[ilvtofu]

IIRC there are some former Budget employees here on RS that have made similar claims about the company,

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/11/16/bc-budgetinsiders.html

Three former Budget Rent a Car employees have contacted Go Public to allege the Vancouver-area operation systematically and intentionally rips off customers, by grossly overcharging for minor repairs that sometimes aren’t even done.

“They did it on purpose — charging the customer like way too much,” said a former lot attendant, who worked at Budget’s Vancouver airport location for a year, checking cars for damage. He agreed to speak to CBC News only if he was not identified.

"The system is run like that ... the small charges, they make them big charges. Especially the windshield. They can make more money from the windshield," he said.

"All of the inspectors have to look at the windshield first."

He said staff members were told to inspect vehicles from top to bottom, even after customers were gone, and report any damage to managers no matter how minuscule.

"I remember one time there was a senior couple. The other [employee] found out there was a tire cut. But from our standards, they should not charge them, honestly," he said.

"The other [employee] asked for the manager to come out and take a look. And then the manager charged them, just charged them."

Some repairs not done
“If there was a scratch on the car, we charged their credit card immediately … and that scratch would never even be fixed,” said another former employee.

She worked at the Budget counter at the Abbotsford airport, and also spoke on condition she would not be named.
“For the three months that I was there, I saw only one car go to the repair shop, and it was rear-ended.”

She said several renters would be charged for rock chip damage on the same vehicle, but no repairs would be done until later when the vehicle needed a new windshield.

"Once the windshield has three rock chips in it, it would get replaced, and then at that point that customer would get charged for a whole windshield," she said.

She also claimed she was trained to push people to buy Budget’s insurance coverage — using a memorized script — even when they were covered by their credit card or other insurance.

“We were there to sell insurance. We were there to convince customers that were renting cars that they had no insurance.”

She said many customers who bought insurance were later charged the $300 deductible.

“Every time there was a scratch, I would always get a manager, because I didn't want to be the person getting screamed at [by the customer] for the fact it wasn't their responsibility,” she said.

“The manager would decide how much to charge [the customer account].”

She also claimed three or four times a week people were billed for damage they didn't cause.

“If [earlier renters] didn't notice it and we didn't notice it, then we would just charge the next person," she said.

Upset customers
“I saw customers that cried. They really cried. They were shocked,” said the lot attendant.

He claims some people were made to pay for damage caused by Budget employees after vehicles were checked in.

“Sometimes it’s the employees that make the damage, but everyone doesn’t want to be responsible for that. The manager will make a decision ‘Hey, call the customer — he’s your damage.’

"There were a lot of [customer] complaints when I was there,” said an ex-manager, who worked at Budget’s repair facility at the Vancouver airport several years ago. Go Public agreed not to name him, because he fears repercussions.

He estimated 25 customers a day were overcharged for repairs.

“Every car that came from Budget that needed repair all had inflated costs on them, frivolous charges on them. Every repair that went through the system — the customer got overbilled.”

Budget's repair facility is owned by Inland Transportation, a company owned by wealthy Vancouver businessman Syd Belzberg. He also owns Budget Rent a Car of B.C., which runs the car rental outlets in B.C.’s Lower Mainland.

Profits shared
“The way [Belzberg] got around it is he would write a cheque from Budget to Inland Transportation [for inflated repair costs], as if it was an outside firm, and he wasn’t making profit.”

In reality, he said, Budget and Inland Transportation are the same Belzberg operation.

"He was there every day," said the former manager. "Everything that was going on, he knew about."
The ex-manager said he purchased windshields in bulk, for less than $100 each. Inland would then bill Budget approximately $800 for each installation and that cost would be passed on to customers.

Go Public heard from several recent renters, whose accounts were billed in excess of $1,000 for a new windshield.

The former manager also claimed customers were billed for windshield replacements, when in reality only a chip was repaired, at nominal cost.

"Different customers would be billed … on a windshield before it got replaced," he said.

"We repair the chip. The customer gets billed for a new [windshield]. It doesn’t get replaced. Another customer takes the car, chips the windshield again. He gets billed for a new one again. And it could have happened on numerous occasions — especially in ski season."

