AIBU to call police regarding airport car rental scam

[Searchingforthelight]

Returned from a short break this morning. Had rental car for 3 days- 100% no incidents and returned in perfect condition. Keys left as office wasnt open until 9 - as agreed with them, on their car park.

Now email from them, sent an hour after office opened, so just after 10. Saying multiple scratches on car- front, back, sides- couldn't even be from one incident ( which didn't happen anyway!)

Saying they've estimated damage as €1650 - a very quick and precise estimate!

They've sent close up pics of car scratches, there's nothing to suggest these are the car I rented. They could be of any same coloured car.

I'm inclined not just to refuse and dispute it, but to also call local police, it seems like an absolute scam.

WWYD?

Did you take photos of the car before you left it? I always do now having come across this before. If you didn't then I'd dispute anyway but it will be your word against theirs.

What country is this in?

Without knowing the country it's impossible to advise.

Definitely don't call the police. This is a civil matter.

What pre-existing damage did you sign for on the rental agreement? It should be listed on there.

We were warned about this happening when we went to Menorca in 2022. Did you take pictures of the car when you left it? Luckily it didn't happen to us, but it happened to my BIL last summer there and they tried to charge his card using the booking card details they had. I think the advice is to pay by credit card so that you can dispute any fraudulent claim.

ChatGPT prompt:

Please write me a strongly worded email quoting laws and acts from X country (include their equivalent of action fraud) helping me dispute a claim a company is making. I hired a car from them and they have sent me images of a DIFFERENT car claiming I damaged it. I believe it to be a scam.

Just make sure you cross reference everything and reword so it isn't too AI-y. I hate Chat GPT for 'creative' use but for things like this it is your best friend.

Definitely challenge it. Did you take photos when you dropped it off. Tell them how once you left the car in the same condition as it was collected, you aren’t responsible for the car. Have you got it in writing about leaving the keys?

So this happened abroad? Was it with one of the big international companies?

Personally I'd tell them to spin. That you hadn't damaged the car. They have no proof you have and that your not intending to visit that country again as so as we are no longer part of the eu they have no chance of getting the money (not sure if that's true but I'd be sticking to it). Also mention trust pilot and trip advisor.

Did you pay by credit/debit card...immediately talk to them and say you are being conned and not to allow any payments

If one of the big companies talk to the uk head office and f say you are not happy.

This happened to a man I worked with and his partner, he ignored their email and paid a solicitor to write a response letter asking lots of questions about it and asking what evidence they had that proved this was the same car and that the car arrived to the office with the damage rather than the damage occurring during the time it was at the office. They never heard back again.

I’m obsessive about photos both at pick up and drop off . I find it incredibly stressful after a couple of bad experiences.

i always get Insurance4carhire which is fantastic. Paid up after a similar issue (rain drop like markings which I had not noticed apparently cost €1500 to fix). Total scam. Firefly Marseille. Looking at you.

Thanks for all this advice so far
So helpful
So common it seems!

This was abroad- in Ireland

I'm not sure some of this advice is helpful.

I have a lot of professional experience with this. What I recommend doing firstly is checking what pre-existing damage is reported on the rental agreement. Check if they have got the right registration for the vehicle on there or look for other odd details like incorrect mileage.

Then contact the head office for the company. If they have a UK head office, they might be able to mediate for you. Ask them to provide a copy of your signed rental agreement. There's always a chance they have lost it, which means they won't be able to uphold these charges.

It sounds like you don't have photos of the vehicle from when you picked it up, but do you have any photos at all from the very beginning of the rental? Those would be handy to include.

Ask for your query to be raised with the executive relations department. It'll get taken more seriously that way and it'll be dealt with by the most experienced members of staff.

Check the terms and conditions for what it specifically says about charging damage. See if there's anything at all that they haven't adhered to.

They will very likely try to charge your card for this if it goes into dunning, so you'll need to take steps to make sure they can't do that.

If you need to recover money they've already taken from you, you can request a chargeback through your bank. You can only take them to court in Ireland, as that's where this occured so any advice about UK small claims courts won't apply there.

