Damaged reported after return
 

Hi all,

Has anyone ever dealt with Avis on damages being reported after return? I returned the car with no damage. Two days later Avis called me and said that there was. The location where I returned the car didn't have an attendant where the cars were parked. Thus, there was really nobody that would verify it was without damage.

So now it's a matter of what I say vs. what Avis says. My point is how would I know if it wasn't somebody else that did this to the car between the time I returned it and the time when they inspected it.

I wasn't given a damage checklist either at the time of pick-up. I probably should've asked for one. What can I say to Avis? How can I fight this?
Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Have you got a receipt when you returned the car? If you have that paper then there should be no problem.

If you don't then the only thing you could do is file a complaint and then tell you CC to do a charge back if they have deducted your CC for the damages.

You should read your rental contract. Even if you have an attendant check you in, and get a receipt, per their contract they can still evaluate the car for damage after you leave.

I always take photos of my rental car both at pick-up and return using my cell phone, which time and date-stamps the photos. A little hassle but worth it in situations such as this.

Yes it is in the T&C however if you handed in the car to an attentent and he/she checked and you get a receipt then you'll be in a good position in case something like this happened. Avis will have to prove that the damage was done before you returned you can which is not that easy.

I snap a couple of quick photos when I return rentals becs the standard rental contract allows the company to assess damages after the fact and, if you read the contract, you agree to pay them. The pictures will help in a dispute. You can also initiate a chargeback on your credit card if a charge does show up. However, if it's for anything significant, you will likely lose the chargeback dispute due to the very specific contract language unless Avis wants to acommodate you as a matter of customer service. Put simply, there are no great answers and the Avis employee who presumably dinged the car while cleaning/parking is not likely to admit error.

In my experience, I've never had a successful credit card chargeback with AVIS. They are very good with proving to credit card companies what is in their T&C's.

The two times I did it, AMEX always tried the dispute, and AVIS faxed their paperwork within days, and I got a complete copy and the dispute was overruled.

IMHO, too often on this board, people just say, "dispute it" when its not a policy concern -- its that someone just doesnt like what the rental agency is doing to them. They dont think its "Fair" despite signing a ridiculously long document that basically waives any and all of their rights.

Just because you dont think its fair, doesnt entitle you to dispute credit card charges that you agreed to in writing or in contract.

For those of you who had a similar issue before - what was their first line of communication with you? Was it a letter or a phone call? The reason I ask is because I got a phone call from an Avis rep local to the city I rented my car.

I actually had to call her cellphone to be able to reach her because she was always out on the field every time I called the Avis location she gave me the number for.

She then told me that she looked at many cars so she couldn't say exactly what the damage is (which I can understand). She said that I would have to fill out a damage report and she would e-mail that form and the pictures to me. But this was 2 days ago and I have yet to see anything. Called the main customer service number and they didn't even have any record of this damage yet.

I'm confused.

You'll be in a better position but not a perfect position. Especially when weather is an issue and cars are returned wet/dusty/muddy/whatever, it's considered reasonable to find damage during detailing that could have been missed at return because it was obscured.

Pictures of the car at return are one of the best ways to protect yourself, though. Make sure they're accurately timestamped and it's clear you're in the return area to remove all potential doubt about their veracity.

I finally received a formal letter asking for more information on the accident (which didn't occur). I called the number on the letter and they said that the damage was the passenger side mirror was damaged (dangling). I told the rep that this was not the case. I went through and around the car before I left for the counter and got my receipt. The parking garage had no attendant.
The rep said that she would take my name off the case and asked me to discard the letter. But she would still have the case open and do further investigation with the local office as to what actually happened. My question is - what does that mean? I hate to see 3 -4 months from now, they get back to me again with this.

Write a short letter to the caller simply confirming your conversation and her statement that she had determined that you have no liability for the damage, if any, which ocurred after you returned the vehicle. Don't embellish and don't write anything which she didn't say. End the letter saying, "I consider this matter closed. If my understanding is for any reason not accurate, kindly contact me immediately." Send the letter Certified with return receipt and staple the receipt to your copy when it comes back.

In the end, there is nothing you can do to 100% prevent an adverse determination, but this is about as good as it gets.

Ignore all the stuff about chargebacks -- auto rental companies here this 1000x / day and spend a lot on a system which assures that they can document anything they charge to your card. At best, you wind up frustrated 30 days further down the road. At worst, you are frustrated and they decide you are too much of a nuisance and won't rent anymore.

Personally, I'd say "within 3 days of receiving this letter" or something with a definitive time frame. One's judgement of "immediate" might differ and when they come back in 3 months against you, they can claim they thought that was "immediate".

This letter does nothing other than help to insulate OP. Imposing deadline is exactly what I advise against.