Alamo car rental nightmare for our daughter

[rickandcindy23]

Alamo is claiming there is damage to a rental car, which she absolutely didn't do. The car wasn't put through much abuse, and it was pretty beat up when they got the thing. You know what kind of damage I am talking about, scrapes on the bumper from careless people who drag suitcases out in such a way they would never do with their own cars.

Alamo no longer has the sheet of paper where you mark damage yourself, at the time of pickup. When our son-in-law asked about it, they said that each car is inspected regularly and damage is noted in the computer. So instead of insisting that Alamo note the damage they saw, they drove away, believing they wouldn't have any issues.

They took the car back and the guy saw the same damage they noticed when they picked up the car, and he told our son-in-law it wasn't there before. Our SIL had dropped our daughter and grandkids at the airport. He argued for a few minutes but needed to get back to our daughter. Now they are getting a huge bill from Alamo.

Why is it that car rental companies can remove your ability to note damage, then accuse you of causing that damage.

Alamo is not getting any more of our business. They have never pulled that on us, but we are older and won't put up with it. As a matter of fact, I have never seen an Alamo employee walk fully around a car, when we have taken one back.

 

[DeniseM]

Cindy - we rented an Alamo car last month, and were given the standard duplicate form to mark damages, so I don't think they were told the truth. I think they should escalate this up the food chain and demand that they produce the form. Since there is none, they have no proof.

A back up to the form is to take cell phone pics of the car.

 

[learnalot]

Cindy,

I second what Denise said. We also do always take pictures with the cell phone - that way they are time and date stamped. Tell the kids to stick to their guns!

 

[Talent312]

Frankly, this worries me cuz I just returned a car to Alamo and have another Alamo rental set for Saturday.
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If the bill or claim is coming from a local agency, contact corporate headquarters with their complaint. I've gotten relief from Thrifty-LV by complaining to Thrifty corporate.

Also, they may be insured if they used a CC with rental car coverage. Many do. They should contact the CC's CS center to find out if they are and how to submit a claim.

And if they carried certain coverages on their auto insurance policy, they may be covered by that, as well. They should contact their agent to find out if they are.

 

[Jennie]

Article seen today on this very subject

http://www.gadling.com/2010/08/24/c...ause/?icid=main|netscape|dl6|sec1_lnk3|167560

 

[Jennie]

Take a look at this too

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/travel/alamo.html

 

[davhu1]

I have not done business with Alamo for a long time.

First time we have a car with lots of dents and scratches in Hawaii. When we returned the car they insisted that they were not there before. They said checked all their car before releasing them and have records of it (Lies). Lucky we filled a damage slip before leaving with the car.

Second in Florida, we reserved a compact. They tried to push hard for us to rent a larger size car. Turns out they did not have a compact in the lot and they ended up giving us a larger car anyway. Same trip they charge a fee for the shuttle between airport and the rental car office. The charge was not disclosed anywhere. When I questioned about the fee, they gave me a smart remark of "how did you get here." rather than explaining the fee.

Another time in Florida during peak spring break. They had no car for us even though we has a reservation number. Overbooked and they did nothing to help. That was the last time I made a reservation with Alamo.

 

[rickandcindy23]

Jennie, I read those articles. I guess Alamo just runs a regular scam. We almost always rent from Alamo in Tampa and Orlando but will now book elsewhere, even if we have to pay more.

We have the AMEX insurance that costs $25.00 per car rental. I have forgotten to use that card for a couple of rentals through Hotwire and Priceline. Now I will never forget AMEX again!

I really got the protection in case of an accident, not some ding they think you did to a car and didn't. I know the last few rentals we haven't gotten a damage form to mark our own findings, so no matter what company we choose, we will be getting that form.

Alamo is stupid for doing this to people who can and will complain. With the internet as it is, word travels fast, and a scam like this is going to hurt their business. I plan to do my best.

Our daughter isn't going to just take this, I am certain. She will be fighting Alamo all the way. She was checking out her car rental coverage on her card yesterday. I think she used her Discover.... The rental was only three days, so she chose not to use her AMEX with the $25 per rental coverage. Big mistake, I am thinking.

