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Car rental scam

ten ocho recon scout
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NJHalo Rookie

NJHalo

Posted
Posted
8 hours ago, mp170.6 said:

Anybody interested in tips and tricks to upgrade (free!) from a POS rental car you've just been given?

So sick of marginally useful information just sitting in my head, doing nothing.  I've been perfecting my rental car skills since age 13. 

Do tell

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mp170.6 Just Drafted

mp170.6

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1 hour ago, NJHalo said:

Do tell

While you WON'T succeed in getting a Land Rover, BMW, or Lexus every time, a realistic goal is something nicer than what you already have.  In some cases, that's a Ford or Toyota, of the same class, to replace the junker Kia they want to give you.  Other times, you can do much better.  Here's what you do:

Size up what cars are on the lot when you arrive.  Also take note of how many cars appear to be clean and ready to go.  The fewer cars available, the better your chances for a sweet upgrade.  At the counter, ask them what cars are available in the class you reserved.  If they give you a choice, pick whichever you prefer, but keep a poker face.  

Once you reach the car they've assigned you -- and assuming you hate it -- look for something wrong with it.  Start with the most visible low-hanging fruit and go down the list:  

1.  Dirty car. Tell them you don't want to be blamed for dirt, grease, scratches, etc from the previous guy for the very reason Ten Ocho mentioned.
2.  Look for a valid registration tag, and valid registration card in the glove box.   The latter is often missing.
3.  Are the windshield wipers worn out?  
4.  Any lights burned out?
5.  Does the heat and A/C work?
6.  Does it have a spare tire?  A lot of cheap, newer cars, do not.  
7.  Does the car have a jack, tool pouch, and all of the tools necessary to change a flat tire?  The pouch is often missing. 
8.  How worn out are the tires?
9.  Are the tires inflated properly?  Sometimes the dashboard display will give you tire pressure numbers for each tire. 
10.  Does the car have an Owner's Manual in the glove box?  
11.  Does the dashboard electronic display indicate an oil change, or other servicing, is needed before you expect to return the car? 
12.  Winter time:  Does the car have snow tires, or tires good enough for driving on snow and ice?  
13.  Winter time below freezing:  Did they fill the washer fluid with de-icer fluid?  Test to find out.  
14.  Anything not listed above.  

Everything listed can be accomplished in five minutes or less.  While you're doing this, look around the lot for a better car.  

Then, go to the attendant who manages the lot, and say the magic words: "I don't feel safe" or "I'm not comfortable" with this car because ___________  and explain what you found.  Suggest to the attendant a different, better, car parked near the car you were assigned.  Usually, the people working outside don't give a crap, and will oblige.  But be reasonable and methodical, prepared to explain your request.  

As I said above, this works best when they are low on cars.   Late afternoons (any day), and Friday nights, is when the supply is lowest.  It also helps if you reserve something mid-range or higher because there's fewer of those cars in the fleet.  They are always low on these cars anyway, and that gives you more bargaining room for a better car. 

I told you this was marginally useful information!  :)

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Vegas Halo Fan Hall of Fame

Vegas Halo Fan

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On 1/9/2018 at 6:12 PM, ten ocho recon scout said:

Wondering if anyone else has had something like thid happen. I rented a car when i was on vacation a few months back. I just got an email from that company saying I owe them about $1K in damages.

No clue at all what they are talking about. At most I can guess would be maybe paint chips(?) If something kicked up ehipe I was driving. But the car was literally driven from the airport to my hotel, parked overnight, then driven back and dropped off the next day. All freeway driving, no dirt roads or anything. 

I have no clue what damages could have happened. I didnt hit anything, no dips, anything like that. Anyone have a similar experience.

Happened to me in Spokane in June. As nearly as I can figure, the car was about to be cycled out of the fleet, and they wanted to hang me with the cost of returning it to mint condition so that they could resell it. I had the car for a week, no way that it got all of that damage in a seven-day period after being pristine for 23,000 miles. They backed off when I filed a complaint with the Attorney General's office in Washington (the state, not DC). I got a letter saying that the case had been "closed" - mainly because they couldn't prove anything apart from the fact that the car had cosmetic damage when I brought it back. The car was visually inspected by an Avis employee when I brought it back, and none of the damage was hidden. No way that he simply missed everything that they claimed was wrong with it.

Also, check this out. It helped me a lot.

How to dispute (and win) rental car damage claims

This works even if you didn't photograph the car when you rented it (it was raining when we arrived, the car was outside, so I passed).

 

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ten ocho recon scout Hall of Fame

ten ocho recon scout

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On 1/16/2018 at 6:20 PM, Schildog said:

Ocho... Any chance this was europcar? The same thing happened to my wife after our trip in Nov. They're claiming €1.1k for scratches to the hood. 

No, Sixt.

Got an email yesterday. They said i put the wrong gas in....which is possible (i dont remember).

Ehat i do remember was going to the manual in the glove box to confirm which gas to use, and askimg the gas station guy to confirm it, which he did.

So maybe both of us, and the manual were wrong, but i cant prove otherwise. 

 

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