Getting done over by Budget car rental

Voodoomelon

My business partner is in Germany at the moment, and rented a BMW X1 for one day. He videoed the whole car before driving away with it (neglected to video the wheels), but on return Budget are claiming a 6-8" scratch on one of the alloys was his doing and want €480 for repairs!

He was on open roads and didn't touch a kerb for the short time he had it. The scratch is filled with weeks of dirt. Anyone know if anything can be done to combat this extortion?

EDIT: No additional insurance was purchased.

dilallio

Was the car not washed before he collected it? They usually are and I'm surprised he didn't spot the scratch then.

ba_barabus

Voodoomelon wrote: »

My business partner is in Germany at the moment, and rented a BMW X1 for one day. He videoed the whole car before driving away with it (neglected to video the wheels), but on return Budget are claiming a 6-8" scratch on one of the alloys was his doing and want €480 for repairs!

He was on open roads and didn't touch a kerb for the short time he had it. The scratch is filled with weeks of dirt. Anyone know if anything can be done to combat this extortion?

EDIT: No additional insurance was purchased.

Has he mentioned that he had a video of the car before he took it?

They may back off when they hear that. I have heard of car firms doing this and similar.

Voodoomelon

He showed them the video and they seemed reasonable enough, until the end of the video was reached and the rental guys pointed out straight away that there was no distinguishable video of the wheels.

ba_barabus

Voodoomelon wrote: »

He showed them the video and they seemed reasonable enough, until the end of the video was reached and the rental guys pointed out straight away that there was no distinguishable video of the wheels.

I think he may have to pay and then appeal the decision. IIRC they will issue a charge to his card. I'd certainly be contacting customer support before leaving the yard.

I have heard of companies doing something like this as I said. Have you a picture of the damage?

Diemos

Was he given the vehicle condition sheet to sign?
It should have indicated any existing damage to the car. If your partner missed the damage then I'm afraid there is very little you can do.

Idbatterim

a wheel refurb now costs E480 and in Germany?! LOL good one there from Budget. Also as if budget would get something like that touched up, its a rental car, the alloys are going to be kerbed left right and centre. <snip> they will just pocked all of it or outsource it to one of their mates and make a tidy sum...

Voodoomelon

He has a few pictures of the damage, not sure of what use they are though. It's on the rear offside wheel. That's the kind of damage you'd do reversing against a kerb, he did nothing of the sort. Big 3-4" rubber on it too, absolute chancers.

Diemos wrote: »

Was he given the vehicle condition sheet to sign?
It should have indicated any existing damage to the car. If your partner missed the damage then I'm afraid there is very little you can do.

I agree with you.

Ninap

Normally this kind of behaviour is limited to the smaller companies. Outrageous, but not sure what you can do. (If it was Ireland, I'd say go to the Small Claims Court.) I much prefer hiring a car that's a bit bashed and scratched as it stops this type of nonsense.

At the very least, demand receipts of the work done, and say you will be contacting the firm involved to check their invoice.

Voodoomelon

I think the only thing that might be worth pursing is the proposed cost of the repair and how ridiculous it is.
I don't think they have any obligation to even repair the car, let alone provide an invoice.

dharn

Sounds like it would be cheaper to buy them a new rim, keep tho old one and flog it

alias no.9

I had an incident a good few years back, rented a car at Birmingham Airport, drove an hour on almost exclusively motorway, parked it facing a wall in a quiet guesthouse carpark, got back into it the next day and drove straight back to Birmingham Airport. I hadn't even stopped moving when the guy was out with his clip board pointing out a small scrape on side of the front bumper. I initially filled in the form denying anything had happened when I was driving and that the position it was parked overnight would have been impossible for another car to have caused the damage and a pointless effort in vandalism. I had left the office and walked over to the car stood a little back and came to the conclusion that there was no way he could have seen the scrape as soon as he claimed to, you had to bend down and get in close to see it. I marched back into the office asked if I could add a few more lines to the incident report explaining the above, asked the manager to accompany me to the car and pointed out the almost impossibility that Mr. Clipboard had spotted it when he said and the liklihood that he knew exactly what he was looking for as I parked the car. I left it at that and never heard another word about it.

Voodoomelon

He said something similar when he was dropping the car back. There was lines of people dropping back cars every two minutes or so, rental chaps doing a quick 60 second look over and signing the cars off. The rental guy that examined the X1 took his sweet time, said "ohhh" when he saw a scrape on the back of the car and was then dismayed when he saw it already marked on the sheet. Sounds like he was out to do us no matter what.

