I was driving back home with a rental we had liability on our vehicle that we have so we did not think that we would need it on the rental. However the tire blew out and caused us to smash in the wall and and ripped the back bumber off. Now they want to charge us over 3000 dollars for the damages. Can they do this and why? they said is took 14 days for the vehicle out of use and charged us each day is this write?
Just wanted to know before I started paying on it. Thanks
2007-01-06 16:40:09 · 6 answers · asked by camopaiser 3 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Insurance & Registration
i really don't think they shoud charge you at all...... at least, not that much. if the tire blew, its not your fault. you might want to talk to a lawyer.
2007-01-06 16:49:10 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Most rental agreements leave you responsible for ALL damage if you do not take their insurance. Typically this is called Collision Damage Waiver or CDW. If you have coverage on your credit card, file a claim with your credit card company. If you have FULL coverage on your own vehicle it MAY cover the rental but if you only have liability on your car it will not pay for the damage to the rental car.
As to the loss of use for the 14 days, that's common practice as well. However, you are only liable for the reasonable amount of time it would take to repair the vehicle (14 days sounds high) and then only for the average rental utilization rate for vehicles of the same class at that rental location. Ask to see their rental utilization records for vehicles of that class for that location. If it's 80%, then you'd be liable for the daily rate for 80% of the 14 days, or about 11 days.
If the total that they're asking is $3,000, try offering them $2,000 as settlement in full for all claims. If you can come up with this all at once, they just might accept it to close the case. You might leverage this with a claim that they rented an unsafe vehicle (defective tire) and should therefore eat part of the damages.
A consultation with an attorney might be in order if you can get a free or reduced cost initial consultation.
Good luck.
2007-01-07 01:16:58 · answer #2 · answered by Bostonian In MO 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Since you only had liability on your own vehicle, you needed to have purchased the additional comprehensive and collision on the rental and that would have covered it. You should contact an attorney for the additional 14 days of being charged due to it being out of commission, but also get them to give you a copy of the repair bill. They should have 3 quotes for repairs and you should only pay the least amount of the 3.
2007-01-06 16:51:57 · answer #3 · answered by vbailey1310 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Read your contract and see what it says? Also,contact your insurance co. and see what they say. Contact Consumer Affairs or Legal Aid in your state,also. The rear tire blew,did the rental Co. rent you an unsafe vehicle with bad or defective tires on it? See what I'm getting at?
2007-01-06 16:49:43 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you rented the car with a credit card, you might also want to check with the credit card company. Some automatically insure rental cars with a "Gap" policy, for your protection.
2007-01-06 16:54:43 · answer #5 · answered by Albert F 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Contact a lawyer.
2007-01-06 16:48:10 · answer #6 · answered by Stephanie D 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