Questions and Answers

Hi Lucky, I wonder if this has ever happened to you, and if so, how did you handle it. I rented a car from Enterprise in Glasgow, UK, on 05 March 2016. When I returned the car two days later, the agent stated there was damage to the tire, and I had to pay for a replacement. The damage was not visible to the naked eye, but upon enlarging a photo I took of the area, a small tear about ½ inch in length was noticeable. The tear did not extend into the tire wall and looked like a flaw. There were no visible scrape marks on the tire. What raised my suspicion was that the agent went straight for that tire as if she knew exactly what to look for, and did not inspect the rest of the car or any of the other tires at all. It definitely looked like a well-played scam to me. The Enterprise agent then said they would charge me GBP1,000 for the damaged tire, which is a preposterous charge for a Mazda 3 tire that costs $100 to replace at the most. I also stated that, if they were going to charge me, I wanted the damaged tire, but they stated they were not able to give me the “damaged” tire for safety reasons, and because there was no mechanic present. I disputed the charge, but only received a condescending response from the outlet manager. They know, of course, that people dropping off rental cars are not flexible because they have a flight to catch, so this scam works very well for them. The person checking in his car before me said “if you don’t buy their insurance, they get you every time”. I did buy LDW, but did not buy the Excess LDW insurance. They have charged $1,500 to my credit card. What’s your recommendation regarding getting my money back?

Hello Inbavaria

Dispute the credit card charge? Small claims court if that fails? Definitely leave a bad review.

Do you have any insurance true the credit card you booked with that will cover damage like this?

If you had any pictures of the damaged car, that will help to start with.
Most of the premium cards have damage waiver included when paid with the card. Talk to your card company and they may help.

How horrible! I rent a lot of cars in Europe and live in fear of these types of scams. I would contact Enterprise parent company and complain. I hope you get justice soon.