Insurance scam?
 

Hello Everyone,

I just found this sight and I have to ask the opinion of some more seasoned travelers. I rented a Budget SUV in Vancouver. When I dropped the truck off, two guys decended on it to inspect it in a way I have never seen in my 20 years of renting. Needless to say, they found a stone chip the size of a BB on the front of the hood.

What followed is the most frustrating moment in my rental car history. The kid behind the counter (no manager on duty until Monday) tells me I am responsible for the "damage". He then claims they have to re-paint the hood and hits my VISA for $657. I tell the guy this is madness but damn if he doesn't hit the card. Needless to say, I was not happy.

I guess my question is - is this company policy or is this a more isolated case of what in my opinion amounts to insurance fraud. My credit card provides insurance and they seem willing to take care of it, but I do not like getting ripped off and that is what is happening here. Since when are stone chips not counted as normal wear and tear?

budget and Avis, both owned by Cendant, have adopted the GM turnback guide for their vehicle inspections.

http://www.gmacfs.com/excesswear/wearcarrierfinal.pdf

If what you have gotten is in excess of the standards on the PDF file, then you should be charged.

Also, in the US, Budget is required to charge actual costs for repair, no profit. Also you cannot be charged in the US for repairs not completed. Since this is in canada...all you can do is blame canada and sing the song....:(

I have seen more and more of this type of crap with Budget since the Cendant buy out. :mad:

I had the same experience on March 9 when I returned a Nissan Altima after a 5 hour rental. Two guys jumped all over the car and started writing up a damage report before I could come to a stop in the returns area. They found a 1 inch scratch in the paint under the front bumper. I had to get down on my hands and knees to see it.

The insurance claims guy enters an estimate into the BC government insurance program on his computer and hands me an invoice for $650 to repaint the complete front bumper assembly. I had to pay it with my Visa card and claim on my credit card insurance.

There is no doubt that these guys at YUL are running a scam!

Sorry to hear you got hit also. It's quite a scam they are running and nobody in Cendant seems to care. It hurts them in the long run. I'm still waiting for the insurance claim through my credit card. What a pain.

Just thought I would update. The scam still lives on. Only this week, thats right folks, it's November, have the fine folks at Budget sent the paperwork to my insurance company. The alledged incident took place in February and I have still not been reimbursed. Apparently I should here something in the next 5 business days.

NEVER again will I do business with these weasals.

Sorry about your experience.. next time.. It may help if you make sure the
damage is noted on the agreement when you leave the place...

and take pictures if you see any damage. This will help you if you need to
file a claim with your credit card.

Sometimes credit cards will refuse to cover SUVs, pickup trucks and moving vans.

But I agree, some rental locations are very bad about this. Sometimes it feels
this is the only way they make profit :mad:

This sounds worse than any foreign rental car place I've ever seen. I would dispute the charge with my credit card if it happened to me. I guess this is one reason why I rent from Hertz, the cars are usually in good shape, and they don't do any of this nonsense.

You must be kidding, right? You're going to go over a car with a fine tooth comb, look underneath the bumper, note every minor scratch on it? Most of the time when I rent a car it's in the evening, and it's just not feasible. I always do a walk around to make sure the tires are good, no major scratches and such, but more than that is going to be difficult.

I dont mean a whole lot of work.. just a quick walk around.. and if there
is anything visible.. let em know.

I generally dont spend more than a couple of minutes to check.

Budget has got to be the most crooked rental company out there-none of this surprises me.I'm sure that problems exist within all the companies,but Budget is nothing but trouble.I have even gone as far as throwing away completely free coupons for rentals-there is no way I would deal with them.

i think thrifty tops the chart...

I rent from Thrifty all the time (mostly at SF) and have never had a problem. I'll be using Budget next time, though, and will make careful note of every scratch... I have had bad experiences with Alamo.

My experience is the other way around... but I havent used thrifty at SF. I've
had issues with the corporate office.. and poor customer service with an issue
I had.

Sometimes insurance companies (i.e. Geico, Progressive) that insure you over the phone will give you an INITIAL quote, which sounds pretty good. But then they'll look up your record and that quote will change. So be sure the prices you're getting are the exact price you're paying when you sign on that dotted line. Also see http://www.oneshopinsurance.com to check current insurance companies price, another issue that has come up with insurance is that they will price you a quote and everything will go thru at a great rate. THEN they will ask for proof of prior insurance and look up your record etc, then 2 months later your rates will go up.