Manager promises action
Belzberg didn’t return calls, but general manager for Budget Rent a Car of B.C. Greg Harrison told Go Public he is looking into all of the ex-employees' claims.

"I wasn’t aware of these allegations, but we take them very seriously and will look into each one of them," said Harrison. "It’s our commitment to offer a high level of service with everything we do, so we take it seriously. We’ll look into it."

He said sometimes windshield chips are repaired, but "to the best of my knowledge" those customers had not been charged for a new windshield.

"All our windshield repairs are determined, whether we repair or replace, by an independent company, Speedy Auto Glass, which comes on site and does all our glass work for us."

When asked how Budget can charge 10 times what it costs to do windshield repairs, Harrison said the repair facility is "accredited" by B.C.'s public insurance provider.

"We offer the rates that are based on ICBC standards for our shop which is an accredited ICBC shop and that’s how we continue to offer the high standards we set for ourselves in the rental industry," he said.

However, Go Public discovered the repair facility is not accredited by ICBC, a contradiction Harrison couldn’t explain.

"To the best of my knowledge, we’re an accredited shop. You’re giving me information I have no knowledge of prior to this moment," Harrison said. He later sent an email saying he was misinformed by another manager.

Under investigation
As a result of our stories on Budget, Harrison confirmed the corporate head office in the U.S. has put Belzberg's operation under investigation.

"We’ve been in contact with them and we’re providing them information as need be," said Harrison. "We are contacting customers, anyone who contacts us we are responding to them.

"If in a customer’s mind they feel we have done something wrong, we want to make it right."

On Monday afternoon, Harrison emailed CBC News to say that an internal investigation had turned up nothing to support the allegations.

"We have reviewed our systems and records and have found no evidence of this activity. Out of the utmost caution and concern, we are in the process of engaging an independent third party to review relevant files to investigate these claims, and to make appropriate recommendations if required."

In some U.S. states, courts have ruled it's illegal for rental car companies to charge more for repairs than what they cost.

Several years ago, Hertz was made to pay almost $7 million in fines, after New York's attorney general went after the company for overcharging customers $13 million for repairs.

There is no specific consumer legislation in B.C. prohibiting the practice, though. The car rental industry is largely unregulated in Canada.

[Lomac]

There's a reason why I keep one of my credit cards with a very low credit limit, and this is it. If I rent a car/hotel room and something happens that's obviously my fault, I'll ask them to charge it to another card. But if they decide to pull something fishy and try to overcharge me without telling me... good luck. :fuckthatshit:

[Gunsmokez]

The car rental industry is largely unregulated in Canada

:ahwow:

Oh btw, body shops do this as well. Pm me, and I'll tell you one that has done it to me (tried)

[Spartacus]

:ahwow:

Oh btw, body shops do this as well. Pm me, and I'll tell you one that has done it to me (tried)

POST PLEASE ! :concentrate:

[knight604]

That's why cash is gold.

[LP700-4]

Haha US car rental companies are so much more chill.

When we were in vegas we rented a 2011 Accord, curbed the plastic rim cover thing really badly, when it came time to return the car, we asked the lot attendent guy how much would we be charged for the damaged rim he was just like :fuckthatshit: and said have a nice trip home.

They also give you a nice sheet of paper indicating all damages on the car beforehand.

[penner2k]

lol who would pay for extra insurance if they have it on their credit card... my buddy did $5k worth of damage to his rental car and his credit card company paid the bill..

[european]

Damn! That's nuts!

[firebird79_00]

Doesnt surprise me at all

[BrRsn]

That's why cash is gold.

yeah I turned people with your kind of thinking away all summer long while I was renting cars lol.

It's definitely blown out of proportion in that article. A lot of the people they interviewed were former workers who worked a long time ago. A lot of stuff has changed in the car-rental world and it is a lot more standardized now

[Harvey Specter]

I was actually billed for not paying a toll in Toronto last summer by Hertz but the thing was I never used a highway with a toll. When I called Hertz and demanded they send me proof the CSR refused and said "you didn't pay at the toll so you have to pay" so I decided to call again and speak to the manager who listened to me and said "we don't have to prove anything but I'll credit you anyways".

