Please help--rental car scratched

I haven't read my credit card's rules on car insurance recently. I read it years ago and decided than that I couldn't rely on the credit card's insurance; they had too many escape clauses that allowed them to disallow coverage (like you have to provide them with any documentation they ask for). But so far, 11 trips, 24 weeks, I have never needed to rent a car to get to where I wanted to go in Europe, so that point is moot.

Do keep us all apprised of the outcome. It's something a lot of us could face in the future; it would be good to know the results.

I think I know that if you rent a car in Italy, you must take the CDW offered by the rental company; credit card coverage is not allowed. But, of course, you rented it in Germany.

Another question: Did you tell the rental car company that you would be taking the car to Italy? I think some companies forbid taking a car out of the country? There might be a charge for having done that.

You'd better get a police report on the incident. Not having one looks like a perfect out for Chase.

The last time I had a similar issue (somebody backed into the car in a parking garage and put a grapefruit sized dent in the fender) was 2011. When we turned in the vehicle the agency said nothing and we never heard from it. Maybe we got lucky or maybe it was repaired using the mandatory liability required in much of Europe. I’ve never used credit card coverage since for many cards it is secondary coverage.

I would call Chase and report the damage before another day passes. I'm sure you didn't memorize all the conditions connected to their CDW plan. Take pics before calling in case they want them. They should be able to tell you just how to proceed.

No fun that some of your vacation time will be eaten up. But KNOWING what to expect and what you need to do will relieve some stress for the rest of your week. I would allow extra time at the agency at Munich Airport for any unpredictable communications that might be necessary with the agency and/or your CC contact.

I've always been fortunate with cars in Europe - no damage, no shady agencies. But years ago, after hearing the unpleasant experiences that others have had to deal with, I put a ring on the finger of public transport for all my future travel plans. Hope things go well for you.

No need to totally do without a rental car for fear of damage, even overseas. Sometimes a rental car is good to have (especially if you venture outside of big cities).

However when I travel outside of the US I prefer to get full insurance rather than rely on credit cards' coverage (I select the no deductible in the coverage option using the www.autoeurope.com broker). So far I returned the car damaged only once at the Bologna Airport (somebody also scratched it at a parking lot). But thanks to having the car fully covered (and in Italy you can't even waive coverage), the attendant just told me not to worry about the damage because my contract was fully covered.

I scratched up my rental car in spain 2 years ago. My fault. Just contact the rental car agency and your credit card or your own car insurance if you didn't take the rental coverage. Take photos. I was told i didn't need a police report. Whether or not you caused the damage you are responsible. If you know who caused the damage then a police report is helpful to prove it was someone else. Even though it wasn't your fault you dont have evidence of who did it so no one else to pay.

The rental company had me fill out damage paperwork that was in with the contract or glove box. I had purchased insurance through hotwire and it covered the bulk of it. Spanish auto body work seemed to be considerably less than here in the US. It was a bit stressful, but you aren't the first person to have damage on a rental car.

Didn’t you take any insurance out on this rental car at all? Wasn’t that required? We always have had it.
What happened to your car was very common.
We always have rented all our cars through AUTOEUROPE , a broker based in Portland, ME. They stand behind their customers and the car rentals.
The side of our rental car was smashed in while parked in a public garage in Italy.Turned it in at airport, no comments at all and that was that. Italy requires more insurance luckily.
Forget using a cc insurance offer. Weak at best.

sign into the Chase Website for your credit card. Under the "more" tab you can choose "Benefits-Ultimate Rewards" and see what your coverage is. I just looked up mine for Chase Sapphire Reserve and it would cover that damage up to $75,000 and is considered primary insurance. I think different Chase cards may have different coverage so you will need to look up what your coverage is. You can do this online.

For those of you that say the OP should have signed up for the additional insurance, you really don't know that this is true for the OP. If he/she has coverage up to $75,000 one would think that would be enough......

You do need to contact the Chase Benefit administrator immediately since there are some time deadlines on the process.
You need to report the damage right away. There is a 60 day deadline for notifying them of the damage and a 100 day deadline for filing the actual claim.

You can call collect from overseas to the benefit administrator at 1-804-281-5772 or file a claim electronically at eclaimsline.com

I'm not sure if this link will work, but this brings up the entire benefit booklet for me.

https://static.chasecdn.com/content/services/structured-document/document.en.pdf/card/benefits-center/product-benefits-guide-pdf/BGC10981_SapphireReserve_VisaInfinite.pdf

Roberto writes,

No need to totally do without a rental car for fear of damage, even
overseas. Sometimes a rental car is good to have (especially if you
venture outside of big cities).

