Rental car damage at Cypress Harbour

[pumba526]

We are currently at Cypress Harbour and had a rather bad start to our morning today. When we left to go to Epcot, we noticed our rental mini van had some damage below the passenger door--very low down--below the door itself (so it still opens and closes). We had parked in the last space so there was no car parked next to us--but it was next to the service area where the trash bins are. The damage is so low that it doesn't appear to have been made by another car...it really looks like maybe a service cart/golf cart backed into it. We filed a report with Loss Prevention and they said they would be in touch, but we are guessing Marriott will deny responsibility. Has anyone ever had something like this happen? I'm guessing there are security cameras on the parking lot and perhaps we can ask to have that reviewed.

Any advice is appreciated!

 

[dioxide45]

Did you pay for the car with a credit card that offers CDW coverage? If so, it would cover any damage, most likely after you file a claim with your auto insurance you have at home. I know this isn't ideal since it seems that the damage was caused by someone on property, but it should absolve you of any financial loss. Though it is possible that your regular insurance rates could increase with a claim.

 

[NJMOM2]

My car was hit twice in a parking while I was not in it. Both times I happen to catch the culprit in action. The first time the police didn't even want to create a report when I went to the police station with information since I was not in the car. We settle without going through the insurance company. The young man gave me the money to fix the car. The second time the 'drunk' took off before the 'cops' came. We had to paid the deductible but our rates never went up. Our rates also did not go up when my DH hit a deer years earlier.

 

[sjsharkie]

Did you pay for the car with a credit card that offers CDW coverage? If so, it would cover any damage, most likely after you file a claim with your auto insurance you have at home. I know this isn't ideal since it seems that the damage was caused by someone on property, but it should absolve you of any financial loss. Though it is possible that your regular insurance rates could increase with a claim.

Credit card rental car insurance (the free version) generally provide secondary insurance -- they cover whatever your primary insurance doesn't cover (assuming you declined the rental car CDW -- if you paid for that, the rental company is responsible and the credit card insurance generally does not apply per the terms). Some companies like AMEX allow you to pay a fee on every car rental in order to obtain additional coverage benefits on top of the free version.

Be careful though. Rental car companies have been known to charge car devaluation and loss of use as a result of damage. This is generally NOT covered by either your insurance or the free credit card insurance. It is generally in the fine print of every contract you sign, although insurance companies generally refuse to reimburse you for it.

How do I know? Lots and lots of car rentals and 5 damage incidents of varying degrees over my years of business travel. Car rental CDW is expensive (and I generally don't buy it), but they take care of everything with no hassles when you get into an accident. Credit card coverage is another story.

Good luck.

-ryan

 

[CatLovers]

How do I know? Lots and lots of car rentals and 5 damage incidents of varying degrees over my years of business travel. Car rental CDW is expensive (and I generally don't buy it), but they take care of everything with no hassles when you get into an accident. Credit card coverage is another story.

Another data point -- over 100 car rentals over a five year period, probably about half a dozen damage incidents, some worse than others. I've ALWAYS ALWAYS declined car rental company insurance and used the (great) coverage provided by my Amex. Amex has always dealt with the issue without a single problem or hiccup. And their customer service was EXCEPTIONAL! I can't say enough good things about them!

All this to tell you that if you have used a credit card that comes with rental car insurance, you will most likely be okay even if you declined the insurance offered by the car rental company. Check the paperwork you got with your rental to see what coverage you accepted and what you declined.

 

[sjsharkie]

Another data point -- over 100 car rentals over a five year period, probably about half a dozen damage incidents, some worse than others. I've ALWAYS ALWAYS declined car rental company insurance and used the (great) coverage provided by my Amex. Amex has always dealt with the issue without a single problem or hiccup. And their customer service was EXCEPTIONAL! I can't say enough good things about them!

All this to tell you that if you have used a credit card that comes with rental car insurance, you will most likely be okay even if you declined the insurance offered by the car rental company. Check the paperwork you got with your rental to see what coverage you accepted and what you declined.

Small incidents are generally not a problem (i.e. scratched bumper, etc.). I've had issues with larger accidents (someone ran their car into the drivers side and passenger doors in a parking lot in the middle of the night and sped away). It frankly is a headache to deal with -- long story short, everything worked out, but I had to do most of the negotiating as far as the loss of use and car devaluation charges. My insurance and AMEX simply stated they would not cover those charges and I had to work out of the situation.

Other cases have been easy. As with everything, YMMV. The one accident where I had CDW with the car rental company (corporate rental), they took a report and I never heard about it again. But that being said, that is the only time I buy the CDW -- when it is a corporate rental and required by policy.

-ryan

 

[timeos2]

Back to OP question. Unless you can get a video of the damage occurring it isn't likely the resort is going to accept responsibility.

I had a brand new black car - less than 200 miles - with a "nice" white scratch across the rear bumper after parking next to a white car at Walgreens. A store video showed the car pulling out & brushing the bumper. What it didn't show was a clear view of the license plate so I ended up eating $500 deductible (the insurance paid $45) to get it repaired as a hit and run.

