CAR RENTAL PROBLEMS

PhD student, Rayhan Rashed, doesn’t have a personal vehicle and he doesn’t have car insurance. So when he recently rented a car for the first time, he wisely purchased Hertz’s Loss Damage Waiver (LDW). As it turns out, he would definitely need it. 

He crashed that car on a twisty California road less than 24 hours later, totaling it.

Friends on a celebratory road trip strangely experienced the total mechanical failure of not one, but two Avis rental cars. What caused these mysterious problems and who is ultimately responsible to pay for the engine and transmission damage?

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.