kerouac

With all of the cars I rent, I have paid the full deductible more than once for minor damage (in most cases side mirrors ripped off during the night -- always always fold them in when you park the car!).

Both Europcar and Hertz have always later refunded the difference between the price of the repair and the deductible. It takes a couple of months minimum.

ParisAmsterdam

We rented through AutoEurope/EuropCar in France
last month. The rear end
of the Passat took some damage when I backed into an inconveniently placed wall in a dimly lit underground garage.

I received a final invoice from Europcar the other day... balance owing...
zero. Glad the deal came with a zero deductible CDW!

Rob

cpmac

You were lucky that the culprit was waiting for you. In theory it's his insurance that will pay.

Did you take out the often optional insurance cover that rental companies offer?

One poster said that Visa or Master card will cover any claims on you. I think that is limited to Gold or Platinum cards.

I had an accident 2 years ago caused by a third party, here in France. My car went to the scrapheap and I was off work for 6 weeks. I was surprised that all my dealings were with my insurance company. Not making a habit of being a victim in road accidents I don't know if this is normal practice.

I rented a Renault Espace for a week. I even parked it in that same car park at Bayeux for two nights. On the last day at home I reversed into my garage and pierced a small hole in the back door. I showed it to the rental agent but never heard any more about it.

brotherleelove2004

Good luck trying to get your credit card company's so-called "automatic" insurance coverage to be applied! They have so many loopholes and exclusions that it's almost useless.

kerouac

If your card is supposed to cover everything, you will probably be debited the deductible anyway and refunded at a later date.

Debits are what is "automatic" -- getting recredited is what takes a lot of work.