But we usually spend well over $1K with Alamo in a year, and they lost all of our business, and I will tell them that, too.

 

[derb]

For me, AMEX is the answer. The last two trips to Spain I had to rent a van and I banged up the sides both times. Nothing big but europcar jumped on it with outrageous charges including loss of service. Amer told them to prove it, and the rental company backed down.

I like the idea of taking Pix when driving out.

 

[dougp26364]

Alamo is claiming there is damage to a rental car, which she absolutely didn't do. The car wasn't put through much abuse, and it was pretty beat up when they got the thing. You know what kind of damage I am talking about, scrapes on the bumper from careless people who drag suitcases out in such a way they would never do with their own cars.

Alamo no longer has the sheet of paper where you mark damage yourself, at the time of pickup. When our son-in-law asked about it, they said that each car is inspected regularly and damage is noted in the computer. So instead of insisting that Alamo note the damage they saw, they drove away, believing they wouldn't have any issues.

They took the car back and the guy saw the same damage they noticed when they picked up the car, and he told our son-in-law it wasn't there before. Our SIL had dropped our daughter and grandkids at the airport. He argued for a few minutes but needed to get back to our daughter. Now they are getting a huge bill from Alamo.

Why is it that car rental companies can remove your ability to note damage, then accuse you of causing that damage.

Alamo is not getting any more of our business. They have never pulled that on us, but we are older and won't put up with it. As a matter of fact, I have never seen an Alamo employee walk fully around a car, when we have taken one back.

Just turn the claim over to your insurance company and let Alamo try to buffalo them into paying the bill. Chances are once the insurance company askes for information proving the claim, Alamo will drop the claim.

After turning the claim over to your insurance company stop taking calls from Alamo and forward all the bills/claims to your insurance agent. Should Alamo be stupid enough to attempt a collection act with a collection agency, turn that over to your insurance company and watch the credit reports for false information showing up. If it shows up on the credit report, send in all the inforemation (keep copies of everythig) showing that the claim was filed with the insurance company, that Alamo didn't prove the claim and that the claim was denied.

One other thing to keep in mind is that this could be a rouge agency and not corporate Alamo. Your problem might not be with Alamo so much as whomever owns that franchise.

 

[rickandcindy23]

I like the idea of taking Pix when driving out.

Me, too! We will definitely be doing that from now on, and I will advise our daughter, too. That is such a great idea, and I have seen it posted before and forgot. I wouldn't even think about it myself, and this could save us a ton of trouble sometime.

 

[rickandcindy23]

Great advice, Doug! I am definitely going to copy this thread and send it to Laura. So much help here, and so appreciated. We need a blowing kisses smiley.

I love TUG!

 

[dougp26364]

http://www.gadling.com/2010/08/24/c...ause/?icid=main|netscape|dl6|sec1_lnk3|167560

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/travel/alamo.html

Reading these two links will make you never want to rent a car again. I've had a few issues with some of the cars I've rented but, I've never experienced anything described on these links.

Most rental car companies I've dealt with have an acceptable level for door dings. I've never had any rental car agency attempt to charge me for a door ding, small scratch or the nasty bumper scratches from when luggage is taken out of the trunk.

I have had them attempt to overcharge me but, once I produced my copy of the reservation, they've backed off that claim. Thrifty doesn't seem to ever cancel a reservation, even though you might cancel and rebook at a lower rate. The Thrifty rental car counter in Palm Beach tried to get me for $150 more than the reservation price until I produce my copy of the reservation. Then it was an apology, new contract and we were on our way.

The best thing you can do is keep your copy of the inspection report you filled out before leaving the grounds, keep all your gas receipts and any paperwork given to you by the rental car company. And remember, there's a reason you buy your own personal car insurance. To PROTECT YOU from monetary loss in the event you have an accident or, in this case in case a rental car agency claims you damaged their car. Give it to the pro's and let the pro's fight it out. I can guarentee you that an insurance adjuster isn't always going to be a push over. They specialize in just this sort of thing so let them handle the problem.