And I learned the hard way about not buying extra insurance coverage and assuming your credit card will cover damages. My brother slightly scratched the rim on a rental in Vegas a couple years back, I got dinged for $500 and the credit card company refused to cover it. It really is buyer beware with rental companies.

[BrRsn]

In case anyone's got time to kill, or wants to become better informed about car-rental.


Spoilered because I don't want google picking this up,

Most car rental companies are on a manufacturer's buy-back program.
What does this mean?
The vehicle's are on a short term lease, with the rental company taking the financial hit for taking the vehicles for a few months. Most of the cars we have are only a few weeks to 5 months old on the high end (this ranges in mileage from 100kms to about 30,000kms on the high end).
Pros:
Customers get almost brand new cars, and because they're only kept for 5 months, they're in great condition
Cons:
- Wear and tear is outwardly obvious due to the age of the vehicles, as such customers will be charged for damage other companies may consider wear and tear
- The manufacturer has a very stringent set of guidelines we must meet in order to be able to return the car and get our money back.

All cars must be repaired with OEM parts. We are not allowed to send back cars with tire cuts (cuts in the side wall), tire patches (from a nail puncture), rim scratches longer than 2cm, any damage to the windshield (simply getting a chip filled for $50 at speedy auto glass does not suffice). The automaker demands that the whole windshield be replaced, and it be done with an OEM windshield.



In the article it said the manager's arbitrarily pick a price to charge customers for damage, this is false. Depending on the class of car, and the affected body part, there is a standard deposit we hold until the car is fixed, then the difference is refunded.

Also in the article it states customer's are getting billed for damage after they leave, this is also false. There are only two circumstances under which a customer will be charged for damage after dropping the car off. If the car was rented for a long period of time and comes back very dirty, we will give the customer a receipt but the vehicle will be checked in as NOT INSPECTED and will be washed, then inspected. If the customer wants, they can stick around while we wash/inspect it, if they want to leave, they can leave and will be contacted later if we find damage. If the customer drops off the car overnight when we are closed, the customer is responsible for the car until we come in the morning to check it. If we find damage, we will bill/contact the customer.


A lot of times customer will complain and say "there was already damage there!" --very possible, but the lot staff are well trained. If the damage that was pre-existing was allowable under the manufacturer's buy back program, we will mark it down and send you on your way. This is not a "get out of jail free card" if you damage that panel/body part further. If you damage it further and the damage you inflicted is beyond what we can accept, you will be charged (this is very common with rims. They'll go out with a 1/2 inch scrape and come back with a tire cut + half the rim scratched to shit with powder all over the tire then point to the inspection sheet and say "but it was marked down!"-- we're not idiots).

If we find damage on your car, we always give you the benefit of the doubt unless you admit to it/its very obvious (i.e. your bumper hanging off). When I had to deal with a damaged car returning, I would personally go and check the previous month's (sometimes even two month's) rental of the specific car to look for any discrepancy in the inspection sheets/service record. Once I had no doubt in my mind, then I'd charge the customer. Almost all of my colleagues were like this. We're not mindless drones wanting to screw you over, nor do we make it a personal matter. We're just doing what we have to do and doing our best to hold the correct people responsible.

If the damage didn't happen while you were in the car, it doesn't matter. Door dings/bumper scrapes from people backing up into you etc. are all the customer's responsibility. You're driving anywhere from $25,000 to almost $100,000 (our larger luxury SUV's) worth of a vehicle and we expect it to return as it went out. Also, FYI, a lot of credit cards cover almost every type of car except large SUV's like the Excursion (the excursion is no longer made, it's been replaced by the Expedition Max -- I suggest checking with your CC what they cover/what limit in terms of $).


Anyways, i could go on and on. If you guys can get your hands on a ford buy-back program book (i tried googling with no luck) it explicitly states what damage is wear and tear and what is unacceptable and must be fixed. If you think you're being screwed, go look it up in that book.

