This part of their business model, why would they get rid of it?! Seems particularly pervasive in Europe. I got burned twice, once in Germany and once in France (both with Hertz), where they “discovered” a tiny scratch on a door they are sure was not there when I rented it. They charge a massive repair fee AND a loss of use fee. Around $900 for each of them. And the most beautiful part…they get to repeat this with the next person who rents it as well.
I had this happen once with Avis in France. I actually did ding the side view mirror, and when I returned the van, I told them about the damage. Unfortunately when we picked up the van it already had two huge scratches running the whole length of the van, which I took pictures of, and so naturally they sent me an invoice for repainting the whole side of the van.
I tried with their customer service to work it out, but they just gave me the runaround, so I disputed the charge with my credit card and I never heard anything about it after that.
The question is, if you assume for just one moment that the rental firm is operating fairly… are you sure the scratch wasn’t there when you rented the car? I’ve never rented a car without the firm giving me a damage report to sign before I drive away, and giving me the opportunity to add anything missed. If I see the tiniest scratch, I add it to that form, photograph it and send them an email before I leave the lot. And I’ve never been scammed for damage that I didn’t cause myself.
