evergrn

OP, I'm sorry you had to go through with this. But I do have to say that renting cars in Jpn is different than renting in US, and everyone needs to know that up front. You get a flat... you're responsible. You may get dinged for what may seem like a very subtle scratch. NOC will generally always be charged. It's not enough to return the car with tank full... you have to prove that you filled up within close proximity of the rental place on that same day. On and on and on. The way many rental car places enforce the terms of the contract is very black and white in Jpn. And so you and everyone needs to understand every detail of the coverage terms, waiver options, etc, etc. These are explained in detail on the thread: Renting Car in Japan

Fortunately I've not had to deal with police in Jpn yet. But based on my perception of police in Jpn, I'm not surprised by their reaction (which is neither good nor bad in this case imho).

So what is your credit card situation? Since you presumably declined CDW and NOC waivers, and since you paid with your credit card, wouldn't your credit card reimburse you if you presented them with all the proper documentations? I hope you still have all the paperwork related to the car damage, Budget's 70,000yen invoice, etc. Police report is not necessarily a requirement for your cc company to reimburse you for rental car damage fees. It depends on your cc company. As the thread linked above will tell you, you're also well-advised to know up front all the details about your cc company's rental car coverage policies.

With many rental car companies in Jpn, it doesn't matter. NOC will ALWAYS be charged (barring NOC waiver) if anything happens to the vehicle that requires any time in the shop. Kakuyasu places will charge 50,000yen NOC no matter what. Legacy places will often make distinction between NOC's for functional cars (~2man) vs non-driveable cars (~5man).

Yup, it's not about what's fair. Jpn rental car policies are pretty black and white, as is the way they're enforced. If the car damage insurance deductible + NOC = 50,000 + 20,000, then they will charge 70,000 regardless.

lobsterdog

I haven't done it myself, but I've heard that public Twitter complaints addressed to a company's corporate account often get results at times when official complaints don't.

Flying Lawyer

We are talking about 70k JPY. This is nothing if it comes to car repair.

trooper

That is about $930 AUD.... and that is nothing here in Australia too...at least as far as car repairs go....

msp3

What is renting a car like in Japan? As laissez-faire as say North America, or do they treat you with the Gestapo zeal that horrible European places with no understanding of the concept of wear and tear do?

s0ssos

Initially I was thinking $7000 US, but $700? I cannot imagine much cheaper.
Like eating something from the minibar in the hotel and only expecting to pay $1 cause it is just a little snack.

roberto99

If the OP really did scratch the paint then the OP should expect to pay for it.

AlwaysAisle

OP, sorry to hear about your situation. Regarding a police report, I think you got inaccurate information from your credit card bank or possible that there was misunderstanding between you and your credit card bank. As police at Fukuoka Airport said, if you were trying to dispute the charges with Budget, then there should be no police report needed for that, such is the case in the U.S. and I think it is the case in Japan also. If you are disputing charges with Budget, then I think it is correct that police will not get involved and I think will be a similar situation in the U.S. also.

Situation will be different if you are trying to use credit card rental car coverage to cover the charges for damage on the bumper. If such is the case then I think insurance company which covers your credit card rental car coverage will ask to make a police report. I am guessing when you talked with your credit card bank then that was the situation your credit card bank was talking. If you have approached police at Fukuoka airport as reporting an accident, or damage to your rental car, then I think police would have took the report. I think that will be same situation in the U.S.

RichardInSF

I've dinged a rental car in Japan without having purchased the waiver, and was charged a charge. In my case, it was from Times Car Rental. They had fixed charges in three different categories (all including NOC) -- minor, medium, and major. I was assessed the "minor" charge and it was Y80,000. It's a fair amount of money but not really outrageous.

Often1

That is about US$ 640. Hard to imagine being charged less for even a small ding at a US rental facility. The difference is that US cars get small dings and nobody notices or cares. In Japan (and some other places such as Germany), everything gets fixed and thus everything gets charged.

OP really needs to come back with an explanation of why the charge is "exorbitant".