I just never understood the shit we got at budget. Our prices were honestly too low for the type/quality of vehicles we rented. We constantly got people who took no insurance, had very limited funds, paid with an entry level credit card (i.e. no insurance) and they'd end up driving a $35,000 volvo C30 for $20/day. I can't honestly imagine how budget would get their money back if that person totalled the car. The people attracted by our prices honestly got vehicles of a much higher calibre than what other places rent for the same price -- I think that's where a lot of the troubles came from. When you spend $20/day at rent-a-wreck you get a piece of crap car with 40,000+ kms on it, and its treated as such. It's hard to mark down new damage on a car that's already beat to shit -- our cars were most of the time pristine like they just rolled off the showroom floor so a dent/ding/scratch stuck out like a sore thumb. Almost every day during the summer I'd drive or rent out a car with under 50 kilometers on it. You guys all know how tight the parking spaces on granville island/downtown vancouver/hotels in vancouver are, and how shitty the drivers are. It's just a horrible combination.


Last thing, you people complaining about lot attendants going over your car with a fine tooth comb purposely when you have no insurance -- they have no idea whether or not you have insurance. Their machine just tells them your total cost, and a breakdown of the extra items you added (GPS/Childseat/Additional driver/Upgrade etc). Maybe you think they're going over your car with a fine tooth comb because you have no insurance and are afraid of being on the wrong end of a bill?

Anyways, to wrap up this informative rant, I really don't know what to say in terms of what budget pays to fix stuff. I didn't work in the garage nor do I know anyone that did. I do know, however, that once a car was damaged it was flagged and removed from our system and immediately sent to another location where the cars sat waiting further inspection/repairs. In my time working there I never intentionally damaged a customers car nor did I see anyone else doing so. The cars are inspected ~4 times before you get your hands on them. First time when the car is returned from the previous rental, then when it is washed, then when it's parked on the lot, and finally before you leave. We spent a lot of time inspecting cars/minimizing missed damage as to not screw over customers. I think most of the anger comes from miscommunication and customers thinking previously marked damage is a 'get out of jail free' card.

[inv4zn]

I don't think it's the level of scrutiny of Budget's policies that are under fire, it's the fact that they are charging multiple customers for the same problem, and only fixing it when it's necessary, if even at all.

Another major thing with this incident is conflict of interest, as the "independant" repair shop and estimator is actually owned by the same person who runs Budget in BC. So Budget would replace OEM windshield for $200, and charge customer $800. That's fraud in its most essential form.

I'm not negating anything you said, and they are all valid, but those aren't the reasons why Budget is under fire.

[BrRsn]

^
that's just the thing. most of the time the car is de-commissioned then repaired. Only once it is repaired is it reintroduced to the fleet to be rented out.

The rim example I was trying to explain why people think they're being charged twice for damage. If the damage that's already there is acceptable by the manufacturer, we don't charge. If it goes beyond that, then we have to charge. So it's not like we're charging multiple people for the same damage, we're charging whoever does the damage that causes the car to need to be fixed.

As soon as a car had a 'claim' on it, it had to be fixed before we rented it out again -- that was policy and that's what we followed when I worked there.


I will admit standards were very low ~10 years ago, and stuff that was borderline fraud was done frequently in the car rental business. A lot has changed since then

The cost per repair thing, I don't know what to say about that as I haven't dealt with that.

[inv4zn]

Copying from CBC article:

"If there was a scratch on the car, we charged their credit card immediately … and that scratch would never even be fixed,” said another former employee."

“For the three months that I was there, I saw only one car go to the repair shop, and it was rear-ended.”

"She said several renters would be charged for rock chip damage on the same vehicle, but no repairs would be done until later when the vehicle needed a new windshield. "

"She also claimed three or four times a week people were billed for damage they didn't cause."

“Sometimes it’s the employees that make the damage, but everyone doesn’t want to be responsible for that. The manager will make a decision ‘Hey, call the customer — he’s your damage.’”

“Every car that came from Budget that needed repair all had inflated costs on them, frivolous charges on them. Every repair that went through the system — the customer got overbilled.”

"Budget's repair facility is owned by Inland Transportation, a company owned by wealthy Vancouver businessman Syd Belzberg. He also owns Budget Rent a Car of B.C., which runs the car rental outlets in B.C.’s Lower Mainland. "

and on and on. Your reiteration of Budget policies are in no way in-line with what these ex-employees are saying is happening at Budget. I get it that they may be biased and whatnot, but they don't seem to be unfounded. Unless you're the guy that owns Budget or he's your uncle or something, not really sure why you're so adamant on defending them.