 

[dioxide45]

Small incidents are generally not a problem (i.e. scratched bumper, etc.). I've had issues with larger accidents (someone ran their car into the drivers side and passenger doors in a parking lot in the middle of the night and sped away). It frankly is a headache to deal with -- long story short, everything worked out, but I had to do most of the negotiating as far as the loss of use and car devaluation charges. My insurance and AMEX simply stated they would not cover those charges and I had to work out of the situation.

Other cases have been easy. As with everything, YMMV. The one accident where I had CDW with the car rental company (corporate rental), they took a report and I never heard about it again. But that being said, that is the only time I buy the CDW -- when it is a corporate rental and required by policy.

-ryan

Every CDW Credit Card policy I have seen does provide coverage for loss of use that would be charged by the rental company in the event of a damage claim. Never seen any mention of depreciation, but never looked in to that before.

 

[sjsharkie]

Every CDW Credit Card policy I have seen does provide coverage for loss of use that would be charged by the rental company in the event of a damage claim. Never seen any mention of depreciation, but never looked in to that before.

Depends. "As for credit cards, Visa is said by travel experts to be more generous when it comes to paying loss-of-use charges than MasterCard and Discover. American Express takes such things on a case-by-case basis."

Maybe I will switch to my Visa for my car rental charges from now on.

See this article:
http://articles.latimes.com/2012/mar/09/business/la-fi-lazarus-20120309

 

[sjsharkie]

Back to the OP's post, before I rambled off on a tangent (although relevant tangent).

I'd see if you can get some identifying information from Marriott (e.g. security camera footage). IMHO, if it is a small amount of damage, the police won't do anything and the insurance company won't do anything unless it is going to cost them more to payout the claim.

As others have said, the resort will likely deny any responsibility.

-ryan

 

[FractionalTraveler]

I had several accidents over the years even international and didn't have a problem in any incident.

Rented from Hertz. They took pictures when I arrived to turn in the car and didn't delay me more than 10 extra minutes. Very good service.

About 1 month after my rental ended they mailed me a package with copies of 3 repair estimates and pictures. They also forwarded similar package to my credit card company who paid out about 1 month after receiving the claim. I never had to get my personal insurance involved or pay any fee.

Hertz has come through for me so far. I do use a Business Credit Card though which provides for the additional coverage.

 

[MALC9990]

First question. I assume that you checked the car before driving it away from the car rental lot. For anyone taking a rental car in Europe especially Spain this would be essential. I would also take photos of all angles, sides and front if at all possible (I use my iPhone). In Spain I always find some level of pre-existing damage on rental cars.

Here in the UK it is unusual for person car insurance or credit cards to provide insurance for this sort of thing. I typically accept the standard CDW which is always included in the rental cost as part of the deal BUT this usually does not cover some sort of excess charge that can be levied which may be significant. For this I have a stand alone policy from a company called Insurance4hirecar which offers a range of policies - mine is a worldwide annual policy which covers any excess damage charge that I might be charged. It covers rentals of upto 60 days anywhere in the world.

Damage you describe can often be caused low down below the door level by hitting the kerb side of a raised kerb side of the road or in a car parking area. My recent trip to MMC showed that these were quite high in their car park and if one was not careful when manoeuvring the car in the car parking area this sort of damage could occur where sharp corners existed. Been there, done that, paid the excess in the past.

 

[bazzap]

Another vote from me for an insurance excess policy. I also have the Insurance4carhire annual worldwide cover, it provides very worthwhile reassurance for a reasonable premium. There are now other companies offering similar which keeps the cost down and you can price compare. I also still take photos on collection though.
Our first ever car rental from Hertz in St Kitts had dents in every panel - this seemed to be not unusual!

 

[classiclincoln]

"Credit card rental car insurance (the free version) generally provide secondary insurance -- they cover whatever your primary insurance doesn't cover (assuming you declined the rental car CDW "

Not true. Last December we were in Maui and I backed into a bridge on the Road to Hana. When I got home, I called my credit card company and they sent me the paperwork and all was paid in full (including the lost rental amount) with no problem. They never wanted me to try to go through my personal insurance at all.

"As for credit cards, Visa is said by travel experts to be more generous when it comes to paying loss-of-use charges than MasterCard and Discover."

I think this may depend on the type of Visa or Mastercard you have. I have a top of the line Mastercard and it covered the above claim 100%, no deductible and all the charges.

 

[dioxide45]

"Credit card rental car insurance (the free version) generally provide secondary insurance -- they cover whatever your primary insurance doesn't cover (assuming you declined the rental car CDW "

Not true. Last December we were in Maui and I backed into a bridge on the Road to Hana. When I got home, I called my credit card company and they sent me the paperwork and all was paid in full (including the lost rental amount) with no problem. They never wanted me to try to go through my personal insurance at all.

"As for credit cards, Visa is said by travel experts to be more generous when it comes to paying loss-of-use charges than MasterCard and Discover."

I think this may depend on the type of Visa or Mastercard you have. I have a top of the line Mastercard and it covered the above claim 100%, no deductible and all the charges.

Depending on the card, it may provide secondary or primary coverage. We have a Marriott Visa and it provides secondary CDW, however our Chase United Explorer card provides primary coverage. So we use it for all car rentals.