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Consumer Rescue often receives requests for help from our readers who have found themselves fighting a car rental agency over expensive problems or mistakes encountered during their rentals. These stories are their experiences and our advocacy team’s attempts to fix their problem.
Expensive car rental mistakes are easily avoidable with just a little research and preparation. Yet week after week, the Consumer Rescue case files show that many car rental customers do neither. By the time I hear from these blindsided travelers, that oversight has led to hefty fees and other unexpected repercussions.
Here are the most common mistakes car rental customers make and what you can do to avoid them in 2026.
Ace Rent a Car at the Tampa airport blindsided Carla Lemker with a $1,400 repair bill after her last rental. Sure that she didn’t cause any damage to the vehicle, Lemker asked the company for proof. That’s when things got really weird.
If an AI scanner fails to flag pre-existing damage on your rental car, you could be wrongly charged for repairs. But could those same images actually vindicate you in the end? One Sixt customer just discovered that, with a little help from Consumer Rescue, the answer is “Yes.”
Would a car rental company permanently ban a customer and offer no way back – ever? Joseph H. learned firsthand that when Hertz tells you it will never rent to you again, it means forever.
A steady stream of complaints from consumers charged for rental car repairs flows into the Consumer Rescue helpline each week. Most of these rental car customers are sure someone else caused the damage they’re being asked to pay for. Unfortunately, many of the bewildered travelers have no proof to support their assertion.
Then there’s Avis customer Emma B.
Emma’s was one of the strangest car rental complaints I’ve ever received. Given that I’ve investigated thousands of unusual cases during my decade of work in Consumer Advocacy Land, that speaks volumes.
Expensive, vacation-ruining travel scams are popping up everywhere this summer. Travelers must be on the lookout for predators running money-draining schemes before, during, and even after a trip is complete.
But there is good news.
You can outsmart the bad actors whose only wish is to relieve you of your hard-earned travel dollars. By familiarizing yourself with the latest scams aimed at tourists, you’ll be able to stop the thieves in their tracks.
Here are the top travel scams and schemes to avoid this summer.
Fraudulent repair bills aren’t just sent to customers of traditional rental car companies. Heidi Schiller found this out recently after a 24-hour car-sharing experience with Turo. Her vehicle host, Ken, acknowledged multiple pre-existing scratches on his Tesla before Heidi took the wheel.
Ken assured his renter that the damage to the car wasn’t her problem to worry about. So Heidi didn’t worry. That is, until a few days later when Turo sent her a $640 repair bill for the vehicle.
Would Hertz accuse a customer of completely ruining a rental car even if it was returned in perfect condition? According to Darleen Brazoban, the answer is yes.
Brazoban says she drove a Hertz vehicle for four days last November without even the hint of a problem. When she returned the rental car to the Nashville Airport, an employee inspected it with her. He noted no damage, handed her a receipt, and Brazoban was on her way.
…On her way to big rental car problems, that is, but she didn’t know that yet.
Like every savvy traveler, Kathy Mason inspected her recent rental car very carefully before driving it off the lot. The vehicle had no visible damage, and she says she returned it in the same condition just two days later. So it was a surprise when Enterprise sent her a $775 repair bill – two months after the rental was over.
But even more surprising than the repair bill was who Enterprise believed was responsible for damaging “things” inside the rental car. In an official incident report, “Mickey Mouse” is named as the alleged suspect.
Could a rental car company charge you for damage two years after you last laid eyes on the vehicle? A Budget Rent a Car customer discovered the answer to that $2,324 question is, bizarrely, “Yes.”
Now, that broadsided rental car customer is asking Consumer Rescue for help. He hopes we can appeal to Avis (the parent company of Budget) and get this mysterious damage fee erased.
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