[H.Specter]

This is not an official statement and I'm not responsible for the details mentioned below.


I don't think it's the level of scrutiny of Budget's policies that are under fire, it's the fact that they are charging multiple customers for the same problem, and only fixing it when it's necessary, if even at all.


False. Once a repair has been done, the renter is billed (repairs are according to ICBC standards) and documentation supporting all the repairs are sent to the renter. This CERTIFIED repair estimate is sent to the renter and ultimately filed away for future audits. There is at no time "charging of multiple customers for the same problem" whatsoever.





Another major thing with this incident is conflict of interest, as the "independant" repair shop and estimator is actually owned by the same person who runs Budget in BC. So Budget would replace OEM windshield for $200, and charge customer $800. That's fraud in its most essential form.



To my knowledge, the rate which the customer is charged for the windshield is at the discretion of the repair facility. It's the same as you going to any bodyshop and seeing a discrepancy in repair hours/part prices. It comes down to the specific repair facility and their baseline of prices.

[JDMTrueLove]

I've had the chance to talk to a company owner and meet several people with years of knowledge towards rental car companies. I can honestly say it's a very sketchy buisness with many little tricks and side deals

[inv4zn]

This is not an official statement and I'm not responsible for the details mentioned below.





False. Once a repair has been done, the renter is billed (repairs are according to ICBC standards) and documentation supporting all the repairs are sent to the renter. This CERTIFIED repair estimate is sent to the renter and ultimately filed away for future audits. There is at no time "charging of multiple customers for the same problem" whatsoever.







To my knowledge, the rate which the customer is charged for the windshield is at the discretion of the repair facility. It's the same as you going to any bodyshop and seeing a discrepancy in repair hours/part prices. It comes down to the specific repair facility and their baseline of prices.


Did you even read the article.

[BrRsn]

^ Just telling you what I saw. I don't defend the company just trying to clear up some of the misconceptions by telling you what I personally dealt with. I ended up being good friends with 2 of the managers and I can honestly vouch for them and say they wouldn't wrong someone intentionally.


You don't have to 'matter of factly' quote the fucking news story. It's not even a news story, its an interest piece. It is a sensationalized excerpt of interviews with ex-employees -- you don't think there's any reason for bias? If you want to simply gobble up the news stories you are force fed, by all means do so. I'm trying to just put the other side out there in case anyone wants to know. I've recommended friends off Revscene rent from Budget as well as family members -- none of them got screwed over and none of them had anything to report in terms of inflated charges.

[H.Specter]

Copying from CBC article:

"If there was a scratch on the car, we charged their credit card immediately … and that scratch would never even be fixed,” said another former employee."

“For the three months that I was there, I saw only one car go to the repair shop, and it was rear-ended.”

"She said several renters would be charged for rock chip damage on the same vehicle, but no repairs would be done until later when the vehicle needed a new windshield. "

"She also claimed three or four times a week people were billed for damage they didn't cause."

“Sometimes it’s the employees that make the damage, but everyone doesn’t want to be responsible for that. The manager will make a decision ‘Hey, call the customer — he’s your damage.’”

“Every car that came from Budget that needed repair all had inflated costs on them, frivolous charges on them. Every repair that went through the system — the customer got overbilled.”

"Budget's repair facility is owned by Inland Transportation, a company owned by wealthy Vancouver businessman Syd Belzberg. He also owns Budget Rent a Car of B.C., which runs the car rental outlets in B.C.’s Lower Mainland. "

and on and on. Your reiteration of Budget policies are in no way in-line with what these ex-employees are saying is happening at Budget. I get it that they may be biased and whatnot, but they don't seem to be unfounded. Unless you're the guy that owns Budget or he's your uncle or something, not really sure why you're so adamant on defending them.

That specific female employee was disgruntled as she left because of her incessant demands for pay raise, scheduling requests, workload " issues" as a new employee. Her departure from the company was a mutual feeling from both sides

The other employee that made remarks, with audio clip on CBC radio, was an employee who was discharged for reversing a vehicle at high speeds and the door swung open and scraped against the entire length of another vehicle.


Several former employees have informed me they have been contacted but they refused to provide a statement to CBC as they were very satisfied with their time with the company.

