Disputing and Winning Car Rental Damage Claims
There’s no way to stop car rental companies from sending damage claims, but it’s possible to be prepared if that happens. Renting vehicles have become more affordable than ever, especially with car rental coupons, but your customer experience might not always be positive and uneventful. So, what can we do to dispute and win car rental damage claims?
When you rent a vehicle, there are some things you should do. Taking pictures of every scratch and/or dent on the wheels, body, glass and interior before you drive the car away is a good idea. In case a rental company sends you a claim, tell them you took pictures of those damages before you even drove the vehicle away. So, in case you spot any visible damage, capture it. In addition, you could ask employees to document each dent and scratch before you rent the vehicle.
Most people, however, don’t document the pre-existing damages. What can be done in that case? Ask the rental company to send you time-stamped pictures that have been taken immediately before you took the car and drove it off the lot. In case they don’t have that documented, they cannot claim you are responsible for the damage and not the previous renters or their own employees. Also, if they don’t have time-stamped pictures taken immediately after you returned the vehicle, they can’t be sure you made those scratches and dents and not someone who rented the car after you. In case the representatives don’t want to cooperate, you should report the company to legal authorities in the state/country where you rented the vehicle.
Getting an expensive bill for rental car damages is always an unpleasant experience, even if you caused the damage. But, it’s rather frustrating to pay for something you’re not responsible for and you should take these precautionary steps to save yourself money, time and energy.