If you're not happy with the resolution they give you, keep on badgering them and asking them to reopen the case. If you're still not happy with their final resolution, contact the ombudsman.

Vehicle Leasing Association of Ireland
57 The Stiles Road
Clontarf
Dublin
D03 K5X7
Ireland
+353877980749
www.vla.ie

Also again, please don't waste your time calling the police. This is a contractual matter so they cannot help you.

I'm only surprised they've tried to sting you for so much

My ex had this several times in France, but they invented just an invisible "scuff" and asked 150 Euros, presumably in the expectation folk would pay up without too much fuss and that lots of 150s would add up to a nice little earner

Needless to say he blocked his card each time and never heard anything more

It'll be because of the amount of damaged panels they're claiming for. It'll be less for one big scratch on one panel than many minor scratches over many panels. If you've got front and rear wings, bumpers, several doors, boot lid etc all with scratches, the valve of the damage will be high.

We had this once with a big car rental company in Europe. Queried it and don’t need to at. They were lying as we had photos !

Very common behaviour, so much so that I always cancel the card I used for care rentals (report it lost) and get a new one. I wouldnt even bother to engage with them. I do also always take a lot of photos before and on returning so I can prove it wasn't me if I ever need to (I never have, its standard try on).

This is very common. We always take photos of every single mark at pickup and we’re even advised to do this in Tenerife last month.

Yes of course, but with major damage I'd expect that practically everyone would argue if they knew they hadn't done it, whereas a much smaller amount for an invented scuff might just be accepted on a "sod it" basis

And as said, those much smaller amounts add up

I suspect it's either some overzealous car rental agent who has gone around recording scratches that aren't deep enough to get a fingernail in. Or they've got the wrong vehicle on the rental agreement so they don't have the correct pre-existing damage report.

Had same issue in Ireland with Hertz. I cancelled the card i'd paid on. Anyway it went on for 18 months them demanding money. We ended up settling and paying a couple of hundred quid as we tried everything but the way they set it all up was extremely clever and we would have had to take them to court to disprove it. I was heavily pregnant and couldnt cope with the stress so we settled :(

Thanks so much for all your experiences. This has been a learning curve. I will be videoing every rental car, before and upon return, in the future and will also take the tip to cancel the credit card immediately upon return to avoid this scam

It's shocking how common this seems to be- I've been hearing it now from work colleagues too

Hopefully this thread might help anyone renting a car abroad - we all need to sharpen up to avoid getting scammed!!

In terms of police involvement, don't the police investigate scams? I thought it's a crime so they would indeed be interested...

Do what Thronglet said. It's not a police matter.

I think you're misdiagnosing it as a 'scam', too. Isn't it perfectly possible that, after you left the car in the carpark (presumably at an airport?) and before their office opened, that someone damaged the car, whether by scratching/keying it or whatever? This is why you take detailed photos of the car as you leave it, so that you have proof it was in good condition when it left your hands.

Isn't it perfectly possible that, after you left the car in the carpark (presumably at an airport?) and before their office opened, that someone damaged the car, whether by scratching/keying it or whatever?

With "multiple scratches on car - front, back, sides" which is what they claimed, @Oceanically?

That's a hell of a lot of damage to happen in the short time it would have taken before they "noticed"

Sounds like a common issue - cheeky feckers!

I would be stating that the car was not damaged whilst rented by you, I would then suggest that any damage must have happened between the hours of 9am, when you dropped the car off, and when they actually got round to examining the it, and ask for both video evidence of the damage and photos showing the car registration, along with any CCTV of the car park from when you dropped the car off and when they emailed you. You could also ask for the mileage if you know what it was when you dropped it off, if it's different then someone else has driven it and could have caused damage.

Unless they have video of the car park and the car from all angles, they can't prove that the damage wasn't caused whilst on their car park, any more than you can prove you didn't damage it without a date and time stamped video as evidence. Your word against theirs in that case. I would make it very clear you will be seeking legal advice and any further communication from them will be sent to your solicitor.