Hi everyone.
Sorry for asking for help on my first post here. I’m hoping someone can point me in the right direction because I'm in a situation and have little idea what to do.
I rented a car in Queensland last month for a few days. We were driving on the Bruce highway at night and a small animal ran out and we hit it. There was a bump, but we didn't think the car took any damage. The next morning we found a plastic wheel-well liner was missing. I took photos and emailed a full incident report to th rental company that same day. I also tried calling their roadside assistance several times, but no one picked up.
As soon as we turned the car in and filed the damage report (they sent us a link online), they took the full $5,000 excess from my Visa card. Since then I’ve had no communication at all. No damage report, no itemized repair invoice, nothing. It has now been over three weeks now.
The money being gone has left me in a difficult spot. I work overseas and come back regularly to see my dad. This visit was to start arrangements to move him out of a caravan park and into a proper rental. He's had a bunch of health problems have worsening over the couple of years, and he can barely get in and out of the caravan. However, the $5,000 charge wiped out the money set aside to get him relocated. I have to pay the credit card bill in a few weeks, and right now I still have nothing from the rental car company.
I checked with the AI and understand that rental companies can charge the excess after an incident, but it said they’re supposed to provide an itemized bill or at least some documentation. At the moment there is absolutely no evidence of repairs or assessment. Just a total lack of response.
I’m trying to figure out the best next steps so I tought getting some legal advice would best.
I’d really appreciate some guidance. Is this kind of silence normal for rental damage incidents?
Thanks in advance to anyone who can help me out here. The situation is causing problems for my father and my own stress levels.
Sorry for asking for help on my first post here. I’m hoping someone can point me in the right direction because I'm in a situation and have little idea what to do.
I rented a car in Queensland last month for a few days. We were driving on the Bruce highway at night and a small animal ran out and we hit it. There was a bump, but we didn't think the car took any damage. The next morning we found a plastic wheel-well liner was missing. I took photos and emailed a full incident report to th rental company that same day. I also tried calling their roadside assistance several times, but no one picked up.
As soon as we turned the car in and filed the damage report (they sent us a link online), they took the full $5,000 excess from my Visa card. Since then I’ve had no communication at all. No damage report, no itemized repair invoice, nothing. It has now been over three weeks now.
The money being gone has left me in a difficult spot. I work overseas and come back regularly to see my dad. This visit was to start arrangements to move him out of a caravan park and into a proper rental. He's had a bunch of health problems have worsening over the couple of years, and he can barely get in and out of the caravan. However, the $5,000 charge wiped out the money set aside to get him relocated. I have to pay the credit card bill in a few weeks, and right now I still have nothing from the rental car company.
I checked with the AI and understand that rental companies can charge the excess after an incident, but it said they’re supposed to provide an itemized bill or at least some documentation. At the moment there is absolutely no evidence of repairs or assessment. Just a total lack of response.
I’m trying to figure out the best next steps so I tought getting some legal advice would best.
I’d really appreciate some guidance. Is this kind of silence normal for rental damage incidents?
Thanks in advance to anyone who can help me out here. The situation is causing problems for my father and my own stress levels.