Stavros Murphy

This is sadly becoming a big issue. Hire companies, and by that I mean both car hire, tool hire and plant hire companies have suffered reduced incomes and margins due to the contracting economy and harder to get finance. Their response has been to sweat their assets harder and clamp down very hard on damages of any kind - by that I mean cleaning charges, charges for scratches that would have been ignored in the past, charges for the least infraction regarding fuel, over-time, over-mileage, increased insurance charges and so on.

Off topic, but relevant, as regards to tool hire, my company no longer hire equipment of any kind as it is just too much of a minefield regarding charges upon return. If we need it, we now buy it or do without. You really need to be very, very aware when entering into a hire agreement and remember the dice is stacked firmly against you - so look, check, picture and have a good, long read of the T&C you are signing up to. I believe if most people actually thoroughly read a hire agreement, they'd think very bad of signing it.

Fred Swanson

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Stavros Murphy

Fred Swanson wrote: »

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I did this once, emphasis once..and they rang me three days later asking where their car was. I.e, someone "nicked" it. Happily, I'm a bit sharkish too, otherwise it could have ended badly. Oh, there's fun aplenty to be had with hire companies.

mickdw

Fred Swanson wrote: »

Number 1 lesson, never ever return a car where the rental company is closed on your return. Many people foolishly park up and fire the keys in the letterbox and fly home. The next day your credit card is down a sh1tload of money for imaginary damages.

Ryanair airports in Eastern Europe are ones to be wary of.

I think for anyone who only hires for a few days per year, it is worth taking the extra insurance and be done with it. No messing about re tiny scratches, no worries about dodgy credit card charges.
These additional 3rd party insurances that can be bought for small money to cover all hire for a year are ok but a bit of a nightmare to claim from.

Voodoomelon

Out of curiosity, if you had waiver insurance, would the rental companies even bother claiming on it for small damages?

I'm just reading online that waiver insurance doesn't usually cover glass, locks, wheels or tyres anyhow.

Fred Swanson

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CiniO

Fred Swanson wrote: »

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Does it not double the rental cost?

Fred Swanson

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mickdw

Fred Swanson wrote: »

You usually have to take out super insurance to cover everything.

Whenever I hire I just get the "Just bring back the key" insurance.

Yes. It really is wasteful then not to leave it back on its roof.

Tea 1000

mickdw wrote: »

Yes. It really is wasteful then not to leave it back on its roof.

I left your cube in space 20. Thanks.

positron

Yep, I too had a bad experience once with car rental in Frankfurt.

On pickup we were given the keys and told where to find the car. It was in a multistory cark park good bit away, fairly dark and if I wanted to speak to someone about a scratch or dent, I would have to walk all the way back to arrivals hall - rinse/repeat. When I brought the car back, it was a well lit outdoorsy area and there were half a dozen "agents" and one or two checks every nook and corner of the car and one points out a tiny 1 cm scratch on the rear bumper. I had no idea it that was there if I / someone with me caused it. Put me off the entire rental idea to be honest. I would much rather bring my own car / bike on ferry, or get public transport from here on.

Caliden

Whenever I hire a car I go over it at least three times and note down everything even the surfaces scratches. That way you're covered if they try and pin old damage on you.

"I've checked the car and there's no damage".....yeah alright buddy, I'm still going to check it.

Drummerboy08

I just usually drop in the "Ah don't worry about it, I'm in the Motor trade myself" line, when they start going over the car on handover.

They usually don't both trying to pull the wool over my eyes at that stage. In saying that, I always go around the car at least twice....

bca

you can get excess insurance from onedirect.ie for 50 euro a year

Fred Swanson

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goz83

Caliden wrote: »

Whenever I hire a car I go over it at least three times and note down everything even the surfaces scratches. That way you're covered if they try and pin old damage on you.

"I've checked the car and there's no damage".....yeah alright buddy, I'm still going to check it.

+ 1.

Rent cars once or twice a year in Spain. I ALWAYS check the car from top to bottom and inside out before taking it. If there is so much as a blemish, I get the agent to mark and sign it. Funny how they often have damage sheets with no damage recorded on clearly damaged vehicles. When I am returning the car, I insist they sign off on it there and then, whether they have time to look at it or not. 5 minutes each way can save you a nightmare when you get home. The ones that ask for €1000 deposit on your card are the ones to be most careful with.

bca

Fred Swanson wrote: »

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probably is but it better than have no excess cover

Fred Swanson

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Voodoomelon

We priced a new 17" X1 alloy with BMW earlier, €310 ex VAT.