[EvoFire]

^

Dhillon, just wondering, which rental agency did you work for?

I've rented with Enterprise a couple of times and its been generally decent except for that one time they tried to put us in a Grand Marquis...

[Drow]

rofl CBC on a roll eh?

going around pissing off businesses wit that 'haters gon hate' nosey ass little prick lmao

first it was DPS then it was Ebisu now its Budget

not that i'm complaining or anything but i just think they're being lil fags ya nomsaiyan'

[toyobaru]

I had a friend who worked at budget a year ago, most of the stuff he told me exactly matched exactly as he claimed.

[Great68]

A number of years ago, the company I worked for rented me a car. As I was driving it around during the day, the car started smelling like burnt oil really bad. I pulled over, popped the hood and found the motor had no fucking oil cap, oil was everywhere.

I drove it straight back to the place, they gave me a new car, but not without charging me the exhorbitant amount of money for the little bit of gas I used. In retrospect, I should have just driven until the motor ran out of oil and seized up.

[Oscar_Binswood]

I used to work at Budget's main office in their accounting department. How the owner ran the business was definitely interesting.... In terms of vehicle maintenance, it was poorly managed. The owner had one guy running around 10 different locations trying to get all the vehicles proper servicing. In turn, a lot of vehicles were missed, and more often than not the same vehicles would get serviced twice or even thrice. I remember seeing the invoices on my desk of the same vehicle getting an oil change at 8000k, then a week later at 8100k.

[ruthless]

A number of years ago, the company I worked for rented me a car. As I was driving it around during the day, the car started smelling like burnt oil really bad. I pulled over, popped the hood and found the motor had no fucking oil cap, oil was everywhere.

I drove it straight back to the place, they gave me a new car, but not without charging me the exhorbitant amount of money for the little bit of gas I used. In retrospect, I should have just driven until the motor ran out of oil and seized up.

EXACT same thing happened to me...wtf coincidence? or someone fuckin around :suspicious:

I just cleaned it up best I could, put more oil in and returned it :badpokerface:

[Meowjin]

rofl CBC on a roll eh?

going around pissing off businesses wit that 'haters gon hate' nosey ass little prick lmao

first it was DPS then it was Ebisu now its Budget

not that i'm complaining or anything but i just think they're being lil fags ya nomsaiyan'

underage liquor is the government dummy.

I got offered a job to do this regarding ciggs when I was 17.

[Drow]

underage liquor is the government dummy.

I got offered a job to do this regarding ciggs when I was 17.

yah i know its the law. like i said, not like i'm mad or anything i personally hate diamond and im gonna add budget to the list now that i read cbc's story.

what i do find funny is that CBC is being a little faggot. WHICH IS TOTALLY COOL BY ME YOU GUYS. I'M SUPPORTIVE. just i find it funny is all :)

[l2_narain]

Its obvious CBC is on this forum. They already got their share of gold on some of the infomation members post here..

[Drow]

i hope they dont make a headline " DROW CALLS CBC A FAGGOT "

[jpark]

A number of years ago, the company I worked for rented me a car. As I was driving it around during the day, the car started smelling like burnt oil really bad. I pulled over, popped the hood and found the motor had no fucking oil cap, oil was everywhere.

I drove it straight back to the place, they gave me a new car, but not without charging me the exhorbitant amount of money for the little bit of gas I used. In retrospect, I should have just driven until the motor ran out of oil and seized up.

wow, that is some straight up crap. i would have refused to even give them a dime for wasting my time with their shitty service. Guess there is nothing much you can really do though

[Meowjin]

yah i know its the law. like i said, not like i'm mad or anything i personally hate diamond and im gonna add budget to the list now that i read cbc's story.

what i do find funny is that CBC is being a little faggot. WHICH IS TOTALLY COOL BY ME YOU GUYS. I'M SUPPORTIVE. just i find it funny is all :)

the job to go into businesses and order liquor is A GOVERNMENT job.

It had nothing to do with CBC.

[TRDood]

Most of the time the renter can protect himself/herself. I have propbably rented 10+ times with Budget, Enterprise, Hertz, Avis. Even in Vancouver once (paid by ICBC for accident rental).

