Problems When Renting a Car

Mon, 3/19/2018 - 12:53 am by Kirsten Rincon

Renting a CarRenting a car is a practical thing to do when going on a business trip or on a vacation with your family. Renting a car at your destination is often more convenient than using your own car. But, the process can be a bit complicated, as it could involve legal legal issues after you return the car to the rental company. Potential damages to the car, additional charges, insurance, and traffic tickets could all result in potential legal action.

Extra Charges

When renting a car, there are many hidden fees that rental car companies try to charge you, often without disclosing them upfront. There is the airport fee, that is required when you pick up a car at an airport, and the under-25 penalty, for drivers younger than 25. Companies also commonly charge an extra driver fee, for those who want to have another person driving the car. These fees are not mandatory, and you might choose not to pay them. The rental car company has to inform you of the fees and explain what they mean before the rental agreement is signed. If you are involved in an accident with the rented vehicle, companies will charge a loss of use, and a diminishment of value, fee to make up for the reduced value of the car, and the lost revenue while the vehicle was being repaired.

What To Do If The Vehicle Has Been Damaged

In many cases, people renting cars face unexpected charges for damages they didn’t even cause. There are many cases of people who receive damage bills after they return a car, for damages that existed, and were confirmed by the company’s staff before the car was rented. Furthermore, customers oftentimes receive much higher repair bills than the actual cost of the damages that they have caused. 

Inspect The Car Before You Pick It Up

Before you rent a car, take a close look at the vehicle with a representative from the car rental company. Make sure the staff member takes notes of any cracks, scratches, dents, tears, and other damages, so that you are not held responsible for damages you didn’t cause. But, sometimes people fail to report a cigarette burn or a torn upholstery, as they don’t think this kind of damages are serious enough to be reported. This is exactly what rental car companies are trying to take advantage of, hoping that their customers won’t notice that a car has been damaged previously, or decide not to report a certain flaw, a mark, a burn, or some other detail like that.

There are also cases where people are charged for damages that they reported before they rented a car. If the return-inspection is conducted by a different representative than the one that did the initial walk-around, they may claim that you are responsible for damage .

This is why you have to be very careful before you rent a car and sign the rental agreement, inspect the car thoroughly, and take photos of each dent, crack, burn or scratch, which you can use as proof later if you do get blamed for a damage you didn’t cause.

To protect you own car, make sure you are covered with the best auto insurance policy.