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A.I. Is Making Sure You Pay for That Ding on Your Rental Car

nytimes.com

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Re: A.I. Is Making Sure You Pay for That Ding on Your Rental Car

#31

Post by remram »

How does that hold up? If I return the car, the attendant inspects it, and I go home... then later I receive a bill about a scratch that the attendant didn't point out and that I cannot possibly inspect on the car... why would I possibly pay up? How could anyone litigate if I disagree and the car has been rented again?

It would make a lot more sense to scan the car immediately when I return it, point out the damage, and bill me right there. I don't think that is what they do though? Is the scanner in another location?

Re: A.I. Is Making Sure You Pay for That Ding on Your Rental Car

#32

Post by khuey »

sgerenser wrote: post #14
jen20 wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All three times I’ve attempted to use hertz since 2021, I’ve shown up with a reservation only to be told they have no cars. Their overbooking policy appears to be “yes”. Even without this bullshit they aren’t worth touching.

I don’t think they even know what a reservation is!

Obligatory link for the lucky ten thousand: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4T2GmGSNvaM

Re: A.I. Is Making Sure You Pay for That Ding on Your Rental Car

#34

Post by kirubakaran »

khuey wrote: post #30
pseudolus wrote: post #9

The ultimate goal is to intimidate renters into purchasing as much insurance (Collision Damage Waiver, Liability, etc.) as possible, effectively doubling the cost of a daily rental.

You come out ahead very quickly getting a credit card that will cover the rental car (e.g. a Chase Sapphire Preferred) and paying the annual fee instead of buying insurance through the rental car company.

There are tons of cards with no annual fees that offer collision damage waiver too.

Re: A.I. Is Making Sure You Pay for That Ding on Your Rental Car

#35

Post by Spagbol »

schrodinger wrote: post #17
kevingadd wrote: post #3

The Hertz from this article is a company you should never do business with, unless you like getting falsely accused of a felony, arrested, and imprisoned for no reason: https://www.npr.org/2022/12/06/1140998674/hertz-false-accusa... I personally use other companies when I rent a car... but I'm also paranoid about the kind of nonsense described in the article, so I just buy the damage coverage when I rent the car. It…

I've always been told while renting a car that any dent/ding smaller than a golf ball was considered wear and tear, and I've never had a problem over at least 50 car rentals. However, I've always noticed that Hertz is very dependent on the particular branch you rent from, and I generally avoid them unless I have met the general manager for the location and gotten to know them. In that case, it's been the _best_ compa…

I personally had a terrible experience with Enterprise. They were great right up until they tried to pass off preexisting damage as something I had done (it was odd damage to the roof, which I couldn't see prior to taking the car without a stool or something), based on no evidence. They wanted me to pay over 2k for repairs, and I fought and fought to see their "evidence" and get it overturned all while they said "the investigation is already complete" and insisted I pay the damages immediately. I managed to find an agent that finally showed me there was no evidence. When I told them I would file a complaint to the Better Business Bureau I got an email within hours dropping the claim with many apologies, and a personal call from the manager who had been impossible to get a hold of prior to this. It was a relief but I am disgusted by the whole debacle. The nice salesperson front drops away quickly when they say you owe them a claim, then they become a nightmare to deal with. Personally I will never rent from them again.

If you ever do rent a car, make sure to take a good video around the car, of the roof, and the underside and inside for good measure.

Re: A.I. Is Making Sure You Pay for That Ding on Your Rental Car

#36

Post by josephg »

legitster wrote: post #13

This is being framed all dystopian, but I'm not so pessimistic. The current process is ridiculous - a random teenager in a vest with 15 minutes of training inspects the car when you check it out, and then you get a former drill sergeant when you check it back in. The current process is no less fair and Hertz is no less evil - but in this case its at least impartial and the scans are transparently available.

> in this case its at least impartial and the scans are transparently available.

Whenever I rent a car, after getting the keys I walk around the car and take photos of it on my phone from every angle. If I notice any scratches or dents, I tell them. But I still keep the photos, just in case. Then I do the same when I return it. That way if - at any point - they say I damaged the car, I have timestamped photos.

It feels like an obvious, easy way to cover my arse if there's a dispute. Otherwise you're basically screwed if they claim you got the car scratched up.

I'm really surprised other people don't do that. Its what my family has done from before we even had digital cameras.

Re: A.I. Is Making Sure You Pay for That Ding on Your Rental Car

#38

Post by xgkickt »

alwa wrote: post #26
kylebenzle wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly, companies favorite thing thing to sell is nothing at all. Subscriptions, insurance, service fees...

Fairly-priced insurance for this sort of thing is available for much closer to its actuarial value—that is to say, much cheaper than at the rental car counter. So cheap, in fact, that in the US, surprisingly many consumer credit cards toss in some sort of rental car insurance at no charge—good wherever, whenever, and however often (within reason). Without even so much as a driving history check. For that matter, the…

The small print (of my card) mentions a maximum vehicle value. Every time I’ve asked for the vehicle’s value when renting abroad, it’s been higher than the card’s maximum.

Re: A.I. Is Making Sure You Pay for That Ding on Your Rental Car

#40

Post by instagib »

remram wrote: post #31

How does that hold up? If I return the car, the attendant inspects it, and I go home... then later I receive a bill about a scratch that the attendant didn't point out and that I cannot possibly inspect on the car... why would I possibly pay up? How could anyone litigate if I disagree and the car has been rented again? It would make a lot more sense to scan the car immediately when I return it, point out the damage,…

You drive thru scanner on pickup and return. The scummy pay the bill today message comes after you get on the airplane and return home.
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