Going car-less has not interfered with my off-the-beaten-path adventures. Besides the damage issues, my aversion to driving abroad actually has much to do with the added pleasure that comes with letting someone else do all the drudgery of navigating and driving. But it also has to do with avoiding traffic delays, tickets, parking rules and fees, potential injuries caused by other drivers, DUIs, and the like. Some might see these concerns as fear, but I really think it's just my own intolerance of interruptive stuff that messes with my scheduled activities, with my timely arrival at my next destination, OR with a spontaneous drinking session wherever the beer or wine is irresistible.

I do tend to spend most of my time in the German-speaking countries, which typically means both extensive and efficient public transport to nearly any place I want to end up. In certain other countries, I might in fact find small-town itineraries difficult without a car.

Thank you for all your responses.

Italian drivers are very aggressive and their parking etiquette isn't good. Sometimes, their cars are parked so close to mine that I couldn't get out of my seat. I had to climb over to the opposite side to get out. I do notice that in Austria, drivers do a better parking job.

I indeed informed Europcar that I was going to drive it to Austria and Italy. They said OK.

I rented from Gemut.com, which in turns is an agent for Autoeurope.

I will report back what happens.

One more anecdote--about six years ago, I rented from Enterprise in Zurich. While I was in the Austrian Alps, there was an engine malfunction. I was supposed to have 24 hour roadside assistance. I called their toll-free number to request help. Guess what? They just told me that no help was available, and that I had to take the car to a shop for repair. Well, the closest shop was in Innsbruck, and I spent almost a full day there. The repair wasn't expensive, but I had to pay out of pocket at the time. Bloody Enterprise never reimbursed me for the repair cost and, of course, did not compensate me for the loss of my time.

OP, I added to my original post with some specific information.

Thank you very much again.
Roberto has kindly posted a form in Italian and English showing me how to file a police report. I will try my luck tomorrow at the Ortisei police station.

the only advantage to being sucked into the rental companies insurance is ... you have every right to stomp your feet and scream It's your car and your insurance, it's your problem! When there are multiple parties involved, guess what. It's the classic Expedia conundrum ... when there's a problem, no one accepts responsibility. So they hang it all on the nearest victim, i.e. you.

Renting a car in Germany is usually covered by "Vollkasko" insurance, so those damages by a hit-and-run driver should be covered (minus a deductible, probably). I don't see how your credit card Collision Damage Waiver would come in here.

However, it is very important to call the rental company and the insurance (maybe the rental company will do that for you) immediately or as soon as possible.

My husband, who owned an insurance agency for 40+ years, said, "Always take the CDW." He knew that hassles with credit coverage were rife with problems.

Sometimes a rental car is good to have (especially if you venture outside of big cities).

Amen to everything Russ said.

Not only have I never needed a rental car, I have spent 85% of my nights in towns of less than 20,000 inhabitants. But, like Russ, most of my travel has been in and around Germany which has the most extentive rail network in Europe, and second in intensivity, by only 1%, to Switzerland, which is much smaller.

Yikes.. best of luck. I've always gotten the insurance offered by the rental car company, which has come in handy since I've backed into a pole, scratched the trash out of a rim, and warped the side once (oops). You can try to haggle, but I'd advise calling your credit card immediately. Did you take photos of the car before driving off with it?

just saying, if you look at the UK forums, it's recommended that often the only way to really see the sites in the surprisingly underserved British countryside is by rental car. obviously people sticking to the main routes and the main sites don't need that flexibility. comes up fairly often in threads about Tuscany as well.

Goodness... don't bother with your credit card insurance! You rented a car in Germany, you've got the Vollkasko, so the only thing you might need to be concerned about is the deductible.

You have hopefully done all that is in your responsibility, that is, to inform your rental agency and find out if they need any more information like a police report. So the only thing left for you to find out is what your contract may say about the deductible. Quite honestly, I'd be surprised if your credit card CDW covers that, but it might be worth a try to find out.

I recently backed into another car in a parking lot in a Hertz car. Dented the tailgate to the tune of $900. The Hertz agent said as long as there's not a dent, they look the other way on scratches. They're so understaffed in many places that they don't have time to deal with such small details.

You could always drop by a auto parts store or car dealership and pick up some OEM touch up paint.

Or

Try a little cut and polish and buff it out. That is our go to solution.

Regards Ron