General questions re damage to a hire car

[tuapekastar]

Whilst checking the condition of the hire car I picked up in AKL against the 'damage report' provided to me by the hire company, I got to thinking about who/how they charge for damage.

There were a number of 'chips' on the bonnet and a couple of doors, which were marked on the report. Presumably that is so because otherwise they could say the damage occurred whilst in my possession and I could/would be charged for it (this is all presumption as I have never been hit - touch wood - with extra charges).

So the question is, were the previous renter(s) who were in possession of the car when the chips occurred charged for repairs? And if so, why was the car not repaired, but instead hired out with a damage report? Obviously the companies would like their cars available to be on the road rather than in the panel shop all the time, but it seems there is potential to charge each customer who 'damages' a car for the damage, then not repair it, or at least wait until there is enough damage to fix it all in one fell swoop (and for a cost a lot less than the coughulative charges meted out to various hirers).

There are a few assumptions in the above as I have no idea how it works - hence the questions - but it seems there is plenty of 'scam' opportunity for the hire companies should it take their fancy to do so.

 

[Mal]

Depends on the company and the damage as to who they charge.

Eg, unless Hertz in Australia has changed, any scratch/chip etc below a certain size isn't chased up. And if you have Max Pkg, then most damage is covered anyway (subject to the insurance T&C's).

It doesn't make sense to send a rental car to be repaired when damage is cosmetic. It will either be fixed when they have downtime for a service, or before the car is resold.

There are plenty of scam hire companies out there. Look at the claims that were levelled against Abel rent-a-car... exactly this type of multi-claim scenario.

 

[markis10]

Damage and Fair wear and tear are two different things, I have only once got a car that had a bit of damage to it, I noticed it overnight on the bottom of the passenger door, interestingly the glovebox had a heap of wear and tear reports from previous days and I had to go back to a rental that was two months before mine before it even showed!

 

[ejb]

Hi all,

IME Avis do not consider "cosmetic damage" to be worthy of making the customer pay.

Stone chips, minor car park dings and scratches all seem to be ignored as normal wear and tear.

I always stick to the major companies and find this gives some protection against scams.

ejb

 

[Mal]

I always stick to the major companies and find this gives some protection against scams.

I agree! It's not foolproof, but does help.

 

[UP4014]

Hi all,

I always stick to the major companies and find this gives some protection against scams.

ejb

Yes, paying the extra money with one of the majors is worth it.

 

[docjames]

Hi all,

IME Avis do not consider "cosmetic damage" to be worthy of making the customer pay.

I got a nasty shock with a scrape on a rear view mirror on a HC in Germany - picked up on the return (must have ahppened whilst parked and was pax side so hadnt noticed). Assessor on drop off made a huge deal about it, made me sign it off. Never heard a thing from Avis. Similar experiences with Hertz.

 

[straitman]

As I have posted previously on the site, I always go around the car before and afterwards and take a series of photos with as much detail as necessary. When ever I have had a query like this I simply show them the photos.

We actually went back to the pick-up and showed the before photos in AKL last December and they changed the car before we left. (..and denied all knowledge of of the issue)

 

[PLANT]

I think it may have been mentioned in the past, if so point me to link\thread on the following:

Eurocar hired on business rates in Melbourne.
Hired on CBA Plat credit card
No extra insurance taken.
Cracked windscreen.
Told to sign over $3000, but will have "most" paid back when windscreen fixed?

Is this normal?
Does CBA Plat credit card have\include some sought of insurance cover?
Looking at t&c I don't think so

How much should it cost?
Eurocar said KEEP CALLING US FOR UPDATE REPORTS.
Expected a rant qand rave over price but calmly signed there paperwork which was odd considering been a business customer for over 5 years!

Saw a link\thread about Min Rental car insurance cost...any updates on their suggestions for future?
http://www.frequentflyer.com.au/com...inimising-car-insurance-costs-when-21460.html

 

[markis10]

Its normal for the company to take the excess then refund the difference when the repaid costs are invoiced, I dinged a door on a Avis commodore a few years back and it took 8 weeks for my Amex to be credited $2850 for the repair.

 

[Unco]

I have a similar issue at the moment.

With hertz I hired a car nearly 2 months ago. Did my usual walk around before I hired (nearly been burnt before) and found no damage. When I returned it noticed the front bumper had become detached in one corner. Hadn't hit anything, no damage to the car had just dropped (looked like the nuts had spun off or something).

Even though it wasn't specificly my fault, it was with me when it was reported (would have been a pinch to prop it up which I suspect is what happened before I hired it) I've been charged the full excess, called thier hotline several times and am still being told it hasn't been processed, have had half the excess recredited then recharged without my permission and on speaking to Hertz customer service they are "investigating"..

Is this normal? It seems to be getting dragged out as much as possible. I also know the car is back on the road (happened across it coming back through the airport the other day)

 

[jad01]

I had an experience this week with Europcar at Sydney Airport where I picked up a vehicle in the morning and was back by early afternoon.
When I got into the vehicle I had to use the wipers to remove spots from the windscreen which I thought nothing about at the time.
Upon return I was advised the windscreen was damaged with a crack, mind you I had to lean over with my face 30cm from the windscreen to see it.

For all I know that could have been there when I picked the car up because there is no way I would have been able to see that upon my usual visual inspection prior to signing papaerwork.
Here's the funny part, when the guy who noticed it reported it to someone else who came out, the second guy couldnt see it and went to get the original guy to show him.
It gets funnier because the original guy came back out and had to study the windscreen for a while before finding it.

I refused to sign any paperwork as it said "I accept liability....blah blah" and I refused to pay for it there.
The chip is so small you could fill the hole with the head of a pen or pencil yet the paperwork says 'large crack' and I was told that the whole windscreen would need to be replaced at my expense.

My concern is that the damage was so small and difficult to see that it could quite possibly have been there before I collected the vehicle.

On another note, the additional 'premium location fee" of $85 not shown at the time of booking was greater than the total $75 cost of the rental = $160.
I can easily afford to pay the damage but the principle of the matter is how do I know the damage was or wasnt there beforehand.
I'll update once my lawyers finish speaking with their lawyers.
JASON