We have all heard the story of someone who wakes up next to someone else after a long, inebriated, night.\u00a0\u00a0 Only then do they realize that their partner was not as attractive in the sober light of day as they seemed the night before.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I had a similar experience recently, with a rental car.<\/p>\n
I arrived at my destination late at night and was, of course, anxious to leave the airport, get to my hotel, and get a good night’s sleep.\u00a0\u00a0 Nevertheless, I performed a thorough walk around of the vehicle, at night in a dim parking garage, noting several scratches and marks.<\/p>\n
The next morning, I found the car undisturbed in the parking lot of my hotel.\u00a0\u00a0 Under the bright sunshine, I realized that there were several more scratches than I had noted.\u00a0\u00a0 The roof even had scratches that peeled back the paint, exposing rust. \u00a0 Inside, I saw stains from spilled beverages on the dark colored door panel.\u00a0\u00a0 In between the seats, I saw trash from the previous renter.<\/p>\n
What To Do<\/strong><\/p>\n I first called the office of the rental car company where I had rented the car.\u00a0\u00a0 They didn’t answer the phone, but I left a message.\u00a0\u00a0 I then contacted the main number of the company.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 They transferred me to the roadside assistance line.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The representative on the assistance line asked me if I have been injured and if I was in a safe place.\u00a0 I had to explain to them that I was NOT in an accident, I merely wished to have them document the PRE-EXISTING damage that was not apparent to me when I picked up the car.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I walked around the car, and had them note everything I could see.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The fact that some of the scratches were rusted lent credibility to my assertion that the damage was pre-existing.<\/p>\n Nevertheless, when I returned the car, I made sure to photograph the car from different angles with my digital camera.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I also took extra care to retain both my original documentation of the pre-existing damage, as well as the receipt I received upon return.\u00a0\u00a0 I have read way too many stories about rental car companies going after people, often weeks later, for pre-existing damage.\u00a0\u00a0 Somehow, I always imagine that the perpetrators of this scam think twice before claiming damage when they see me take pictures of the car.<\/p>\n While not as gross as waking up next to a stranger, realizing that there is pre-existing, un-documented damage to a rental car can be unnerving.\u00a0 Fortunately, there are steps you can take to make sure you are not victimized by your rental car company.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We have all heard the story of someone who wakes up next to someone else after a long, inebriated, night.\u00a0\u00a0 Only then do they realize that their partner was not as attractive in the sober light of day as they seemed the night before.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I had a similar experience recently, with a rental car. I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[12],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n