Photo: chicago.cbslocal.com
One Chicago couple’s experience with an airport car rental company is everybody’s lesson in car renting: always look closely at and take pictures of the car before you take it off the lot, or you may end up paying for something you didn’t do.
Daniel and Mary Mann are convinced this is what’s happening to them, after a 3-day trip to Florida to let his parents know that they were expecting their first child. They flew in from Chicago and landed at night, so they were in a rush to rent a car and get to their destination.
They turned to Ace Rent a Car, renting one of their Toyota SUVs. They didn’t think to look more closely at the vehicle before driving off, so when they returned it 3 days later, they couldn’t argue with the staffer who informed them they would have to pay for a small dent in the back.
Daniel tells CBS 2 Chicago that he figured they’d be paying $1,000 tops for the damage, and that the cost would be covered by his insurance. About 3 months later, he received a bill in the mail informing him he owed $7,600 for damages to the SUV.
The notice came from Rockport Auto Claims, Ace’s insurance company. Mann’s own insurance company agreed to pay for the actual damage to the car (which had now extended to the roof, the bumpers, the lamps), but not for additional fees and costs, like administrative fees and diminished value fees.
“Three months later, when Rockport Auto Claims, which is Ace’s insurance company, sent us a bill for $7,600,” Daniel says. “Now he’s got pictures of rusty paint problems all over the back bumper, there’s roof damage. This is crazy. $7,600 for one little dent.”
The Manns know they didn’t cause all this damage but they have no way to prove it. Furthermore, they’re stuck with the bill because their insurance company won’t fork the entire amount: the Ace contract they signed mentions that insurance companies aren't liable for payment of additional fees. In other words, insurance covers the damage, the renter handles everything else.
The Manns have since learned their lesson and know where they went wrong with this. They should’ve checked the car before leaving with it and they should have read the fine print on the contract.
As CBS News Travel Editor Peter Greenberg explains: “It is a no-brainer to take a photo, but most people don’t think about it, because they’re racing to get the car out of the lot, or they’re racing to return it to the airport. At that point, it’s the rental car company’s word against yours, and you’re going to get dinged for the ding that you may not have even caused.”
They turned to Ace Rent a Car, renting one of their Toyota SUVs. They didn’t think to look more closely at the vehicle before driving off, so when they returned it 3 days later, they couldn’t argue with the staffer who informed them they would have to pay for a small dent in the back.
Daniel tells CBS 2 Chicago that he figured they’d be paying $1,000 tops for the damage, and that the cost would be covered by his insurance. About 3 months later, he received a bill in the mail informing him he owed $7,600 for damages to the SUV.
The notice came from Rockport Auto Claims, Ace’s insurance company. Mann’s own insurance company agreed to pay for the actual damage to the car (which had now extended to the roof, the bumpers, the lamps), but not for additional fees and costs, like administrative fees and diminished value fees.
“Three months later, when Rockport Auto Claims, which is Ace’s insurance company, sent us a bill for $7,600,” Daniel says. “Now he’s got pictures of rusty paint problems all over the back bumper, there’s roof damage. This is crazy. $7,600 for one little dent.”
The Manns know they didn’t cause all this damage but they have no way to prove it. Furthermore, they’re stuck with the bill because their insurance company won’t fork the entire amount: the Ace contract they signed mentions that insurance companies aren't liable for payment of additional fees. In other words, insurance covers the damage, the renter handles everything else.
The Manns have since learned their lesson and know where they went wrong with this. They should’ve checked the car before leaving with it and they should have read the fine print on the contract.
As CBS News Travel Editor Peter Greenberg explains: “It is a no-brainer to take a photo, but most people don’t think about it, because they’re racing to get the car out of the lot, or they’re racing to return it to the airport. At that point, it’s the rental car company’s word against yours, and you’re going to get dinged for the ding that you may not have even caused.”
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