On June 15th I rented a 2005 red Dodge Neon (CA license plate 5PCX923) at the Thrifty Car Rental right by the Los Angeles Airport located on W. Century Blvd. Because of my existing insurance coverage, I declined their insurance offer.
It was around 8:30pm in a covered parking structure with dim lights. I briefly check the car, and did not see any major damages. Thrifty Car Rental did not send a person to do a walk-through with me. Basically they want me to do it on my own. This is not a new car, and it had about 15000 miles already on it. There were some minor scratches, but they were normal as with most of the rental car, so I did not bother to report anything.in my previous rentals, I was usually meticulous on reporting any scratches. But after a while, I noticed that the rental companies most of the time didn't really care about the scratches unless it is associated with a major damage (usually resulted from a collision).
For 3 days I basically drove and park the car between the hotel that I stayed and the office building which I attended the seminar. I did not engage in any accident.
Upon returning the car to Thrifty Car Rental on June 18th, the person who checked in my car did a very thorough inspection. It seemed to me as if he was inspecting a new car, and he tried to jot down anything that he could find.
When finished with the inspection, he told me that there is a thin horizontal scratch on the passager side of the door. The scratch seems to be caused by either a key or bushes. He also wrote down that there is black scratches on the rear fender (rear bumper). He wrote up the Accident/Damage/Incident Report, and asked me to hand it to the receptionist.
Of course I refused to sign the report. But after consulting with the manager, he told me to write down that "the side scratches on the passenger side door was there when (the car) was checked out" on the report. Because of the statement, then I agreed to sign.
About a month later, I received a letter from National Commercial Service, which is an agency located in Northridge, CA (tel (888) 355-4400), trying to collect debt for Thrifty Car Rental. On the letter, they told me that I owed $366.56.
Here is the break down:
The repair for the scratch on the passenger side door and rear bumper is $312.20, and the loss of use and administration fee is $50. Both added together is $362.20. I don't know why there is a difference of $4.36.
After asking for more information, they send me an repair appraisal. Here is the breakdown:
Paint Material $99.40
Refinish $113.60
Labor $212.80
Total: $312.20
Now, the car has the scratches that I see on most used car, even my own car. They were probably already there when I rented the car. But because I did not reported these scratches before I exit the building, I was victimized by Thrifty Car Rental. I believe it was mainly because I did not sign for their insurance coverage.
In addition, the repair cost on these minor damage is ridiculously and unreasonable high. I believe there is a scam going on on customers who don't buy their insurance coverage.
After negotiating with the manager at the National Commercial Service (the agency that is responsible for collecting debts for Thrifty Car Rental), he agreed quickly for a 50% reduction in repair cost. However, the overall cost still costed me $187.00, and I still don't feel it is justified.
Here are the bottom lessons that I learned and changes I will do for future rentals:
1. Use digital camera and take pictures before renting a car.
2. Request someone to do a full walk-through with you. Have him meticulously write down everything that he can find.
To me the minor scratches are part of daily normal wear and tear. It is subjective to different opinions from different individuals. When I think of a damage, I am talking about a major dent in the car. I did not engage in any accident, and I have no knowledge of anything that could have caused the minor scratch on the side of the car.in this case, I feel that Thrifty Car Rental by the LAX is victimizing its customers.
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