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Many people rent a car and just get in and drive off. This is the biggest mistake you can possibly make. You have to inspect the car for damages, for dents, scratches, and non-working features. There should be a form left on the dashboard to write down any damages that you see. If you don’t find one, ask for one. Check to see if any part of the interior is broken, damaged, or torn. Open the trunk and see if they included the spare tire and jack. Don’t forget to check if it has a full tank of gas since you have to return with a full tank. After you’ve made a note of all damages return the form to the attendant before driving off with the car. Always return the car with a full tank of gas if you don’t want to be charged an outrageous price for gasoline.
People who neglect to check for damages can find themselves in hot water when returning the car. They will incur charges for damages that they’re not responsible for. But since they never took the time to complete the form, there’s no legal way to fight these charges.
There are a few items that if damaged you can fight even if you didn’t note it on the form. These are damages that were unforeseeable before taking the car. For instance if the CD player doesn’t work. Or if you picked the car up on a clear day and two days later it rained and you realized that the wipers are not working properly.
Sometimes we’re in such a hurry that we have to take any car that is available at the time. If you reserved a mid-size car but had to take a compact [and this is something that most agencies won’t inform you of] you have the right to have a car delivered to you when you reach your destination. Regardless of whether it’s a hotel three miles from the car rental agency or 300 miles you can have the right to have a car delivered to your doorstep. This is the reason to rent only from worldwide agencies, because no matter where you travel to there will always be an agency to request this service from. But let’s say that you decided to stay with the compact car. If the agency never informed you of this service, you have a very good chance of getting an added discount.
When returning the car ask to speak to the manager, tell him of your dissatisfaction of not getting the car that you reserved. Point out some reasons. What reasons can you come up with? Perhaps you had to leave things behind because you didn’t have enough trunk space. Or couldn’t make purchases that you wanted to because of lack of space. On the other hand if you had to take a larger car, save your gas receipts and take them to the manager. Tell him approximately how much extra gasoline expense you had because they didn’t have the car that you requested. Then ask to be compensated, most managers will agree to compensate you for your troubles, they don’t want to lose your future business.
Remember to write down names of rude employees and any other employees present at the time. Having their names will be helpful if you have to speak to the manager. If you keep these tips in mind you’ll never again have to feel like they have the upper hand.
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