How To Protect Yourself Against Unscrupulous Car Hire Companies
In general, renting a car is a good way to enhance your time abroad, giving you the freedom to see places you may have not gotten to explore otherwise. But there are also some potential pitfalls if you’re not careful.
What To Look Out For
Insurance misrepresentation is a common scam. Rental agents may claim that your own insurance is unusable or invalid so that they can have you buy their more expensive insurance.
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They may try to inadvertently charge you for pre-existing damage. To avoid this, make sure you give the rental car a thorough inspection before taking it. Take pictures from different angles, perhaps even a video, detailing the state of the car beforehand. Make sure it’s noted down on the rental agreement.
There are times when renters may be unfairly charged for damages inflicted when giving back the car, particularly when the drop-off is unattended. Prevent this by taking time-stamped pictures of the vehicle after parking it for the final time.
Make sure to test out the mechanical key when collecting the car. Certain companies tend to damage the mechanical locks of the cars beforehand due to the fact that remote locking is very common. This means that the damage will usually go unnoticed, letting them charge the customer for damage they didn’t inflict.
For learning more about how to avoid these scams, this article may prove useful:
How To Prevent It
As mentioned before, a thorough inspection of the exterior will help a lot. Look out for dents and scratches, especially on areas like the roof, behind the mirrors and under the bumper. Then do the same with the inside of the car.
Looking into car hire excess insurance is another way to protect yourself from scams. Specialists such as https://www.moneymaxim.co.uk may be able to help.
Examine the tyres carefully to ensure they’re in working order, particularly the wheel arches. Then make sure that the amount of fuel and the mileage match the rental record.
By doing this, you can avoid the worst rental car scams.
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