turgutbey

Looking for some advice. I will be renting a car next week and driving it to burning man--which is a festival in the dessert for those who don't know. The rental car company is fine w/ this but warns that there will be a $200 cleaning fee if the car is brought back dirty. I plan to get the car professionally detailed before returning. What I want to avoid is paying to detail it and then also being charged the cleaning fee. So, my question is in the event that happens, would it be better to put the rental on my 1. chase sapphire and either dispute the charge or try to have the card's car rental insurance cover it or 2. put it on an old Delta Amex Options card and either dispute the charge or have the premium car rental insurance cover it (don't have any other amex cards).

Said another way: who is gonna go to bat for me more vigorously--Chase sapphire or Delta Amex. Appreciate any advice!

flyerfmaz

So let me see if I understand correctly. You want to rent a car, return it exceptionally dirty, and know how to get out of responsibility for it?

Often1

Nobody will go to bat for you on this kind of an issue. Insurance won't cover the fee and you will find that many rental companies will blacklist you if you do this (dispute a valid charge).

Best idea is to have the car detailed after you are back in civilization, just before you return it.

turgutbey

Hey flyerfmax and Often1, I appreciate you both replying to my post. You may have missed this detail, because it was buried in the text, but I clearly said: "I plan to get the car professionally detailed before returning."

So, no I will not be returning the car dirty and asking my CC to dispute a cleaning fee.

I have already identified the detail shop, which charges $75 for a full detail. But it makes no sense for me to pay that if the rental company will charge me a cleaning fee anyway. I'd be better off just paying the cleaning fee. And yes, there are some reports of folks being charged even after paying for a professional clean.

So my question is: assuming I return the car extremely clean and professionally detailed, at my expense, and I am still charged a cleaning fee, does anyone have an opinion on which card issuer would better advocate for me?

guv1976

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

If, as Often1 suggests, no credit card's car insurance will cover a cleaning fee, then your only option would be to dispute a charge that you believe to be wrongful. I have no idea whether Chase or Amex would be better in that situation -- or if it would even matter at all.

I would be proactive and take photos of the inside and outside of the rental car when you return it, and make sure that the return agent knows that you had the car professionally cleaned. I might even show the agent your receipt for the detailing, so (s)he knows that you are on top of this issue.

And the closer to the return location and the closer to the return date the detailing is done, the better.

flyerfmaz

My apologies for misreading your post. I've rented more cars than I can count and have never been challenged on the cleanliness of a vehicle upon return. As long as you return it reasonably clean (detailed may be overkill, by the way), you should be fine. A simple car wash and a vacuum is probably just fine. If you want to protect yourself, take photos before and after. I wouldn't say anything to the car rental company -- just return it clean and be done with it.

lougord99

I am also totally confused. Either you return the car in a reasonable condition, as all of us do all the time, and then there will be no extra charges, or you return it filthy and they charge you to detail it.

flyerfmaz

If only that were true! A lot of people who rent cars treat them like crap and return them filthy. Sticky spills, stinky stains, ground-in cooking crumbs -- they just don't care. I rent a car every week and have seen it all. The irony is that the car rental companies may charge these people a "cleaning fee" but then simply pocket the money and move on. From what I've seen, the only detailing these cars probably get is a few extra minutes in the car wash and some extra swipes of a dirty rag from the crew out back of the rental facility. I've been detailing cars for many years (as a hobbyist) and if any of these cars were truly detailed it would be almost impossible to differentiate them from near-new.

turgutbey

Well, I certainly hope that's true, in which case I have nothing to worry about. However this is a festival with 70,000 people attending and every car rental company in Reno knows that the cars are likely to get dirty. There are reports from participants that despite getting the rental cars cleaned folks have still been charged cleaning fees. If true, I think its at least possible that rental agencies are using the cleaning fees of $200-250 as a bit of a cash cow. So, I'm doing some contingency planning here in the event that turns out to be the case.

It doesn't seem beyond the realm of possibility that an unscrupulous agent could apply an improper fee. And I want to be prepared in the event that happens.

flyerfmaz

I certainly wouldn't put it past any of the car rental companies to find a way to capitalize on the situation. The car rental companies themselves usually do a pretty bad job of cleaning the cars in between rentals, and they frequently try to rent filthy cars. On the other hand, it could also depend on what a customer's interpretation of the word "clean" is. If the dashboard is wiped clean but the carpet is caked with dirt, that's not clean.

A good defense is to take detailed pictures of the car, inside and out, both BEFORE and AFTER. If the rental company tries to charge you a cleaning fee when the photos show a perfectly clean car (or at least identical to when you picked it up), then do a chargeback and submit your evidence.

fwoomp

Haha, no, Burning Man is a special case--a simple, regular wash and vacuum will absolutely not cut it. My friend went once, almost ten years ago. She still runs across bits of playa in her car. Also, every rental agency in a 200-mile radius knows the deal.

Two tips: search online for Burner-friendly car rentals. There are Burner-friendly RV rental places--not sure about cars, also, but worth a shot.

If you end up with a car from a regular rental place--buy a new air filter for it and install it post-detailing, before returning it. Checking the air filter is a quick and dirty way (I kill me) to tell if a car's been out to the playa. A sparkling clean one tells no tales.

JDiver

Another way to protect yourself, as flyerfmaz says, is to photograph your car from all angles, including gas gauge after filling and interior in your case, with camera or cell phone. Of course, keep your receipt from the detail shop and gas station until the dust settles.

I've managed my way out of at least a couple of false charges from rental companies by taking photos at pickup and return. (One was a $3,500 damage charge for existing damage they somehow lost all the paperwork on... until "reminded by my copy and photos.)

I also believe when car rental staff see you taking photos they're not as likely to be "casual" about misdocumenting, though some back of house folks may not see that.

Enjoy the Burn!!