{"id":24525,"date":"2023-10-25T10:00:28","date_gmt":"2023-10-25T09:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zestcarrental.com\/blog\/?p=24525"},"modified":"2023-12-08T11:41:12","modified_gmt":"2023-12-08T11:41:12","slug":"scariest-car-rental-scams-and-how-to-avoid-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zestcarrental.com\/blog\/scariest-car-rental-scams-and-how-to-avoid-them\/","title":{"rendered":"Scariest car rental scams (and how to avoid them)"},"content":{"rendered":"

We know of the horror stories in car hire and quite frankly, we understand why people are scared to rent a car. The tactics employed by some companies are shameful, immoral, and often totally illegal. Of course, we\u2019d never work with any companies that operate in this way, but you do need to be wary. Not everyone is as diligent. Here is our line-up of the scariest car rental scams\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2018You don\u2019t have any insurance\u2019<\/h2>\n

This comes up often and carries very little truth. Travellers arrive at the rental desk with the basic cover for their car rental booking and are told that their insurance isn\u2019t valid. This can even happen when you\u2019ve opted for a standalone car rental insurance<\/a> policy as well.<\/p>\n

Representatives at the pickup desk (who are paid commission on insurance sales) will say that you are not insured and if there is so much as a scratch you will be charged upwards of 1000 euros. This is a scare tactic to make you take out the rental company\u2019s costly insurance.<\/p>\n

The only truth in this is that you will be charged if there is damage, but only for the cost of the damage. A puncture for instance, 200 euros maximum. Dent on the bumper? You could be looking at 300 euros. The only time you will be charged the full excess amount is if the damage caused exceeds the excess.<\/p>\n

Below is a typical cost breakdown of common damages:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Component<\/th>\nScratch<\/th>\nDent<\/th>\nReplacement<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Bumper<\/td>\n\u20ac225<\/td>\n\u20ac225<\/td>\n\u20ac600<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Wing mirror<\/td>\n\u20ac140<\/td>\n<\/td>\n\u20ac220<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Door<\/td>\n\u20ac250<\/td>\n\u00a0\u20ac250<\/td>\n\u20ac1050<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Aerial<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n\u20ac50<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Puncture<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n\u20ac300<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Wheel<\/td>\n\u20ac150<\/td>\n<\/td>\n\u20ac480<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Windscreen<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n\u20ac750<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Wipers<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n\u20ac90<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lock forced<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n\u20ac300<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

These are just typical charges and sometimes can vary between vehicle groups. Damage matrices are there to make it fair to everyone and easier for the representative to know an approximate figure for repairs.<\/p>\n

Charges for damage you didn\u2019t cause<\/h2>\n

You\u2019ve likely heard the stories of travellers getting charged for damage that was already on the vehicle. Whilst this is a terrible practice, it can happen and it\u2019s not always on purpose.<\/p>\n

Firstly, as there are so many vehicles rented each day, it can be impossible for representatives to remember if the blue VW Polo had a scratch when it was last returned. This should be picked up on return of the vehicle, but everyone is human and sometimes things can be missed.<\/p>\n

What happens is, the scratch or dent is missed off the damage report, you return the vehicle and you\u2019re hit with a charge for damage you didn\u2019t cause. What can you do? Our best advice is to check the rental vehicle thoroughly<\/a> before you sign anything and drive away; take lots of photos and make sure the damage is recorded on the rental agreement before you sign. If there is any dispute when you return the vehicle, you\u2019ll have photographic evidence to back you up.<\/p>\n

Of course, there are some unscrupulous companies that carry on charging different customers for the same damage over and over again. Usually a small scratch that\u2019s somewhere difficult to spot.<\/p>\n

We ask every customer for feedback following their rental to make sure that, if any company were operation unfairly, we can deal with it straight away.<\/p>\n

Return without inspection<\/h2>\n

Another horror story linked to the above is being charged for either damage you didn\u2019t cause, or damage that simply doesn\u2019t exist. We\u2019ve heard stories of this happening when customers are asked to return their rental car to a car park with no one from the rental company present. The vehicle is then damaged after it\u2019s been returned, and the customer is charged for said damage.<\/p>\n

There have also been instances by some dodgy car rental companies charging customers for non-existent damages, without the customer being present, there cannot be any counter argument.<\/p>\n

Again, the best way to protect yourself from any of these charges is to take lots of photos, preferably with a timestamp. Once you leave the rental car in the car park, take photos from all angles to prove there is no new damage and you should be protected.<\/p>\n

Booking with the \u201ccheapest\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

The cheapest car rental quotes are often the cheapest for a reason<\/span> and other<\/span>s<\/span> are not actually as cheap as they seem<\/span>! Some online car rental booking platforms <\/span>won\u2019t<\/span> disclose<\/span> the <\/span><\/span>real car rental costs<\/span><\/span><\/a> to make the total price see<\/span>m chea<\/span>per.<\/span> These may be revealed further into a booking process or even when you arrive to pick up the car!<\/span> Addit<\/span>ional<\/span> fees that could be exc<\/span>luded <\/span>f<\/span>ro<\/span>m <\/span>in<\/span>iti<\/span>al<\/span> car rental cost<\/span> could <\/span>be:<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n