coreymc1144

Hello,

So I rented a car from Hertz in France back in October 2017. When I returned the car they found a dent and scratch on the very bottom of the car on the drivers side. I guess I didn't see it when I picked the car up, or we swiped a curb with out noticing, or someone hit us while the car was parked. I filed a claim with my Amex Platinum card and submitted all my documents. However, Hertz has not supplied any of the documents that Amex needs to process the claim (still waiting on a Demand Letter, Administration Fee, Police Report, and Appraisal or Estimate of Damage).

I have reached out to Hertz France and US for help to get copies of these remaining documents but have yet to have a reply. Now Amex has closed the disputed charge and reimbursed me the money. My concern is that Hertz will put me on their Do-Not-Rent list because of this, and if so, what should I do to fix the claim with Amex to pay Hertz and get off the DNR list? My other question is since it wasn't an accident, no police report was filed. Will Amex still process the claim without a police report from French authorities? Not sure if this is necessary, but this is the "secondary" rental car insurance that comes with the Platinum card and not the Premium insurance.

Thank you for your input!

JFSV

In my case, the only time I had to use the Platinum car rental insurance was for a flat tire whilst renting with Sixt. It was then pretty simple - I forwarded the ‘main’ claim from Sixt to Amex and they said they would take It up with Sixt directly. And indeed - I did not hear from Sixt ever since.

Why do you think that Hertz may put you into their DNR list if Amex will ultimately make them whole?

coreymc1144

I thought Amex would take car of the rest, but Hertz has not replied to any of Amex's requests for documents. Now I am at the point that Amex has charged Hertz the money for the claim since they failed to produce the paperwork. When I called Hertz to try and get help with the necessary documents for Amex, they stated that I could get put on the DNR list if Amex charges them back and the damages are left unpaid.

This is really all Hertz fault, I haven't had a problem with Amex at all. Hertz has not responded to any demands for proper documentation to prove the claim, and so Amex can't process the claim. Although Amex is on my side, I am afraid Hertz will move to a collection agency and put me on the DNR list. I am hoping that Amex charging them back, Hertz will actually be motivated to produce the paperwork so Amex can process the claim.

Steve M

Since this is the standard "secondary" Amex insurance, that implies that it would cover only what your primary insurance doesn't cover. Assuming you have comprehensive coverage, have you filed a claim against your regular auto insurance policy?

mia

Is it likely that a USA-issued auto policy would provide any coverage in France?

coreymc1144

Since my US car insurance does not cover European rentals, the Amex coverage becomes primary. That is directly from their claims department.

BenSenise

my personal insurance coverage is for liability (damage to others) only when renting a car. the insurance from amex is for comprehensive, i.e. damage to the car i rented.

would your coverage not be the same?

mia

A typical USA personal auto insurance policy would provide different coverages for a domestic (USA) rental than for a rental in another country, but because insurance is regulated by the 50 states there are all sorts of exceptions to any generalization.

SirReadsAlot

I had the same thing happen with Hertz. They never responded to Amex and I was reimbursed for the cost of replacing the windshield. I've since rented with Hertz so in my case I wasn't placed on a Hertz "Blacklist". This was in Canada BTW.

drminn

Most likely Hertz decided not to bother - in all likelihood they were not going to fix the damage anyway. They'll just try the same thing with the next guy renting the car. Do you know whether this was a corporate or a franchise location? I had a case with Avis a few years back in Spain, Amex requested documentation, Avis Spain did not respond within 30 days, the case was closed by Avis US, who I had booked with, since the franchisee did not respond withing the agreed upon time.

4sallypat

This is very good information - I assumed my personal car insurance would be the primary no matter where I rented from.
But this info is true - whenever I travel to Mexico, I remember to always buy their Mexican insurance because my US insurance is not valid according to the Mexican police.

So if I bought the optional flat fee per rental coverage to become primary ($15.99) for California customer - how would that extra piece of coverage help in this case ?
Or is it a waste of money spent ?

travelmad478

BugsyPal

Once you get AMEX involved it becomes their problem (dealing with Hertz), so just leave things alone until you hear from American Express.

AMEX is actually pretty good in dealing with these car rental matters FWIU, and Hertz like many car rental places obviously tries to get their money one way or another. Often when called out by an insurance/credit card company or even attorney to back up their claims (with proof or supporting documents), suddenly things go quiet.

IIRC AMEX does state that it can take typically up to 45 days" after a claim is submitted for a decision.

travelmad478

BugsyPal

YW!

At this point once AMEX is involved only thing to "worry" about is if they come back with a denial or some other reason for not paying the claim. That hasn't happened so I'd just have a happy Thanksgiving holiday and wait until AMEX reaches out to you with a follow-up.

On the good news front you've not heard from Hertz either, so there is that to consider.