# Hired a Car? Rental Company Claimed You Damaged the Vehicle - Not Returned Your €€ ?



## Me&MrsJones (Sep 25, 2016)

So you hired a car, the rental company blocked some money off your credit card (or worse still if you hired with (moderated), they took the whole amount straight away!) and when you returned the vehicle they claim there was damage to the vehicle whilst in your care.

This means they will charge your card, not return any of your deposit or want more money off you. 

I was in exactly the same position and I have now just successfully claimed my money back through my Visa card provider... This post is to help you get your money back too!

First thing to note - stay calm and be patient, this process takes some time! It is important to keep notes of everyone you speak to and when. Kepp ALL paperwork issued including the report from when you collected and returned the car

The process with your Visa card provider is as follows:-

Call them and ask to speak to the 'disputed transaction department'
Inform them of your experience.
Inform them that as far as you are concerned the damage was not your fault and that you dispute the transaction and would like to recover the money.
Your card provider will ask for a copy of all documentation and any photographs etc.

Immediately they will place the disputed amount on hold on your card. This means you will not have to pay it on your next bill. They freeze it until the dispute is processed. You do not pay any interest on the amount either.

The visa card provider should then inform you that the process the car rental company should have followed is:-
Identify the issues they are claiming are your fault.
Provide you with two quotations for the damage repairs
Allow you to obtain your own quote to have the damage repaired
They also have to demonstrate that the damage is not covered under their own insurance which is included as standard in the rental of the vehicle.
Provide all correspondence in English as a minimum.

We know that rental companies do not follow the above process so they are in breach of the agreement under the Visa transaction, you have a right to claim your money back. 

The card provider will now start a 'SECTION 75' claim on your behalf. 

They correspond with the rental company and ultimately give them 28 days to respond, which they never do because to them it is a numbers game.

After the 28 days has expired the Visa card company will then cancel the disputed amount off your credit card.

In Summary:

Keep calm, keep all documents and take photos.
Call visa card company and 'Dispute the Transaction'
Process a Section 75 Claim because you are due a refund of deposit because you paid because you did not cause the damage they allege. That they have not provided you with an estimate for repair from at least two different workshops or allowed you to obtain a quotation for repairs; they have failed to provide information to show that the damage is not covered by their insurance.

Overall DO NOT HIRE FROM ( Moderated)!! Put simply they are crooks! (see other posts)

My process took from January 3rd to 5th April to resolve. It is worth being patient if you care about the money that is!

Hope it helps.


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## Tom1957 (May 1, 2016)

I had a very similar situation with a car hired from Alicante airport, I was charged over £800 for alleged damage. Thankfully the credit card company came good, and they too stated (without going into detail) that the car hire co. had not followed the VISA rules.

These bottom feeders cannot possibly make money from car rentals- this damage scam is just another way to supplement their income.


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## Horlics (Sep 27, 2011)

One more time..... don't hire from (moderated).... that wasn't moderated BTW, I put that there.

There are reputable companies operating from ALC, use them.

And they don't keep you waiting 2 hours at peak times.


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## andygrx (Feb 27, 2017)

It's worth reading the advice and experiences on Flyertalk and ThePointsGuy and other forums. One of my famous name credit cards gives me "secondary" insurance cover on car hires (I had to claim first from my own UK insurer). I now have a sapphire card that is "primary". They take over the problem and pay any damage; you don't need CDW.


Envoyé de mon iPhone en utilisant Tapatalk


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## Horlics (Sep 27, 2011)

Old thread springs to life....

But what i'll add is that since my message 2 up from here, some friends arrived at ALC a couple of weeks ago. Not peak season. One of the 2 cheap companies there kept them waiting and hour and forty five minutes to take the car.


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## Roy C (Sep 29, 2012)

This is a very useful thread, I will stop taking out their expensive insurance.


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