Excess insurance being charged by car hire company

[AprilF00L]

Well known international car hire company and we've used them for many, many years in different countries. We NEVER take their extra insurance, we buy our own standalone.
For the first time we've been charged. The booking was made via British Airways as part of the flight package.
I have contacted the car company here and have been told that we signed the contract which included extra insurance.
As you may know the contract is on a PC screen and the customer service agent just says words to the effect "you've nothing more to pay, there is no damage to vehicle blah blah blah"
We trusted him.
On a matter of principal I'm not going to let it go. I've told them there were 2 of us collecting the car and we know what happened. They've told me we signed for extra insurance
I've pointed out that we've never taken insurance before and send them details of our previous rental with them 3 months ago.
Any ideas?

I believe you but never taking insurance before does not prove you didn't this time unfortunately.

You don't have to take out excess insurance! You can take it on the chin if something happens. No one NEEDS to take out insurance when they are taking out a hire car as they always have their own insurance.

Excess insurance is up to you. Take out their own: take out your own, or don't take out at all.

I think so many people don't understand how car hire insurance works. I think it's deliberate from the car hire companies.

thatS as may be but you still need to prove you didn’t sign up for the extra insurance if they have a document showing you did

And many people DO know how care hire insurance works
Its why myself and many others have annual excess insurance

If the contract was via BA make a fromal complaint of mis-selling via their internal process.
I am assuming that the car company / insurance company have some kind of agency agreement with them and getting paid a % for the rental/ insurance contract
Eg
You asked the agent at the desk to confirm that you were only reconfirming the existing contract. You never agreed to a new contract or any amendments to your existing contract.
You had no intent to enter into a new term and the agent assured you that your signature only confirmed the existing contract.
You can not determine if the agent made a genuine mistake or was actively engaged in mis-selling
Below is what the FO looks for from its the sellers point of view
https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/businesses/complaints-deal/insurance/misrep-and-non-disclosure

And make a formal complaint to the "local" company BA partnered with to sell the add on.
And do the same process to the company which upsold the additional policy.
Plus the insurance company whos policy you were sold

Look on the various companies websites on how to make a formal complaint and which insurance regulator they fall under.

I am assuming that the insurance industry is regulated where you rented the car.

It has to be worded as formal complaint as this pushes the issue into a specific non customer service processing pathway.

Its normally not going to be worth the cost of defending the upselling a low value product while processing the issue raised by someone determimed to push through the process on a matter of principle.