damage to rental car

Old Sep 1st, 2004, 07:53 PM
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damage to rental car

Is there such a thing as international warning list? Can a car rental company notify the Swiss and European customs agents to not allow us in the contry?
We rented a car in Switzerland in April 2003 and returned the car with minor damage. We did notify the rental agency of the damage. We did get travel insurance that included coverage to our rental car but the rental company didn't send us a accident report until three months after the car was returned, long after the policy allowed. I wrote the company, Avis, twice and didn't get a response for nine months. We just received another bill with a note saving we will put on an international warning list.

Are we stuck paying for the damage, which is inflated?
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Old Sep 1st, 2004, 08:08 PM
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Did you pay for the damage? Were you covered for the damage on your credit card?

I've rented dozens of cars in Europe and on a couple of occasions returned a car with small damages - a sideview mirror that was cracked when a crazed Dutch driver in the Dordogne blindsided me on a curve, and a broken hood when I left the car in a parking lot and some teenagers decided to jump up and down on top of my car - but I never paid a penny for the damages. My Amex card covered the expenses, and that was that.

Have you contacted the insurance company or the credit card company with which you rented the car? How extensive is the damage? What happened to the car?

I've never heard of being put on an international warning list, but I'd take the notice seriously, as European authorities are generally a lot stricter than those in the USA and it could be a problem for you if you want to rent in Europe in the future. Yes, they can notify the authorities not to let you into the country.

You'd better contact you car rental company in the USA and work this out and maybe contact your travel insurance company as well. Good luck!
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Old Sep 1st, 2004, 11:12 PM
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Well... We had a totally different experience in Switzerland....

Few years ago we rented a car in Luzern from Europecar (through AutoEurope, a US company). We damaged the car slightly in the rear left side.

Due to being very late to our flight returning back home, I decided to just leave the car at the Europecar lot in Kloten, Zurich. Filing a damage report was sure to make us miss our flight.

a month later I got a letter from Europecar, stating that there was damage to the car in the front and the rear left. I called Visa, faxed them the letter, got a file number, and then faxed Europecar a response letter with the info I got from Visa, asking them to contact Visa directly.

Also, I stated that the damage in the rear of the car was acceptable, but not in the front of the car.

A month later I got a letter from Europecar in Zurich, that their policy is not to pursue a claim if the customer is disputing it, and they have closed our file. I never heard from them or from Visa about the matter again.
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Old Sep 2nd, 2004, 02:57 AM
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I've totalled two cars in Germany, was rear-ended there once, and wrecked on in England. Budget, Avis, Hertz and another company. I've never paid a dime for any of them. I've always had a police report though, the three in Germany were not my fault. Even though the one in England was mostly my fault, I had the additional coverage through my credit card and I've been covered for everything.
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Old Sep 2nd, 2004, 02:58 AM
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Oh, and while I fully expect to someday see a poster in the airports with my face on it and a sign saying "DO NOT rent to this person", I've never heard of an international warning list. If anyone was going to be one it, I would!
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Old Sep 2nd, 2004, 04:26 AM
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I think this may be a case of trying to frighten the natives...international warning lists??? who reads them??? Fodorites???

I think it is always wise to refuse to leave a rental car counter UNTIL you have something that indicates you are not liable for any damage, loss of use, etc.

And hearing such stories makes me think that for my first, ever, car renatl in Europe scheduled for next year I'll probably take out every possible insurance coverage just for peace of mind...which I'm sure will have lots of people here laughing.

I realize it is difficult to press a case when the person on the other side suddenly forgets how to speak English, etc.

Now that you've had all this feedback, a tremendous service would be done if you TELL US what you are planning to do/not do next.
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Old Sep 2nd, 2004, 04:55 AM
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We had a similar, nasty experience with Europcar in Switzerland. (The car had been "sideswiped" while unattended, in a lot in the mountains above Lucarno.)

However, the difference between your situation and mine, was that we immediately located a police station where "someone wrote and spoke English" .(We had to go to three different towns till we found someone.)

Our purpose was to insure that an "accident report" was completed. I also telephoned Europcar's office in Zurich to notify them of the incident, and then called my "Mastercard" insurance contact to may certain I had all the necessary details and paperwork to file a claim with them when I came home. (Their policy gives you six months to file a claim for damages.)

Beyond that, we took photos of the damage (which was in no way major),
and then gave everything to the the Europcar agent upon returning the car to Kloten. (Made photocopies for ourselves of everything.)

In spite of all my efforts and attempts to do everything right, they did not send us a bill for the damages until 6 1/2 months later, even though their paperwork said the damage had been assessed within 3 weeks of our returning the car.

I blew a "gasket", called Zurich, and would not "give it a rest" until I spoke with someone high enough up in the "food chain" to do something about it. (Yes, I too was getting threatening letters about payment.)

Since I had arranged the rental through Auto Europe, I also got them involved.

After several phone calls to Zurich by myself, I got them to "relent and drop the charge for damages --1,250 SFF---in a show of "good faith". (Heaven forbid the Swiss would admit that someone who worked for them could make a mistake!)