You get a peice of paper when you check out the vehicle. Mark down ALL damages and scratches and door dings. I sometimes take pictures if it's major. Tell the manager or CSR and ask them initial or sign it. I see many people just drive off the lot. Big mistake.

When you return the car, make sure you get the FINAL receipt indicating the amount charged. After that the vehicle is no longer my responsiblility.

Last time when I was in Ottawa. I got rear ended by a bus in a VW Golf. Minor scuffs but no dents. I told the lot attendent about the accident and he just shrugged it off. I make sure I get my final receipt without damages though.

For those of you that have rental coverage through credit card.. Some don't cover collision, and some have limits for liability. Just buy the $75 roadside plus package from ICBC. Any claims through a rental won't affect your CRS.
Posted via RS Mobile

[UFO]

^ well put. The CBC Marketplace shows and investigative reports can paint a very one sided picture. A lot of the issues they report on could have prevented if the customer showed some due care, read the fine print, did their research beforehand, etc etc.

In this case, if the car is scratched or dinged while in your possession, why is it not fair for you to get charged for the damage? We all know well that getting that damage repaired can range from bargain basement cash only prices to high end quality refinishing, so the range of pricing should not come as a surprise. So what if Budget charges you for damage, and doesn't repair the car, it's up to them what they want to do with that money. Now if they take that same damage and claim a second renter caused it and double charge, that is dirty. And that is really the main fault that I see in what has been reported.

Agents upselling and pushing their own insurance? Of course, it's their job. If you don't know what credit card coverage you have and double insure, that's your fault as a customer.

[Great68]

wow, that is some straight up crap. i would have refused to even give them a dime for wasting my time with their shitty service. Guess there is nothing much you can really do though

Since work was paying for it, it wasn't worth me getting upset about it.

If it was my own money, it'd be a completely different story.

[bing]

^ well put. The CBC Marketplace shows and investigative reports can paint a very one sided picture. A lot of the issues they report on could have prevented if the customer showed some due care, read the fine print, did their research beforehand, etc etc.

In this case, if the car is scratched or dinged while in your possession, why is it not fair for you to get charged for the damage? We all know well that getting that damage repaired can range from bargain basement cash only prices to high end quality refinishing, so the range of pricing should not come as a surprise. So what if Budget charges you for damage, and doesn't repair the car, it's up to them what they want to do with that money. Now if they take that same damage and claim a second renter caused it and double charge, that is dirty. And that is really the main fault that I see in what has been reported.

Agents upselling and pushing their own insurance? Of course, it's their job. If you don't know what credit card coverage you have and double insure, that's your fault as a customer.

If car rental agencies are really doing this, I think they are operating in a grey area: at the very least, they should have a clear policy and people should learn to ask questions.

I think its fair if people have to pay for the damage they did (and a reasonable fee for loss of use), but is it fair to charge a customer full price for repairs each time and yet not fix it until they chose to? This can result in situations in which customers who don't do an adequate walk around may be charged for previous damage unknowingly simply because they did not do their due diligence. I also do not see why non-luxury rental companies would have to bring their vehicles to a "high-end" shop when they rent out basic models of vehicles with no specialized paint and expect their vehicles to be regularly damaged in the course of their business operations. Without clear company policies and accountability, the end result is an environment that creates incentives for managers who are also under pressure to act in unethical ways and treat vehicle damages as another stream of revenue - which is probably even part of their business model.

edit: looks like people are claiming they are overcharging for the repairs as well, their "independent auditor" is someone under their employ, and the company they do the repairs at is a subsidiary.

[H.Specter]

If car rental agencies are really doing this, I think they are operating in a grey area: at the very least, they should have a clear policy on this issue and people should learn to ask questions.

My feelings on this are mixed: On the one hand, I would assume that most people think they are being charged only for the damage incurred, yet that would not take into account the downtime of the vehicle not earning $ for the company while it has to be repaired and the administrative expenses incurred (paper work, phoning around, dropping off/picking up the car).

