may have coverage from a credit card or from your own auto policy and the rental car agency may chose to collect directly from them BUT they have the option of billing you directly and you're responsible to get reimbursed.

Diners Club is generally primary coverage but the rental car agency has an agreement with you not Diners Club for the car.

National, owned by Alamo!!!!!!

Just rented from Enterprise the other day (dealership picked up the charge). Boy did they try to get me take insurance. When I said no, she said you know you are responsible for any possible damages. I said no, you took my Diners Club card and they are primary insurance. YOU will have to deal with THEM if there are any damages, which there wheren't. They also have on the papers you have to sign that in the event of an accident you will file an accident report with the state. Duh, it's the law, your license is suspended if you don't.

One nice thing with Hertz, you don't go thru the elaborate production of walking around the car at check-out/check-in. Maybe it's because I'm a Gold Club member with a corporate discount!!

One funny (?) thing did happen last time I used Hertz. I had to extend the rental another week. The computer went whoopy, crashed and didn't take the extension. On top of that Diners Club formed an alliance with Master Card resulting in new cards being issued. When I activated the new card, it deactivated the old one (that's the one the car was rented on). Needless to say when they called home to advise me of the problem, a relative, staying with me, took the call and didn't advise me of the problem, only to call Hertz at my convenience. I got a registered letter demanding I return the car or face arrest. One phone call straightened it all out. They gave me three days free.