When we picked up our car from the Hertz in Dubrovnik, it was fairly routine: We got our car, a Puegeot. We examined it for any scuffs in the paint, wear-and-tear, or anything that was not supposed to be on a car. It looked good. We packed our bags into the back of the little hatchback and we left.
We enjoyed a wonderful scenic route along the Dalmatian Coast. There were quite literally no problems.
…That is, until we got to Zagreb.
In the midst of checking the ol’ PuegeotWe dropped off the car in Zagreb. I waited inside the office while my husband and the manager (pretty much the only guy working there) went outside and inspected the car. They both came back in. The manager promptly noted that there was a problem. Underneath the side skirt of the driver side was slightly “dented.”
“It happens if you go off-roading,” said the (let’s just call him “Guy”) guy.
“Why would we off-road? This freeway is paved,” said my husband. This was true. The highways in Croatia are indeed paved. We also have no reason to off-road in a Puegeot (really, Guy? In that car?).
“Or if you happen to run over potholes,” said guy.
“Nope, no potholes.”
“Well, that will be 2500 Croatian kuna.”
We stood there with our WTF faces. Typically WTF faces are applied to situations where something or someone is WTF-ing with us. There were four things wrong with this situation:
- There was no way we drove over potholes or off the road. But, even if we did, it would not leave the so-called “dent” that Guy was referring to, which leads to point 2:
- The “dent” that Guy spoke of was actually the design of the side skirt for that Puegeot model. A design, people. A design. It waves up a little and then comes back down; which, by the way, is a stupid design (you hear that, Puegeot? It looks stupid and serves no purpose). There were hardly any scratches on those side skirts, either. And then there’s point number 3:
- Guy immediately walked to the opposite side of the car that had the “dented” side skirt and pointed it out. Red flags were flying all around because how on earth was Guy immediately attracted to the bottom of a car on the opposite side not facing him? It’s like he knew it was there. Which leads us to point 4:
- Guy is not an auto body shop expert. If there was truly damage to our little rental car, then how can you know how much it costs if no one examines it? Guy merely asked us to pony up some dough.
There were two things my husband could do: he could go all American on their asses. You know, throw a fit and demand customer service be implicated at that very moment or certain “legal action” will ensue. Or, he could pay the bill with the American Express card and move on, because this was Croatia and throwing a fit and suing is really only an American thing.
He chose the latter. Some of you are probably thinking: “Here’s my WTF face! (I can imagine what it looks like now!) That’s all you did?” Husband paid with his Amex card. He did this because of only one reason: he has Premium Car Rental Protection with Amex. It costs $17.95 per rental since we reside in California. He provided the Amex card to Guy to be charged. Then he immediately called Amex customer service and explained what happened. Amex Premium Car Rental Protection took care of everything else from there. A month later, we received a call from Amex stating Hertz should not have charged money without a quote and, if doing so, Hertz would need to show proof of body repair and cost. Since they refused to provide any documentation, the charge was reversed back to them and they agreed to only settle for 1000 Croatian Kuna with Premium Car Rental Protection. Nothing came out of our pocket.
And that’s why we wish American Express is widely accepted everywhere, nothing but great customer service from them.
Now It’s Your Turn!
If you’re planning to rent a car anywhere (looking at you, Croatia, because these are the kinds of scams travelers worry about), do the following: When picking up the car, walk out and point noticeable flaws with the employee. Look at tires individually. Check for signs of damages not only on the car but also under and make sure to document them. Check seams and edges of cars and point out to them that you’re doing this. Get a copy of the paperwork and take it with you. Even better, document this car check with your video camera, take pictures of everything from every angle.
If after indisputable proof, the car company still wants to rip you off, then you need to make sure that you have insurance for this rental beforehand. Not the car company’s insurance, because hi, these people want to make money off of you, they are ridiculously expensive. Get your own insurance, but make sure you find out if the country you are in are covered, like New Zealand and Ireland as examples usually are not…
Tell us a time you were scammed. How did you handle it?
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