Maybe some of the things I had to do to ameliorate the situation will be of some help to you.

Did you get copies of the damage charges from Avis, and how soon after the incident was the damage assessment done, was there a delay by them in sending the damage charges to you as compared to the date of the assessment, did you take photos of the damage, did you rent through Auto Europe ???

Use whatever you have proof of that "puts them in a light of inefficiency" to get them to backoff!!!

If they didn't send you paperwork on a timely basis, that is certainly something that would work in your favor. The biggest problem I see is that you did not turn in a completed accident report when you returned the car.

Fight them with whatever you have---you have not thing to lose.
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Old Sep 2nd, 2004, 07:46 AM
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Thanks for all of your advice. I will write another letter with copies of the first two that I sent a over a year ago and fight the damage claim.

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Old Sep 2nd, 2004, 09:14 AM
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this is an iteresting thread - I have never learned of an international "warning list" but I would really like to know if rental agencies have something like this?

ITaly is a a great example - I beleive that it is madadtory (in italy only) to purchase 100% comp and collisonion no deductable insurance in italy. Last year I picked up a rental car in san remo - I was supposed to have a little Alpha romeo, but all they had was this opel astra WAGON. Way bigger than I wanted(but they did not charge extra) - after signing all the papers - the woman at the desk told me "IT IS OKAY TO SMASH UP THE CAR !!!" my wife and I could not stop lauging about it!!

The funny thig is: I did smash up the car - on accident, I scraped up against the stone wall while tring to pull into a tiny opening in a wall to get to our B&B. When I returned the car in Florence I showed the people the damage (the whole right side of the car was dented and scraped) and he said "Oh you did that ? it looks like is was there for a while - I did not even notice it" he then (grudgingly) filled ou a accendent report which consisted of him circling a piece of the car that was damged with the vin #. - it took 2 seconds

I was never contacted again, but I laugh about it all the time.
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Old Sep 2nd, 2004, 09:17 AM
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Did you file a police report when you found the damage to the car? Or did you wait to hear from the rental agency?

Not all coverage is the same -if you didn't take the add'l CDW, they would charge you personally for the time the car was out of commission for repairs. Are they unable to charge your credit card directly?
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Old Sep 2nd, 2004, 09:32 AM
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I'm planning on walking around my rental car in the U.K. next year, preferably with a rental agent standing beside it, and take digital photos of all angles of the car. I thought that would be one good way to prove whether or not any damage to the car was caused by me, on the off-chance (I hope!) anything should happen.
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Old Sep 2nd, 2004, 09:38 AM
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We didn't file a police report in Nice, France, which is what we should have done in retrospect. Avis is saying they cannont charge the credit card directly, that we have to transfer funds to an account in Zurich.

Did I mention the most recent invoice had a "PS. We lost your file. Sorry!" on the bottom. Does this help me at all?
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Old Sep 2nd, 2004, 10:45 AM
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All I can say is "Thank you Diners Club" I have had two small incidents with international rentals. Both times I contacted Diners and they just took over. There was NEVER any contact between myself and the agency over the car!
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Old Sep 2nd, 2004, 10:50 AM
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With rental cars i always pay a little extra for insurance that removes any excess (otherwise I have to pay the first 150GBP of any claim) so that whatever I do to the car it doesn't cost me anymore than I've paid for the rental. On the last occasion, I was reversing along a narrow country road and hadn't noticed a wall, I smashed the entire back of the car, the rental company even replaced it when I called them!
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Old Sep 2nd, 2004, 11:33 AM
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DelticDreams - Dude, do you still have your license. Remind me not to hitch a ride with you!
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Old Sep 2nd, 2004, 11:44 AM
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I think the "we lost your file" is plenty enough to absolve you

I would contact my rental card company AND also the trip insurance company and ask them for assistance. OBVIOUSLY it is too late for the trip insurance people, and their word that it WOULD have been covered had there been a timely request from the Car rental company should also absolve you of having to pay.

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Old Sep 2nd, 2004, 12:06 PM
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One note about the Diner's Club or Amex coverage. Make sure that the person's whose name is on the card is the one to reserve and pay for the card. Amex would be helping us out but since my husband paid for the rental and I reserved it, the car rental coverage is void. Nice lesson?

This minor detail is included in those lengthy policies the credit card companies send us.
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Old Sep 2nd, 2004, 12:19 PM
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So, in effect, ponch7, you're saying that you had no insurance coverage & you damaged a rental car & you're surprised that they want you to pay?

HUH?
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Old Sep 2nd, 2004, 01:12 PM
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Zeus - I do indeed still have my license. I have never been caused an accident in the States (knock on wood), and the three in Germany were not even remotely my fault (I was sitting in traffic and got rear-ended.... all three times... all on the same road... within 3 years) England was only half my fault. Ish.

I'm, I'm, I'm a very good driver. Wapner at 5:30. K-Mart sucks.
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Old Sep 2nd, 2004, 02:34 PM
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Leona,
We weren't counting on the Amex coverage. We purchased a seperate policy from a company highly rated by fodors users, but only had a limited amount of time to file a claim.

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