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CAR

Maybe I got it wrong when I concluded that car rental companies are just trying to help customers by offering "optional" toll.

Help! I got a rental car bill I don’t think I deserve

April 16, 2025October 25, 2013 by Christopher Elliott

After a grill falls off her rental car, Alamo sends her a bill for $669. Does she have to pay?

Categories The Travel Troubleshooter
Jenny discovers a $260 charge on her credit card. She’s been charged for optional car rental insurance she never wanted, or needed.

Charged for insurance I never wanted — or needed

January 23, 2024August 23, 2013 by Christopher Elliott

Jenny Tran discovers a mysterious $260 charge on her credit card and discovers she’s been charged for optional car rental insurance she never wanted, or needed. Can she get a refund?

Categories The Travel Troubleshooter
Reed Scott buys a lemon from a Nissan dealership. Now it won't cover the repairs for the malfunctioning car.

Nissan dealership won’t honor its warranty on my used car

April 13, 2024July 25, 2013 by Christopher Elliott

Reed Scott buys a lemon from a Nissan dealership. Now it won’t cover the repairs for the malfunctioning car. Can it do that?

Categories Problem Solved
Car rental damage claims are such a contentious issue — and so preventable — that I've been considering a moratorium on new cases.

A scratch on my rental car — and now, a bill from a collection agency

January 23, 2024July 23, 2013 by Christopher Elliott

Here we go again.

Categories Should I Take The Case?
I recently rented a car from Budget. When I returned the vehicle, a representative claimed that I scraped the bottom of the front bumper.

Did she wait too long to file a damage claim?

January 23, 2024June 8, 2013 by Christopher Elliott

Susan Young has waited too long to file a damage claim with here credit card company. But it’s not her fault – a car rental contract employee told her to do it. Who’s responsible?

Categories The Travel Troubleshooter
Doreen Murphy believes she walked right into when she rented a car from Budget in Northern Ireland recently.

“What should I have done in this situation?”

May 4, 2024June 4, 2013 by Christopher Elliott

The car rental insurance scam is a fairly well-known “gotcha” for international renters, and it’s a trap Doreen Murphy believes she walked right into when she rented a car from Budget in Northern Ireland recently.

Categories Should I Take The Case?
The husband's Hertz rental in Madrid broke down, got an 850 euro charge for a burnt clutch despite credit card dispute in their favor.

Help, Hertz is charging me for a burnt clutch!

January 23, 2024May 25, 2013 by Christopher Elliott

When the clutch on his car fails, Hadley Roeltgen is sent an 850 euro bill. But his credit card company says he shouldn’t be responsible, and reverses the charge. Now, a collections agency is after him. What should he do?

Categories The Travel Troubleshooter
Sometimes a case doesn't make sense on so many levels. Julie Yu's dispute with Dollar and its insurance is one of them.

Forced to buy car rental insurance that didn’t cover her

January 31, 2024April 19, 2013 by Christopher Elliott

… Read more

Categories Case Dismissed
After a rental process and unclear damage assessment, a couple faced a substantial bill and collection agency contact from Hertz Munich.

How can you be sure I damaged my rental car?

January 23, 2024April 6, 2013 by Christopher Elliott

Months after her car rental, Diane Mikulis gets a bill for damages she doesn’t recognize. When she asks for a translation, the car rental company sends her case to a collection agency. Now what?

Categories The Travel Troubleshooter
Brandon Chase from Columbus, Ohio, recently had an unfortunate experience with Budget Car Rental at the Kansas City airport.

Oh no, Budget had second thoughts about my discount

January 23, 2024March 2, 2013 by Christopher Elliott

Brandon Chase’s car rental company says it’s made a mistake on his bill, and reverses a discount long after his rental. Is it allowed to do that? And what are his rights?

Categories The Travel Troubleshooter
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