rtwin80days

Hi fodorites,

We had a fabulous time in Paris and arrived in Florence earlier today amidst rains. We took the car from hertz and parked it in the open space available near our hotel near the airport. When we went to offload our luggage after dinner, we saw that there were damages in the front headlight and scratches below the head light. These were certainly not there when we took the car. We are shocked because we have barely driven 2 km and our car is damaged and it wasn't even because of our fault on some crazy countryside road as we were scared of before flying off. Anyway. We have CDW insurance as part of Italian car rental regulations and we booked through chase sapphire reserve card which has car rental insurance as well.

This is our first such situation and we don't know what to do now. We couldn't ascertain how this happened as there are no cameras on the road. The staff doesn't know anything either.

Basic qs:

1. Who pays for this damage? We? Insurance company through hertz? Credit card? Full or partial reimbursement? Procedure? Claims?
2. Any documents we should get while we are in Italy that would be needed for insurance?
3. We are still near Florence airport and leave tomo morning. Should we go back to hertz at the airport and share this situation with them right away?
4. We don't want to waste our time with bureaucracy. But should we file a police report?

Anybody who has had similar situation or has expertise, please guide. Help needed. Bad way to start Italian trip after my talking up Italy for a while now in front of my husband and.... he is furious. First, the arrival was bad as we got drenched while getting out of the aircraft and waiting for / getting in and out of the shuttle bus that took us to the terminal, and even while waiting for the car rental shuttle even with umbrellas. Our gps was not catching the satellite. Our entire luggage arrived at the luggage belt dripping wet (and all our contents are wet!), then the shuttle for car rental arrived after 45 mins and not as per the frequency of 15 mins told by information counter. It kept pouring and we got further drenched and somehow got the car and got luggage in it. We thought we shall have a quick meal before everything shuts. And I don't expect much from any place at late night near airport location but our "frozen" pizza was microwaved in front of us and on top of that, my husband is feeling unwell after getting drenched in the rains. Sorry for the long rant. Please help.

MmePerdu

The last person who wrote here complaining that damages weren't covered had failed to get a police report. So be sure to call the police and document the damage in an official report so insurance cannot fault you for not reporting.

MmePerdu

BTW, it wasn't in Italy but nonetheless, I suspect it will be required anywhere. Better to do it than not, then need it.

jubilada

If you bought full coverage then the insurance will pay for it. If not, you will pay some portion.

Best luck. Do file the police report( they might ask for your IDl ) and I hope the rest of your trip is much better.

NYCFoodSnob

<i><font color=#555555>"We don't want to waste our time with bureaucracy. But should we file a police report?"</font></i>

You can forget that thought. The car is your responsibility as long as it is contracted to you. By all means get a police report. If you're absolutely sure you are not responsible for the damage, then somebody else is. No matter what happens, a police report will augment your position of innocence.

I would contact Hertz immediately. Let them know you are filing a police report. Ask them if there is anything else you need to do to make sure you will not be billed for the damage you did not cause. They may be your only English translators when dealing with the police. If you had booked your car through AutoEurope.com, AE would have helped you through this. Good luck.

greg

>>> We don't want to waste our time with bureaucracy. But should we file a police report?
Same recommendation. When you rented a car, you have assumed this and many other liabilities to go with it. So file a report especially while you are in their jurisdiction. This is a reminder for others who are thinking of renting a car in Italy is always a bowl of cherries. Some lucky people can rent a car many times without any foul ups and always in good weather, while others need to deal with all the liabilities in one visit.

kawh

so sorry. file report with police. call rental car agency. call chase. cover all your bases. many of us have experiences like this. total downer. but whatever happened... best to cover all your bases. you will probably have to return the car... for us, they let us return at the agency nearest us... i just hope you don't have to waste a lot of time with this.

WoinParis

Fwiw last I had a damage I didn't file a police report since it was my responsibility.
So either you want to say it wasn't you and get police involved or say it is you.
But don't mix things.

vinoroma

How big is the damage? Does the light still work? I'd deem that the bigger issue. We've been renting from hertz for almost 3 years now in Rome and find they are very generous in deciding what is damage worth fighting over. Just our experience, of course.
And one more thing that got my attention and i think is a bigger possible problem: don't leave your luggage in the car!

rtwin80days

Right side head light cover has cracks and a one square inch part is broken and gone completely. We are speaking to credit card people. In Italy, our credit card insurance is supplementary and not primary. They will cover what hertz won't cover (deductible). Long procedure it seems. Another peculiar thing - it doesn't seem to bother them that someone else did it to the car. For them, a damage is a damage. They will cover irrespective of whether it was someone else who did it or even if it had been our fault.
Wondering if we should go to hertz and report it immediately and exchange the car. Don't want the damages to keep populating on that light cover. Thoughts?

hetismij2

Go to Hertz and ask to exchange the car - you could be fined for having a damaged headlight. If the glass is cracked rain will get in and make the damage much worse.

