F2 Christopher Elliott
EZ EE
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When customers get nicked for rental car dents THE NAVIGATOR
T
he late-modelChevrolet that SukumarThanawala rentedfromThriftyCar
Rental inMunichinthe spring looked“absolutely fine”whenhe returnedit,he said. But a fewweeks later,
Thanawala, a softwaredesigner fromNaperville, Ill.,noticedthat the rental agencyhadn’t refundedhis$763deposit.When he askedwhy,Thrifty furnished himwithaphoto of a barely visiblenick onthe cardoor anda small scratchonone bumper. “Youhave to look reallyhardto findit,”Thanawala said. Thriftyhaddonewhat by
some accounts is becomingmore commonwhena rental car is damaged: Ithadpocketedhis deposit. RandyHarris,president of
KhouryAlternativeClaims Management, a SanAntonio company thathandlesdamage claims for car rental companies, says that charging customers immediately fordamagesusedto be rare. “The only time that I have seenit iswhena car rental company knows the claimis going to be above the renter’s insurancedeductible,”he said. Eventhen, the standard
operatingprocedure—at least untilnow—has beento ask renterswhether theywant to settle thedamages. “It’s something theywouldagree to, andthe claimwouldbe settled onthe spot,” explainsRobert Barton,president of the AmericanCarRental Association, a trade group. Butwhat if there’sno
agreement?Considerwhat happenedtoCarri Schoeller, a real estate agent fromOrlando, whenshe recently returneda rental car toEnterprise in Phoenix.Arepresentative “eagerlywent aroundthe car like SherlockHolmes” looking for damage, Schoeller said, and founda fewscratches that she maintainswerepre-existing. “Wewerehauledover to the
processing office andour$256 bill jumpedto$772—of course, takenfromour credit card without our authorization,” she
LUCI GUTIERREZ FOR THE WASHINGTON POST
“Our $256 bill jumped to $772 —of course, taken from our credit card without our authorization.”
—Carri Schoeller, Enterprise customer.
profits to car rental companies, whichding themfornormal wear andtear andevenwhenthe evidence that they causedthe damage is circumstantial at best. I’ve beenfielding ahigh
number of queries fromtravelers about bogusdamage claims. In thepast, it’s beenrelatively easy to fix theseproblems, because car rental companieswaited until they receivedadamage estimate, repairedthe car and calculatedtheir loss ofuse before presenting a customerwitha bill. Unless a company couldprove that a customerhadharmeda
said. The car rental industry’s
aggressivepositionondamages makes some sense:Abadly scratchedordentedcar can’t be rentedanddoesn’tholdits value whena company tries to sell it. Butmany customers charge that damage claims are a source of
car, travelers simply refusedto pay.Charging the customer immediately takes away that leverage. KathleenHernandez, a
spokeswomanforThrifty, said somedomestic andinternational locationsnowkeepanadditional charge slipincase one of their cars isdamaged,whichiswhat happenedtoThanawala. “Inthe event there isdamage to the vehicle, the locationretains the deposituntil they are able to get anestimate onthedamage repairs,” she said. Althoughshe saidthedamage
toThanawala’s carhadbeen properlydocumented,Thrifty agreedto refundhisdeposit. Enterprise typically asks
customerswhodon’t buy its damagewaiver but returna damagedrental vehiclewhether theywant topay their insurance deductible. “We offer this as an optionfor customerswhoprefer to immediately take care of that portionof the claim,” saidLaura Bryant, anEnterprise spokeswoman. “Andonlywith their authorization.” But if customers areunsure
about theirdeductible orwant to see anestimate or aninvoice, the company’spractice is to bill them later fordamages.Enterprise droppedits claimagainst Schoeller andrefundedthe$500 ithadchargedher inapparent violationof its ownpolicy. Youdon’thave to be a
consumer advocate to knowthat car rental agencies shouldn’t ask customers topay fordings and dentswithout knowinghow muchthe repairwill cost.Or that customers shouldrefuse topay until they see aninvoice fromthe body shop.But itmighthelpto knowthat if you’re ever stuck witha charge onyour cardthat youdidn’t authorize, youcan— andshould—formallydispute the bill. If youdamage a car, you
shouldpay for it.But all ingood time.
Elliott isNationalGeographic Traveler magazine’s reader advocate. E-mail himat
celliott@ngs.org.
