Hertz - Did I just get ripped of by Hertz Portugal?

I rented a small VW Polo at Hertz Lissabon for a week. Picking the car up the rep convinced me to sign for CDW and TP (Theft Protection) since without it I'd be in big trouble whatever happens.

I returned the car today and noticed that we had a small scratch on the front bumper. I suppose that someone touched the car while it was parked. I ended up paying €178 for re-painting and "immobilization" of the car.

Here's a picture of the small scratches:
http://www.bjornstrom.se/blog07/0816/img_3463.jpg

This is my reciept (prices in Euros):
Basic rental was: €205 (limit: 700km)
Extra 548km: €66
CDW: €70
TP: €34
Repainting: €158
Road Tax: €11
Tax: €112
Total: €647 = $873 (!)

What do you guys think about it?

I have left a lot worse than that on a car and never got billed for it!

Next time you get anything like that on your car, run it into a wall and cause a lot more damage since insurance generally do not cover bent tires or scrapes on cars. Has to be much worse than that.

I have left a lot worse than that on a car and never got billed for it!

Next time you get anything like that on your car, run it into a wall and cause a lot more damage since insurance generally do not cover bent tires or scrapes on cars. Has to be much worse than that.
That just doesn't seem like sound advice :)

I would have stopped at an auto parts store and purchased some cleaner/compound to remove the blue paint if I had seen it before returning the car.

Rentals in Europe are not like those in the United States. They actually check every inch of the car when you return it.

Why didn't the CDW cover the damage?

In the US, they will also add ~$175 for "administration fee" when you have to have one of their cars repaired. So €158 is really not that bad.

Rentals in Europe are not like those in the United States. They actually check every inch of the car when you return it.

Why didn't the CDW cover the damage?



Just like many other insurance policies, CDW often has a deductible. I know I rented in Italy recently, and you had to purchase "Super CDW" to get the deductible down to zero.

In Italy, no matter how great the coverage is, it explicitly says, "Does not cover bent tires" or something to that effect.

Just like many other insurance policies, CDW often has a deductible. I know I rented in Italy recently, and you had to purchase "Super CDW" to get the deductible down to zero.

That's exactly how it worked. Without CDW I was liable up to €15.000 and with CDW it's €1.000. Still a lot!

I have left a lot worse than that on a car and never got billed for it!

Next time you get anything like that on your car, run it into a wall and cause a lot more damage since insurance generally do not cover bent tires or scrapes on cars. Has to be much worse than that.

Your kidding right?

It was a scrape from an 8-inch pole and left an unsightly gash on the side.

There was already another one on the rear door which I didn't do.

Rentals in Europe are not like those in the United States. They actually check every inch of the car when you return it.

Depends on the station, I've seen them do a thorough checkout of the car when I returned it in some cities and then in others they've only checked the KM's and fuel level.

Whenever you rent a car you take a risk: Instead of fretting over 178 euros, think of yourself as being lucky the cost wasn't much greater.

In the UK the excess for premium cars is 750 GBP ($1,500). You would have to be a dummy to accept that much excess and not purchase the Super-Collision Damage waiver.:D