 

[dougp26364]

Me, too! We will definitely be doing that from now on, and I will advise our daughter, too. That is such a great idea, and I have seen it posted before and forgot. I wouldn't even think about it myself, and this could save us a ton of trouble sometime.

The problem with pictures is that they can prove there is damage but, sometimes they aren't proof of when the damage occured. Even a time stamp on a photo isn't proof since you can set the date on most camera's. It's the little slip of paper marking the damaged areas (I've written it out when I didn't think the car diagram did justice) signed by you and THEIR employee that holds the most water. If their employee signed it, they don't have much of a chance.

This instance drives home (no pun intended) the need to not leave without a damage slip signed by the rental car companies representative.

 

[rickandcindy23]

Alamo waited 2 1/2 months after the last day of the rental to accuse them of damaging this car. Their Visa car rental coverage expired at 45 days after the last day.

This is getting more fishy by the minute. I am really angry and will not use Alamo again. They are going to lose our entire family's business, and I plan to educate as many people as possible about their sleazy tricks.

 

[Luanne]

I haven't used Alamo in years. It's one reason I don't like to use Priceline when we go to Hawaii since that seemed to be the rental company that most often was where the cars were coming from.

 

[dougp26364]

Alamo waited 2 1/2 months after the last day of the rental to accuse them of damaging this car. Their Visa car rental coverage expired at 45 days after the last day.

This is getting more fishy by the minute. I am really angry and will not use Alamo again. They are going to lose our entire family's business, and I plan to educate as many people as possible about their sleazy tricks.

I'd let your personal insurance carrier take the claim and work it out. If it's fishy, they probably won't pay the claim. Alamo is going to have to be able to provide some sort of evidence or proof that the damage was done while the car was in their possesion. By putting it the hands of your insurance company there's a third party involved either taking your side or paying the claim if it's legitimate. Either way you'll be able to dispute or avoid any collection actions Alamo might think about attempting.

I would also make certain your insurance company has any information about coverage provided by your credit card. They may be able to coordinate benifits with whomever provides coverage for the card.

Turn it over to the pro's and don't worry about it. Let those that know how to handle the situation take care of it for you. After all, isn't that why you pay insurance premiums?

 

[Talent312]

I'd let your personal insurance carrier take the claim and work it out.

Typically, personal auto insurance only kicks in if the insured either has the same type of coverage that would cover similar damage to their own auto (i.e. collision), or if there is specific civerage for rentals. IOW, if their insurance was only liability and personal injury (PIP), their auto insurance may not help... but they should contact their agent to know for sure.

In these kids place, I'd prolly tell Alamo to kiss my -ss and sue me, then look for and dispute any negative credit report entries.
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I was lucky in that, when Thrifty-LV tried this, I not only had a damage slip, but also a CC and an insurance policy that provided coverage. Thrifty-corporate ended up apologizing and sent us coupons... which I never used.

 

[sue1947]

Alamo waited 2 1/2 months after the last day of the rental to accuse them of damaging this car. Their Visa car rental coverage expired at 45 days after the last day.

This is getting more fishy by the minute. I am really angry and will not use Alamo again. They are going to lose our entire family's business, and I plan to educate as many people as possible about their sleazy tricks.

This happened to me but it was Hertz. I rented a total of 9 cars through AAA and Hertz and each one had some issue that involved them wanting me to pay more money. It started with trying to charge me for a larger car (after returning the smaller car), then saying I hadn't filled the gas tank (I produced the gas receipt) and finally, for the last one out of Orlando, they said I had damaged the car. They sent me a letter several weeks later. I replied with a letter to both the head of Hertz as well as the head of AAA pointing out the amazing coincidence of each and every car having an extra charge attached and wondering if that was their company policy. I also asked AAA why they were doing business with a clearly unethical company. I also complained to the BBB. I never heard back from them. I also will never do business with Hertz again.

Sue

 

[dougp26364]

Typically, personal auto insurance only kicks in if the insured either has the same type of coverage that would cover similar damage to their own auto (i.e. collision), or if there is specific civerage for rentals. IOW, if their insurance was only liability and personal injury (PIP), their auto insurance may not help... but they should contact their agent to know for sure.

