As I’ve been very recently victim of Italian car rental’s Noleggiare (stay away from them!) fraudulent activity, I thought that it’s a good occasion to share with you a few ideas how you can protect yourself from being scammed. If you never rent a car abroad, sooner or later you might have such need. Either for work or leisure. It’s good to know then how to avoid car rental fraud!
I rented cars more than 20 times so you can trust me that I know a few things how to do it at least more safely.
7 things you can do to avoid car rental fraud
Read reviews
Always read reviews of rental company you want to rent from! Visit TrustPilot.com and you most probably find reviews of most rental companies. Especially those fraudulent! TripAdvisor and Google Reviews also are a good source of such information. You won’t find perfect rental company, there will be always negative reviews. However, if there are more bad reviews than good, you know what you have to do… Avoid! There is no a good rule which rental company choose but there is higher probability than companies like Avis, Hertz, Sixt or Europcar as a well known global brands are more trusted. They are more expensive at the same time. Don’t be afraid of local ones but read reviews! Also you can book a car with EconomyCarRentals.com. I use this service for years and it never let me down!
Check documents
Make sure you won’t leave car rental office without document confirming you rent a car with all important information included. How much fuel is inside, if there are any damages, how much you paid. Don’t forget seperate receipts if it isn’t mentioned on this document! You must keep this document with you at all time. Don’t leave it in car! If somebody steals your car, you will lose this document and insurer will tell you for sure you can’t claim without it! Additionaly make photos of both sides of this document. It’s very important part to do if you ever experience car rental fraud.
Use broker
To rent a car, always do it through broker like EconomyCarRentals.com so you will get basic cover included in price and also the best price possible (I explain more about renting the car in seperate article).
Don’t forget about insurance
Always have a full cover not only basic cover. You can buy it straight from rental company or through broker. First option is much more expensive. Sometimes even more expensive then renting the car with basic cover! I suggest you to buy insurance through RentalCover.com (CLICK!).
Make photos
Don’t leave car rental parking before you make photos of ALL sides of car. Wheels, doors, bumpers, lights, roof etc. The more come to your mind, the better. You will have more proofs if they try to scam on you and charge for damages which already existed!
Get confirmation
If you don’t bring back car outside office hours, go to office and ask somebody to sign document for you that you deliver it in the same condition. I can’t guarantee you that that will do that but you can try. All depends on rental company. It’s possible somebody will come, fast check car and sign this document for you so you will get peace of mind straight away.
Be calm if you experienced car rental fraud
Got ripped off? Don’t panic. Call your credit card provider. Inform about situation. If the fraudulent transaction is already on your statement, make a dispute and send proofs. If that damage existed before and you have photos to proof, you are all good! Your bank will cancel this transaction. Just go to TrustPilot.com and write 1-star review. Also try to inform the police about what happened. Such fraudulent companies should disappear from the market as soon as possible!
Please also check: How to travel cheap? Flights booking – Part I
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Please keep on mind that I’m NOT a financial adviser and you shouldn’t treat above post as any kind of financial advice. This is just my blog where I share my knowledge but I can be wrong while doing so! Also please remember that any financial decision you will make might affect your finances either positively or negatively. Your capital is always at risk when you invest. You should always read T&C (Terms and Conditions) to make sure you know all the rules.