Car rental: what to do about the five most common problems
Here are the five most common problems which you can face while renting a car.
1 - I do not have the right bank card to collect my car from the branch To rent a vehicle, it is necessary to have a credit card or a deferred debit card in the name and first name of the main driver and sufficient funds to deposit the deposit. An immediate debit card will not allow a deposit to be paid. If you do not have the right card, you will be forced to take out additional insurance (often expensive) offered by the rental company, which is the only alternative to collect the vehicle. Otherwise, you risk losing your reservation.
2 - The rental car breaks down In this case, you will need to contact the rental company's breakdown insurance. Contact details can be found on the rental agreement. A mechanic is then sent on-site to repair the vehicle at the rental company's expense if "road insurance" is included in the offer. Please note: The driver will pay repairs if he is held responsible for the damage. Thus, it is not advisable to continue driving while the red light is lit on the dashboard or to undertake repairs yourself or via a garage without notifying the rental insurance company beforehand.
3 - A collision with the rental car The first thing to do is to notify the rental company and contact the police to get a report of the accident. This will be essential to hope for reimbursement of the franchise if this option has been taken out. As for the costs, it all depends on the guarantees you have taken out. With that against damage to the bodywork, the costs will be covered in full if the driver has checked the reimbursement of the excess. On the other hand, the impacts on the underside of the body as well as on the tires and the windows, are the subject of separate insurance, to be taken out with the lessor.
4 - The rental car has been stolen It is imperative to contact the rental company and obtain a police report to define the circumstances of the theft and to clear customs, if necessary, the driver of possible negligence. If you have checked the guarantee against theft (TP for "Theft Protection"), it is up to the insurance to take care of the costs. But you will only be reimbursed for the excess if you have purchased an offer that includes reimbursement. Otherwise, you will have to pay the franchise fee, the amount of which can display four digits! In addition, if it turns out that the theft of the vehicle is the result of gross negligence, the customer risks being summoned by the lessor to reimburse him for the full price of the car. Also, note that vehicle rental insurance and personal insurance do not cover items inside the vehicle. For the simple reason that, in their opinion, valuables are not supposed to be left in a rental car.
5 - The keys of the vehicle have been lost It will be necessary to warn the lessor who will provide a duplicate of the keys (or will have the vehicle removed and will offer another). However, do not hope to escape the costs: in 100% of cases, you will be held responsible for gross negligence. Other serious negligence, unsurprisingly, is driving while intoxicated, damage caused by an undeclared driver, or the vehicle window left open inadvertently. Also, be careful: using the wrong fuel is, like the situations mentioned above, a serious fault that you will have to pay out of pocket.
These problems you can be face while renting a car, so you must have to be aware of it.
1 - I do not have the right bank card to collect my car from the branch To rent a vehicle, it is necessary to have a credit card or a deferred debit card in the name and first name of the main driver and sufficient funds to deposit the deposit. An immediate debit card will not allow a deposit to be paid. If you do not have the right card, you will be forced to take out additional insurance (often expensive) offered by the rental company, which is the only alternative to collect the vehicle. Otherwise, you risk losing your reservation.
2 - The rental car breaks down In this case, you will need to contact the rental company's breakdown insurance. Contact details can be found on the rental agreement. A mechanic is then sent on-site to repair the vehicle at the rental company's expense if "road insurance" is included in the offer. Please note: The driver will pay repairs if he is held responsible for the damage. Thus, it is not advisable to continue driving while the red light is lit on the dashboard or to undertake repairs yourself or via a garage without notifying the rental insurance company beforehand.
3 - A collision with the rental car The first thing to do is to notify the rental company and contact the police to get a report of the accident. This will be essential to hope for reimbursement of the franchise if this option has been taken out. As for the costs, it all depends on the guarantees you have taken out. With that against damage to the bodywork, the costs will be covered in full if the driver has checked the reimbursement of the excess. On the other hand, the impacts on the underside of the body as well as on the tires and the windows, are the subject of separate insurance, to be taken out with the lessor.
4 - The rental car has been stolen It is imperative to contact the rental company and obtain a police report to define the circumstances of the theft and to clear customs, if necessary, the driver of possible negligence. If you have checked the guarantee against theft (TP for "Theft Protection"), it is up to the insurance to take care of the costs. But you will only be reimbursed for the excess if you have purchased an offer that includes reimbursement. Otherwise, you will have to pay the franchise fee, the amount of which can display four digits! In addition, if it turns out that the theft of the vehicle is the result of gross negligence, the customer risks being summoned by the lessor to reimburse him for the full price of the car. Also, note that vehicle rental insurance and personal insurance do not cover items inside the vehicle. For the simple reason that, in their opinion, valuables are not supposed to be left in a rental car.
5 - The keys of the vehicle have been lost It will be necessary to warn the lessor who will provide a duplicate of the keys (or will have the vehicle removed and will offer another). However, do not hope to escape the costs: in 100% of cases, you will be held responsible for gross negligence. Other serious negligence, unsurprisingly, is driving while intoxicated, damage caused by an undeclared driver, or the vehicle window left open inadvertently. Also, be careful: using the wrong fuel is, like the situations mentioned above, a serious fault that you will have to pay out of pocket.
These problems you can be face while renting a car, so you must have to be aware of it.