In these kids place, I'd prolly tell Alamo to kiss my -ss and sue me, then look for and dispute any negative credit report entries.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I was lucky in that, when Thrifty-LV tried this, I not only had a damage slip, but also a CC and an insurance policy that provided coverage. Thrifty-corporate ended up apologizing and sent us coupons... which I never used.

If there is damage to the car, then a loss has occured. Insurance covers losses but, under normal circumstances, no one makes a claim for a scratch that occurs in a parking lot or dinged by a runaway shopping cart. How it happens determines what part of the coverage applies, either comprehensive or collision.

Just because most people don't claim these small dings, dents and scratches doesn't mean they are not covered. The most important thing is the let your insurance company know that someone is claiming damage has been done to their car and let them handle it. They may fight it or they may decide it's such a small amount that it's not worth fighting and pay the claim. At the very least there will be some negotiation over the value of the claim. The car rental agency is going to inflate the claim and attempt to claim loss of use. The insurance company, if it doesn't deny the claim outright, will adjust the claim according to their adjusters estimation of the repair bill and will ask for log records showing that there was no other car in that class to be rented, thus substantiating a loss of use. If there is even one car remaining on the lot at the end of the day, there was no loss of use as the car wouldn't have been rented for that day.

On the other hand, telling them to kiss your hind end and ignoring the claim can lead to other issues. One would be the renatal agency potentially charging the bill to the CC on file. Now you're in the position of challenging and the charge and proving it's not valid. In the fine print of the contract I'm reasonably certain you'll find that you've givne them permission to make the charge in the even the claim the car is damaged.

 

[Bajanswife]

If CDW had been purchased on the rental, would this have been an issue, or can you just walk away from any such damage? The reason I am asking is that we usually purchase CDW because our insurance won't cover us when we drive a rental in the U.S., and I just want to know how vigilant we need to be on our next trip in October. If we can just walk away regardless, then at least I will have peace of mind! If there might still be issues, then we may consider relying on our CC insurance and saving a ton of money - but hyper-vigilence will have to go along with that.

 

[vacationhopeful]

Actually, the rental car companys' line at the counter is "if you don't take our insurance option, any time that it takes the car to be repaired will also be charged to you as RENTED, as we can't rent it to someone else".

Guess that falls into the "if their lips were moving" ....

Of course, I wonder how much that accounting would add to legal defense costs as some repairs might take 2-3 months to happen. Auto-train or driving is beginning to look cheaper and cheaper for us snowbirds.

 

[dougp26364]

If CDW had been purchased on the rental, would this have been an issue, or can you just walk away from any such damage? The reason I am asking is that we usually purchase CDW because our insurance won't cover us when we drive a rental in the U.S., and I just want to know how vigilant we need to be on our next trip in October. If we can just walk away regardless, then at least I will have peace of mind! If there might still be issues, then we may consider relying on our CC insurance and saving a ton of money - but hyper-vigilence will have to go along with that.

I always take out out any protection the rental car company offers when in a foriegn country. Most of the time my own coverage would be in effect but, I don't want to deal with a claims process across borders. It's easier on my mind to just take the waivers and any insurance they might offer and not have the worry.

 

[Ken555]

I always take out out any protection the rental car company offers when in a foriegn country. Most of the time my own coverage would be in effect but, I don't want to deal with a claims process across borders. It's easier on my mind to just take the waivers and any insurance they might offer and not have the worry.

This is why I use American Express when I rent abroad. They cover, in many countries, rentals as the primary insurance. I had a problem years ago in the UK (a damaged headlight due to a rock that I hadn't even seen before returning it...it was a small pebble that cracked the glass). I simply called AMEX from the car rental agency, reported the claim, and was told to just charge the repair right then to my AMEX card. I did, and AMEX reversed the charge and that was that. Easiest process ever. I think other cards now offer this benefit, so check with your cc's before traveling and renting abroad.

 

[Bajanswife]

I would be relying on a Visa Gold card that would offer primary insurance. I wonder if it would really be that easy in the event of a claim?