Car rental looking for €480 for a repair.

Fred Swanson

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alias no.9

Voodoomelon wrote: »

We priced a new 17" X1 alloy with BMW earlier, €310 ex VAT.

Car rental looking for €480 for a repair.

Probably charging for a new runflat as well as the wheel. On a slightly related topic of making it right yourself rather than letting them fix it, I did once get a body shop to touch up a scratch I most definitely was responsible for and returned it no questions asked .

corktina

lesson noted....won't be using Budget!

Greyfoot

Avis and Budget is the same company FYI.

As for getting done for that alloy, well I think the guys fecked it while parking or something and they were waiting to blame on someone.
In any case I don`t get it why not take the extra insurance if renting an X1 or similar? I`d understand if you are given a Picanto or a ****ty 107, who gives a damn, probably full of dents already.

ba_barabus

Voodoomelon wrote: »

We priced a new 17" X1 alloy with BMW earlier, €310 ex VAT.

Car rental looking for €480 for a repair.

While I completely understand your frustration don't forget in the 'fine' as such the company will be covering admin costs and transport costs of a worker taking the car to a repair center etc etc. Of course that's if they actually get it done. Otherwise it is offsetting the perceived devaluation of the car now that it's damaged.

Just saying before everyone jumps on the repair cost bandwagon that there is more to it than just the repair cost. And lets not forget they won't be getting any old Josef Seifen to repair it for as cheap as possible.

I still think they've done you however.

Fred Swanson

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ba_barabus

Fred Swanson wrote: »

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I remember a Landlord made a handy €50 out of us when we left. 1 cup was broken and he fined 5 of us €10 each.

No wonder Budget are profitable.

dharn

Must have been a ming cup

mickdw

bca wrote: »

you can get excess insurance from onedirect.ie for 50 euro a year

There are a few things to be aware of re buying the excess insurance from a third party.
Some companies, while they will sell insurance to anybody, they won't pay out on a driver with for example a American licence hiring in ireland. Many other random exclusions apply depending on company used.
In the case when you have valid cover, the form filling is a joke. I know of a case where a car was written off in the Christmas floods. Excess at 1600 euro taken from card. Fair enough.
A claim was then made against the excess policy. They wanted garda report, fire service reports, proof of the journey that was being undertaken - don't know why it was important to know where person was going. medical report stating that the person was fit to drive and wanted records of medication being taken etc.
After about 4 months they paid out but I have a strong feeling if it was a smaller amount of money, it would have been given up on.
The full insurance from the hire company is so much handier but obviously more expensive.

bca

mickdw wrote: »

There are a few things to be aware of re buying the excess insurance from a third party.
Some companies, while they will sell insurance to anybody, they won't pay out on a driver with for example a American licence hiring in ireland. Many other random exclusions apply depending on company used.
In the case when you have valid cover, the form filling is a joke. I know of a case where a car was written off in the Christmas floods. Excess at 1600 euro taken from card. Fair enough.
A claim was then made against the excess policy. They wanted garda report, fire service reports, proof of the journey that was being undertaken - don't know why it was important to know where person was going. medical report stating that the person was fit to drive and wanted records of medication being taken etc.
After about 4 months they paid out but I have a strong feeling if it was a smaller amount of money, it would have been given up on.
The full insurance from the hire company is so much handier but obviously more expensive.

It True that it will be a lot less hassle if you take hire company insurance .but the hire company are robbing people with the price they want like avis Manchester wanted over 20 pounds a day for excess cover on 207 .

V.W.L 11

I scratched a wheel on a rental car many moons ago,they never noticed

goz83

V.W.L 11 wrote: »

I scratched a wheel on a rental car many moons ago,they never noticed

Was it an X1?:D

V.W.L 11

goz83 wrote: »

Was it an X1?:D

No no they werent even invented then

Jude13

I dropped a 3 series back to Nice airport with a ding and scratches on the front wing. It was dropped off in the multi storey there, the next customer was going nuts that I was 5 mins late. The kid handed me a clip board, I signed it returned and walked to the terminal, never heard a word about it.

Stavros Murphy

Jude13 wrote: »

I dropped a 3 series back to Nice airport with a ding and scratches on the front wing. It was dropped off in the multi storey there, the next customer was going nuts that I was 5 mins late. The kid handed me a clip board, I signed it returned and walked to the terminal, never heard a word about it.

That was Nice.

Fred Swanson

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