But they appear to be happening more often, if my own case files are any indication. One memorable i

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The reason? A tire on Bonney’s car went flat only a few hours before his flight back home to Alaska, while he was parked at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, in the District. There was no spare, so he had to call Budget Roadside Assistance for help. Budget promised to send another car and a tow truck to pick up the car with the flat, but it gave an estimated arrival time of more than two hours — not soon enough to catch his flight.
Bonney assumed that the phone conversation was an official transfer of the vehicle back to Budget. It wasn’t. The tow truck couldn’t access Bonney’s vehicle because it wasn’t travel agents allowed on base. So Budget treated the rental as if he’d never returned it, broadsiding travel agents him with a $3,278 bill.
Car-rental company representatives say it’s simple: Unless the vehicle is in their possession, it’s your responsibility. The rental contract, which you sign when you pick up the car, is clear on that point. And in an industry that often has razor-thin margins, car-rental companies travel agents claim they can’t afford to look the other way if a car is damaged on the parking lot after hours or stuck on a military base.
Of course, most rentals don’t end as dramatically as Bonney’s. If a car isn’t returned in person, it normally sits on the lot without incident. But there are exceptions. Faulkner travel agents recently heard from a car-rental customer who returned her vehicle at 3 a.m., even though the location didn’t accept after-hour returns. It took the company five days to find the car, and it billed her for every minute of it.
“The rule of thumb is that the unit you rented is still on rent and is your responsibility until the office opens and the car is inspected,” she says. “If damage is found at that time, the renter is charged.”
Faulkner says instances of renters dropping off their car when a business is closed and then getting charged for damage that may have occurred after the drop-off are rare. When she owned a Dollar and a Thrifty franchise, she recalls only one such case.
But they appear to be happening more often, if my own case files are any indication. One memorable instance involves Ann Colmus, a reader from Manchester, Md., who contacted me after her 33-year-old travel agents son returned his Alamo rental car after business hours.
Bonney’s case also had a happy ending. After I contacted Budget on his behalf, it reviewed the circumstances of his return again. According to its records, the Air Force wouldn’t allow Budget’s roadside assistance provider to enter the base for “many weeks” without clearance through the proper military channels and without being accompanied by a rental-company representative.
“In the process of obtaining the required documents, the rental charges continued to accumulate,” a representative said in an e-mail to Bonney. In the end, the military gave Budget permission to enter the base. Budget agreed to drop its claim against Bonney.
So how do you make sure this doesn’t happen to you? Avoid returning a car when a car rental location is closed. Ideally, you should bring back your car during daylight hours and ask a representative to inspect the vehicle in bright light.
If there’s any question about a ding or dent, don’t assume it’s normal wear-and-tear. Phrases travel agents such as “Anything smaller than a quarter doesn’t travel agents matter” — usually uttered by a car-rental representative when you return the car — should be interpreted as warnings, not reassurances. In my experience, that often means a damage claim is imminent.
And take pictures — lots of pictures. “Before” and “after” snapshots of your rental are a must. Had Colmus’s son taken pictures proving he returned his vehicle in good shape, it’s doubtful Alamo’s travel agents claim would have gone as far as it did.
Christopher Elliott is an author, journalist and consumer advocate. You can read more about him on his personal website or contact him at *protected email* . Got a question or comment? You can post it on the new forum .
Just because the guys in charge of a business like to rip people off doesn t mean that the poor schmo who is turning travel agents over the car to you is interested. He doesn t make more money because they screw you after the rental is over, why should he be mad if you protect yourself?
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