Damage to rental car

[allanb]

We have some visitors from overseas for whom we arranged a two-week car rental here in France.  On the second day the car was vandalized - "keyed" I think is the technical term for what was done - and I have no doubt that we or they will have to pay for the damage.

I'm sure that the cost will be less than the rather large deductible that we accepted, but my question is whether we have any options.  If the rental company comes up with an unreasonable charge for the repair, do we have any right to insist on a repairer of our choice?

I'm not talking about trying to get away with a cheap back-street repair: I would go to a reputable body shop which I know quite well, and which is on the approved list of most of the local insurance offices.

PS: I can't find the answer in the rental contract.

[audio]

I rented a car recently, apart from paying the CDW (collision damage waiver) the excess payable was 1600 euros!( without it was 16,000 €)

I think the rental company will dictate the repairers.

[Théière]

If you are going to keep up this risky idea, may I suggest you look at an insurer who insures hire cars for nominal money. We used them and when we had a blown tyre (not covered by CDW) local garages wanted up to €180-220 for the "special size" tyre fitted to the Peugeot. the cost was covered by the insurer and a cheque sent through in reasonable time.

Car Hire Insurance cost about the same as a CDW+ policy but last the whole year.

Incidentally the hire care company (A very well known one) only charged €80 for a new tyre so don't assume they are expensive or will try to rip you off in our experience.

[AnOther]

I have some experience of this through a German friend who hired a car from Stansted and got hit by a hit and run driver.

The

damage was absolutely negligible, minor scuffing to the rear bumper,

£50 to rub down and paint - if they even bothered, but they hung onto

his €500 deposit (UK company, foreign drive obviously = RISK RISK RISK)

and it was only after months of persistence that he got about 50% of it

back. No breakdown or justification but you could have bought a whole

new bumper for that.

I hope you're experience will be better. A

lesson to be learned if you booked the car for them and the

responsibility is yours, 'neck on block' !

[Pickles]

Bear in mind that they will probably be charging not only for the repair but also for the lost rental whilst the car is off the road.

Regards

Pickles

[Georgina]

I have rented many cars and I find this excess business an absolute carte blanche for the company to charge you whatever they like, regardless of the damage.  You really have to argue with them.  The excess nowadays are phenomenal in order to make the car hire charges smaller, and it is worth insuring against it, not with the company but with a private insurance. Some of the bigger firms are more reasonable generally.  But some companies like Eurocar took the deposit from my credit card BEFORE I even hired the car and then gave it back on return.  I know this is barn door, but really worth knowing.

[AnOther]

[quote user="Georgina"]But some companies like Eurocar took the deposit from my credit card BEFORE I even hired the car and then gave it back on return.[/quote]Car hire companies don't actually take the money but 'reserve' it which in essence is the same thing as it means you can't otherwise spend it. Some have discovered this to their cost when they picked up their holiday rental only to discover that deposit had eaten up what they planned to spend on holiday !

[audio]

Hire companies want a credit card for the rental. Debit/cheque cards such as Barclays Connect etc. will be refused

[Gardengirl]

When we need to hire a car we refuse any excess cover; we take cover from Insurance 4 Car Hire. It doesn't cost a lot, but covers claims for most events, apart from off-road; different policies are available depending on the part of the world you're visiting.

[pip24]

I have recently had a hire car at Bergerac airport which had quite a few miles on the clock and had 6 listed dents and cracked bumpers. Obviously people have been charged for repairs but none have been made.

If people have to pay for a repair they should be shown the repaired artcle.

If the repair is not done and the charge has been made to a hirer doesn't that amount to fraud?

[allanb]

Thanks for all the replies.  Of course I have kicked myself for not buying separate insurance to cover the rental company's deductible.

The car has been returned now and the cost wasn't as bad as it might have been.  The rental company charged me about 50% more than the informal estimate I had, and that is is probably excessive.  On the other hand, they didn't charge me for two things they could have charged: (a) loss of use during the repair, and (b) a €60 "file fee" which I noticed in the small print just before I took the car back.  So I would say it wasn't a total rip-off.

[quote user="pip24"]If the repair is not done and the charge has been made to a hirer doesn't that amount to fraud?[/quote]

An interesting question.  If you look at it from the other direction, suppose your car was damaged and the cost of repair was agreed with your insurer, who then sent you a cheque for the amount: would it be fraud if you decided not to have the repair done?  I don't think so.  

On the other hand, if they didn't have the car repaired and nevertheless charged you for loss of use, I think that might be fraud.