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Your Fiasco Fixer
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.
Six months after Zimmery Harvey returned his last rental car, Dollar surprised him with a $1,900 “final invoice.” The car rental company says it neglected to charge Harvey the required $10-per-day airport concession fee for his multi-month reservation. According to Dollar, it has no ability to waive those charges since the airport collects the mandatory fee.
As a consumer advocate who has reviewed, investigated and resolved thousands of problems during the past decade, I know there is a right way — and a wrong way — to write an effective complaint letter. The most effective way to get the outcome you’re hoping for is to keep your message cordial, concise and clear.
To help you do that on your next problem-solving mission, I’ve created a free letter-writing template for you — and some sample letters so you can see this methodology in action.
You’re welcome. 😉
If you accidentally put the wrong gas in a rental car, you’re most certainly headed for a giant repair bill. Mohit Govani recently discovered just how giant after Hertz accused him of destroying the engine of a Subaru Outback. The Vehicle Incident Report (VIR) says incorrect fuel caused an astounding $9,000 in damage to the rental car.
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?
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.
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© 2026 Consumer Rescue / Michelle Couch-Friedman