On the other hand, is it fair to charge a customer full price for repairs each time and yet not fix it until they chose to? This can result in situations in which customers who don't do an adequate walk around may be charged for previous damage unknowingly simply because they did not do their due diligence. I also do not see why non-luxury rental companies would have to bring their vehicles to a "high-end" shop when they rent out basic models of vehicles with no specialized paint and expect their vehicles to be regularly damaged in the course of their business operations. I even think it would be in their interest to have the repair adequately completed at minimal costs to keep customers happy and returning. Without clear company policies and accountability, the end result is that this creates incentives for managers (who face pressure meeting performance targets and incentives to make money) to act unethically and look at vehicle damages as another stream of revenue.

Repairs are done according to ICBC standard. All repairs are certified and documented as the manufacturers and car auctions that receive the vehicles require this paperwork to sell the vehicle back to the public. There are renters that have taken the estimates from Budget/Inland and then have it checked out at ICBC to verify, to come to a conclusion that they are exact same repair hours/refinish times/approximate part prices.

[bing]

^Don't be a selective reader. That part you highlighted is in response to UFO's argument that "we all know well that getting that damage repaired can range from bargain basement cash only prices to high end quality refinishing, so the range of pricing should not come as a surprise." You missed the entire issue of the article, which is if Budget charges customers for repairs every time there are damages to the vehicle, but doesn't necessarily fix it right away. In other words, are they keeping the money 4 out of 5 times for instance? Certified by who when the repairs are done at their own shop? and their considered "private" deals. Also, it's obvious that the repairs will be adequate - how do you mess up when the repair jobs are mainly minor cosmetic damages or windshield repair/replacement? Since these will be mainly private jobs at their "private" shop, it'll be up to Budget to complain in the first place and I don't think they'll be as picky with things such as the paint not matching as people are with their personal cars. I'm sure Budget will have a record of the repair, but I don't know if minor cosmetic damage information would be passed along to car auction companies if that is where the vehicles go after.

there are renters that have taken the estimates from Budget/Inland and then have it checked out at ICBC to verify, to come to a conclusion that they are exact same repair hours/refinish times/approximate part prices.

Do you have supporting evidence for that claim? Car rental agencies overcharging for repairs is not a new phenomenon that hasn't occurred in the past. For example: 7 years ago, "Hertz was made to pay almost $7 million in fines, after New York's attorney general went after the company for overcharging customers $13 million for repairs." There are also tons of complaints and by the looks of the comments section in the articles, many many people seem to think that they were overcharged and charged for things they did not do.

I expect a better reply from someone who uses the pseudonym Harvey Specter.

[Sunfighter]

I have rented extensively in the UK with Hertz (basically every year for a couple of weeks)... driving a car in the UK, especially in the countryside with narrow roads, huge hedges, tiny streets, and virtually no parking space results in LOTS of scratches no matter how good of a driver you are.... In the last 10 years we only ever got charged for one damage (a couple of drunks one night got in a fight and dented the rear hatch).... they have been amazing of us... and we have handed back cars that are BEYOND filthy.... and they have never batted an eyelash... will continue to rent Hertz... at least in the UK....

[Soundy]

Budget Rent a Car fraud claims probed by RCMP - British Columbia - CBC News (http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/11/27/bc-budget-rental-fraud.html)

[TheKingdom2000]

lol who would pay for extra insurance if they have it on their credit card... my buddy did $5k worth of damage to his rental car and his credit card company paid the bill..

This happened to my cousin. He was in Hawaii and even though he had a platnium visa that covered insurance he was duped into getting insurance because they said that his visa insurance didn't cover it. They claimed that Canadian insurance wouldn't cover any damages.
He obviously believed the girl. He said she sounded like she knew her stuff.. Turns out she just lied to him to sell the extra insurance.

[bing]

Class action lawsuit time.

[UFO]

Everytime I've had to rent a car the agents make it pretty clear that my CC may cover any damage, but if they don't I'm obviously responsible for the tab. And I would have to pay the rental company up front and get the CC to reimburse any coverage that IS covered. So if I have a vague idea that I'm covered for something but don't know what or how much exactly, it is easy to get sold on their insurance. They say that their insurance will cover everything and I won't have to pay for any damages up front. If you DO run into problems, it's just extra piece of mind, and that's something even your CC insurance can't provide.

[valent|n0]

so is it all budget location in BC that do the fraud ??
or is there a specific location?

my second question is each location owned by different owner or
All BC budget is owned by Belzberg ?