Collision Dispute
 

Not sure if this is the right place for this or not - but as close as I can come I guess.

I rented a car several months ago, and brought it back with a scratch. At checkin they noted the damage and said something about checking the vehicle history to see if they thought I was liable. I have a Chase MP card with primary collision damage coverage. The date of the vehicle return was December 23. I had booked the rental on Hotwire.

I work overseas and only see my mail every 3 weeks. On February 15 I got a letter from the car rental company asking me for $300. About a week later I contacted Visa and they denied the claim, saying that I had reported it 65 days after the return and they require it within 45 days.

What makes this curious is that the car rental company apparently sent me letters on December 28 and January 18, to an address I have not lived at in well over a year. On February 11 they send a letter to my new address. They did not send me anything by email. Phone calls might well have been futile since my phone is turned off while I'm overseas.

My drivers license does have my old address on it, but I don't know that they really check that and key the address on the rental contract to it. I logged into my Hotwire account but I couldn't even see where my mailing address was. It's curious that somehow between January 18 and February 11, they "found" my new address (which is just in the next town over, not that this matters all that much).

My last communication with the car rental company was them telling me how it was my fault since I ignored their letters on 12/28 and 1/18, me saying "What letters?", them sending me copies, and me writing back and saying "Well why are the addresses different and one is incorrect?" Haven't heard back since I told them about the address thingy, but that was just yesterday.

Comments, advice, anyone have similar experiences? I think Visa is being a bit unreasonable over a 20-day difference, especially since there is a clear reason.

I think you are SOL. You need to take responsibility for many of your problems. You are outside VISA's window because YOU gave the rental agency a bad address.

The agency uses your driver's license for the address of record. You admit that the address on the drivers license was incorrect. Yet, you did not give them the new correct address. So, the sent the letters were sent to the address of record (your driver's license). It is your fault you did not receive them due to you giving them an incorrect address. They have held up their end in notifying you in a timely manner (Dec 28th letter).

They prb went to Hotwire to find your address after not hearing from you in almost 2 months.

Yes, there is a clear reason for the 20 day missed deadline. But YOU missed the deadline by giving bad info. Sorry, but you need to bear responsibility for your prb. If you had given the rental agency the correct address, you would have received the letters. Had you given them the correct address, you would have received the letters before the 45 day window. I'm not sure how you can think it was anyone else's fault?!

Out of curiosity, why didn't you give the rental agency your correct address?

Seconded. You also could have been proactive and contacted the rental company, after you closed out the rental to determine whether they considered you to be at fault, which appears to have been the case. This would have given you adequate time to put Visa on notice within the 45 day window.

Actually my take is you probably did not rent your car from the car rental company using a credit card.

If you used the Hotwire Hot Rate You paid Hotwire and Hotwire paid the rental company. I believe in the Credit Card terms and conditions you will see where you have to pay the rental company using your credit card.

I do not think the indirect route works.

I could be wrong

Abou the only thing you can do at this point is to argue the amount of the charge. $300 for a "scratch" is unreasonable. Did you take a picture with your cell phone? Ask to see a bill for the repaired damage. If it was truly a scratch they did not repair it. The car did not depreciate $300 for a scratch. If you have good rental history with the agency they may cut you a break

It didn't really occur to me. But you may have a point. They did swipe my driver's license. So maybe that's where they got the old address. And then as was suggested, maybe when I didn't reply they got my new address from Hotwire.

Live and learn I guess, I hope the worst mistakes I ever make in my life cost me $300.

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry: BlackBerry8530/5.0.0.1030 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/417)

Does the jurisdiction which issued your driver license require you to notify them of a change of address within a certain period of time after a move?

Notifying the DMV about a move and receiving a new license card are completely different matters. The DMV (or RMV, MVS, etc) cares that they have your correct address on file, not that your license has your address correct on its face. Sometimes they will give you a sticker to put on the back.

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry: BlackBerry8530/5.0.0.1030 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/417)

That's true. But if, as the OP reported, the agency ran the license electronically (to check the OP's driving record, for example), would a corrected address have shown up on the response to the inquiry, if the OP had notified the issuing agency of the address change? Or would the response just indicate whether the driving record was clean enough for rental purposes?

I've never seen addresses listed in driving records. Perhaps the rental car companies have access to more information in a DMV file, including addresses, but I doubt it.

There was a recent report in one of the other UA card threads that the indirect route DOES work, at least with Priceline. As long as you used the card for the initial purchase and also for any additional charges they will accept it, with proof (receipts).