Christopher Elliott: what a Hit and Run Me teach about service to the customer

Author, swindled: how to save your money and find better service in a world of schemes, scams and shadow

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In an ideal world, all service issues the customer would solve itself. Thanks Punit Joshi, we are closer to a story to the world, in a small way.

Joshi for rent a car in budget on Oahu last summer. While driving, vehicle happened your rental. The other driver offered him "a couple of hundred dollars" before fleeing the scene.

"He called the police and they prepared a report," he recalls. "Honolulu PD was able to locate the driver and complete a report of accident with info from the guilty party. Also I prepared an accident report using the report form accident of the budget put into each car rental."

Joshi turned in the report at the counter of budget in Honolulu.

"They said that they would be in touch with me," he says.

Case closed? Not exactly.

Like other car rental companies, terms of the budget are clear when you rent one of their vehicles. If one of their cars is damaged, you are responsible for. And it seems that extends to any necessary documentation and follow-up. Fill a form does not cut it. In fact, budget had treated almost as if he had stepped out of an accident.

"I received a phone call about two months later," he says. "It was a budget accidents claims analyst, and asked me which provides you with the details of the accident. I didn't want to give them a hard time, so I went back home and sent them the information again".

Isn't it? NOP.

One month later, received a letter saying that budget had tried to follow the part of guilt, which, according to Joshi, had a license revoked, was safe, and driving under the influence. But if he could not, the budget would hold you responsible.

"He didn't have a problem with this," he says. "My problem was that I stick with the Bill instead of contacting my insurance company, they wanted to."

Undeterred, Joshi took some extraordinary measures to avoid a charge of $6,600 damage. On a subsequent trip to Hawaii, Honolulu police contacted to find out if budget had missed something when it processed your claim. It turns out that the company had overlooked a large part of the police report. He also contacted the corporate office of the budget to see if you can send the claim to your car insurance company.

What does all this for you? Well, if you're ever in an accident with a rental car, here is what you have to do.

Obtain a police report. Without one, the car rental company will assume that you damage the car and will have you, or your insurance company, responsible for.

Share the report with the lessor. Unfortunately, you can not assume that your landlord will receive all the necessary documentation. "Do not rely on the claims of the company staff to do their job properly", he adds. "If it had been waiting for, you would be out $6,600."

Call corporate. Ask to speak with a Manager or supervisor in the control of the loss or the damage recovery unit. Claim of the budget team was based in the India. "My parents are from India, don't get me wrong, is a great country full of smart people." But [claim of the budget team] didn't know what they were doing. "The supervisor at the India was as clueless as the staff, says.

Stories like this suggest that some car rental companies go for the low-hanging fruit when it comes to damage claims. Budget Honolulu made a minimal effort to file a claim with the insurance of Joshi and instead they are stuck with the Bill. He would have paid, had he not so determined.

I wonder how many other coaches feeling rental companies the same claims for damages.

"I hope that nobody have to face a similar situation," he said.

It makes two of us.

After having left a comment here, we will continue the discussion in my defense of the consumer site or on Twitter, Facebook and Google. I also have a free newsletter, and no doubt you'll want to pre-order my new, incredibly helpful and subversive book called how to be smarter world traveler.

Christopher Elliott of follow on Twitter: www.twitter.com/elliottdotorg

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