I hope the rest of your stay goes better than your first day!

bilboburgler

Yes, tell the owners of the car, you have to do it some time so tell them now. Maybe get the hotel to call if Italian/English not your first language. Always best to tell and discuss. If they need a police report, again see if the hotel can expedite it. Your holiday cost money why waste it?

Husband and you upset by the rain. What can I say. You either let all this spoil your holiday or you make yourself smile, come...on, you can do it.

Well done, you are on holiday. Italy is lovely, but it isn't like where you come from. WHAT... you mean we have come to a foreign country and it's not like at home? Yep, go with the flow, get your bases covered on the car and move on. Have a lovely time, just let your USA/Northern European agnst settle out of you.

StCirq

Sorry this happened to you, but similar things have happened to many of us who have rented cars time and time again in Europe. Do absolutely everything you can think of - go to Hertz, call your insurance, file a police report, take pictures.

And next time, take pictures before you drive off in the car - pictures of everything, with date stamps!

Good luck.

rtwin80days

Yes we contacted hertz. We anyway had to because when we parked inside hotel paid parking overnight, we saw today morning that a tyre is flat hahaha.
Yes of course we are going with the flow. The only way to be in Italy

rtwin80days

Happy to report we brushed aside the initial hiccups and been having an amazing time in Tuscany. Husband is finding driving in tuscany quite easy and relaxing and we found excellent drivers, locals and tourists included, and feel that the reputation of drivers is much worse than reality. Nothing to worry. The only stressful part is getting in and out of Montepulciano - too narrrow roads and excessively sharp turns. But it's all worth it.

We spent 3 days around Siena, San Gimignano, Colle Val d'elsa, Monteriggioni and now in Val d'orcia region for 4 days - montepulciano, monticchiello, san quirico d'orcia, pienza.......thanks to each and every fodorite who helped planning the trip and special thanks to stududley for the most informative and detailed tuscany driving itinerary.

WoinParis

Great trip it seems.
Due grappe?

NYCFoodSnob

<i><font color=#555555>"and feel that the reputation of drivers is much worse than reality"</font></i>

I can assure readers that the reputation of local drivers is well deserved.

A tourist cannot properly judge the "driving in Italy" experience from a short visit in "Low Season," when most lodging is closed and traffic is much lighter than usual.

I have a feeling you and your husband are not driving on the SP146 at 7 AM or 9 PM in the fog. By all means try it, and then get back to us about your experience. You don't know horror on a twisting Tuscany road until you can't see 20 feet in front of you, and you've got a train of six locals riding your behind trying to pass you, with bright lights blinding you in every mirror and horns-a-honk'in. In these conditions, it's impossible to move out of the way to let anyone pass, because you can't see any streets to turn down or any safe patch on the side of the road to pull over into.

MmePerdu

"A tourist cannot properly judge the "driving in Italy" experience..."

A glass-half-empty statement, if I ever heard one. I much prefer your half-full version, rtwin80days, may it continue.

NYCFoodSnob

<i><font color=#555555>"A glass-half-empty statement, if I ever heard one."</font></i>

A silly and dangerous retort if I ever read one.

There is nothing pessimistic about warning a tourist about the driving realities of Tuscany. Many of the roads have no lighting in the dark or fog, including much of the SP146, which is a main road. Readers are free to ignore the road habits of the locals, and live in la-la life, but if you do, you do so at serious risk.

On a recent trip to Montepulciano, I witnessed a severe accident on the SR2. Some idiot driver (a local Italian man) tried to pass two cars in front of me. He had to be going 70 kms/h in 50 kms/h zone, due to the curves in the road. He made it past the two cars but clipped a car in the on-coming lane. The clip caused both cars to flip into the air and fly off the road. Both drivers were seriously injured. And the car in front of me hit the car in front of him. I caught the entire episode on camera, and I submitted my video to the police.

Italian men (mostly men from my observation) are extremely arrogant drivers. A smart tourist driver must learn how to safely deal with such arrogance, or the encounter may kill you.

StCirq

<<You don't know horror on a twisting Tuscany road until you can't see 20 feet in front of you, and you've got a train of six locals riding your behind trying to pass you, with bright lights blinding you in every mirror and horns-a-honk'in. In these conditions, it's impossible to move out of the way to let anyone pass, because you can't see any streets to turn down or any safe patch on the side of the road to pull over into.>>

Well, we don't live in Tuscany, but this is our everyday reality at this time of year, on into the winter and early spring. If you get out onto the roads before the fog has lifted (noontime, if you're lucky), it's pure good effing luck and be really effing careful! You can't see eff-all, and it's every man for himself, and the "men" think they know it all. We stay home and drink coffee and wait until afternoon to go out.