Originally Posted by AAir_head

One reason it's always worth suffering the annoyance of the counter agent to read the details before signing; won't help the OP, but a good reminder of why to do it. I've caught errors several times that likely wouldn't have been an issue but just weren't correct; have also removed add-ons not requested or even verbally declined only moments before the contract was presented. Some agents may be trying to slip one over, but most are probably just in a workflow and miss a detail here and there.

May not have helped in this case, but I also always record a walk around of the vehicle in HD on my phone before leaving the spot it's in and complete and turn in the form for damage noted. Yeah, it takes time but worth the peace of mind to me. Also always get a photo of the dash showing mileage and fuel at turn in, widest angle possible to show it's clearly in the return lane at their location; the date and time are in the photo file's metadata.

Yes, there have been a few occasions where a time crunch has conspired to prevent these things; they've always nagged at my conscience though. Anecdotally, the rental companies lately seem to capitalize on any opportunity a customer gives them to pick pockets with impunity.

OP...hope you're able to sort this.