Hello!
I'm hoping for some advice about dropping off our rental car in Clermont Ferrand. The problem is that the day we want to drop it off is the 14th of July, a national holiday, and both offices are closed. I am told by the car company that the airport location will accept drop off after hours, but I'm nervous about leaving the car there without anyone to sign off on the condition/gas fill etc.
If someone could offer advice about this, I would be grateful! Thanks!
Marvox
I don't know specifically about drop offs in Clermont Ferrand but I have dropped off after hours a number of times in France. Make sure to take time-stamped pictures of the interior, including the fuel gauge, and the exterior of the car prior to leaving. I thought that advice was overkill until I dropped a car off after hours in Cannes one year. My traveling companion took about 15 pictures of the car, which I thought was excessive. Luckily, I said nothing when she was taking the pictures because later, those pictures saved me a ton of money when the car rental agency was trying to bill my American Express card for fuel and damage to the car. I protested the charge with the rental company with no success and then I protested with Amex and sent them the pictures and that was the end of that.
Dear JHK,
Thank you very much for your advice - this was suggested by my rental agent as well, so we will be sure to photograph everything and keep our fingers crossed that folks are honest!
Cheers,
Marvox
Hi
We dropped a car off at the Dijon train station last fall on a Sunday when the rental office was closed. We didn't have any problems except finding a parking spot to leave the car. We ended up parking it in behind some cars. I actually didn't think to take pictures until we got on the train, bit late! Luckily we had no issues at all.
Thank you Susan -
Glad to hear it worked out for you! Hopefully we'll have the same experience..:)
Cheers,
Marvox
We dropped in Caen last year and didn't have any problems but we have had in the past. We have been billed for damages we didn't do and for gas after we had filled the tank. Now I always plan to get a receipt on turn in (didn't expect the Caen agency to be closed for lunch during the week.) It is important to have a gas receipt; that has saved us a gas charge on one occasion when they tried to bill us for gas when we returned it full. Pictures are a mixed bag. I think it is prudent to have them and I am glad they worked for one of the posters here -- the agency is unlikely to accept them as proof; glad the credit card company did. Since the time stamp can be manipulated might as well go full paranoid and have a newspaper in the picture as well.