BEDCHECK Go for sweet, not suite
BY BONNIE S. BENWICK The last timemy husband and
I checked into anything labeled “honeymoon,” we had A Flock of Seagulls in our new five-CD changer. So we were imagining all sorts of amenities in the Winghaven, a VIP/honeymoon suite at the Elk Forge Bed and Breakfast Inn in Elkton, Md. It was the only space the B&B had available for our early October visit to nearby Wilmington, Del. All signs pointed to yesss: a
place with history. Sun-filled conservatory. Five acres of slop- ing green overlooking Big Elk Creek. Fireplaces in all 12 rooms. Whirlpool tubs for two! Elk Forge was an iron forge in
the mid-1700s, later a textile fac- tory with worker housing on the grounds. When Harry and LeAnn Lenderman bought it in 1999, the main building had nine bedrooms and one bathroom, Harry told me. So the Lender- mans renovated with Victorian flair. Each room has its own bath and particular decorative theme: Colonial, nautical, equestrian and more. Unfortunately, theDecorFairy
had flitted right past the Wing- haven. Instead of heading up the nar-
row back stairway, we were di- rected to the next driveway over. As much as we were primed for our special suite, things went sour. The two-bath, two-bed- room unit occupied a separate structure with vinyl siding and an aluminum storm door. The main entrance took us through the eat-in kitchen, which needed cleaning. The living room fur- nishings were a bit worn and not along the lines of those in the main house. Magazines in the rack dated to 2003. The back bedroom with king-
size bed had sliding-door access to a low redwood deck. The sec- ond bedroom had a queen-size bed with a disturbingly rumpled bedspread; on closer inspection, we figured it was the result of dryer shrinkage and not a quick, er, nap by the previous VIP/hon- eymooners. One bathroom indeed had a
whirlpool for two. (The other had a molded-plastic shower.) I was lucky enough to score a last-minute massage in the spa while my husband set his sights on an invigorating soak. When I returned, relaxed and loose, he grumbled: “Couldn’t make it work.” We later found that the whirlpool controls were on a timer situated above the light switch next to the sink. Not so handy. We got to breakfast Sunday morning during a slight rush of guests, so Harry was in constant motion. The food was laid out buffet-style in the formal dining room. The sideboard held store- bought baked goods and a toast- er. A pitcher of batter nestled in ice (a welcome nod to food safe- ty) was set up next to the kind of idiot-proof wafflemaker you’ll find at some chain hotels. Yogurt and fresh fruit filled a table in front of the conservatory, where separate tables allowed for pri-
DETAILS
Elk Forge Bed and Breakfast Inn 807 Elk Mills Rd. Elkton, Md. 877-ELK-FORGE
www.elkforge.com Rooms range from $89 to $229 on weekdays and $119 to $269 on weekends. Spa appointments should be made in advance.
vate conversation. WhenHarry was able to come
up for air, he let me peek into an almost-completed commercially outfitted kitchen just off the cur- rent kitchen. He explained that state regulations pertaining to B&B occupancy prohibit them from cooking “a proper break- fast” for guests. With restaurant- grade equipment and applianc- es, and permits in place, the Lendermans should be baking up a storm. The garden overlooking the
creek proved to be a pleasant place to let our breakfast settle before the ride home. While my husband test-drove the ham- mock near the artificial-turf put- ting green, I wandered back into the main house. Harry gracious- ly gave me the keys to a few just-vacated rooms so I could see what we had missed as Wing- haven guests: cozy and charming corners for reading, quilts on the wall and at least one claw-foot bathtub. It had no whirlpool, but it looked easy for a grumpy hus- band to operate. As it turns out, our suite origi-
nally had been outfitted as a residence for LeAnn’s parents. Her mother might soon move back in, which means the main- lodge suite she’s now in will revert to a guest room, and the Winghaven will be rightly, and singularly, VIP.
benwickb@washpost.com
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2010
CHRISTOPHER KRAUSE/CK PHOTOGRAPHY At the Elk Forge B&B, luckier guests sleep in a former iron forge.
Start a new holiday tradition by enjoying some very old ones.
THEHOLIDAYSTORIES PACKAGE 3 days/2 nights from$499* per couple includes Nightly accommodations at theWilliamsburg Lodge Daily breakfast
Historic Area passes for length of stay
Christmas DecorationsWalking Tour Tickets** $1oo shopping card†
Comebe part of the story. Plan your stay at
colonialwilliamsburg.com
Be part of the story.
*Starting rateper room is based on double occupancy and two~night stay with Sunday–Wednesday arrival at theWilliamsburg Lodge in asuperior guest room (one queen bed). Includes breakfast in hotel restaurant; continental breakfast at Woodlands. Pricing varies with room type. Package rateis higher forThursday–Saturday arrivals. Offer validNovember 27–December 31, 2o1o. Limited availability.Reservations are required.Taxes not included. Ratesare not applicable for groups or on negotiated group rates.
**Subject to availability.Reservations required. †The shopping card (a ColonialWilliamsburg gift card) is good at ColonialWilliamsburg shops, restaurants, spa, and recreation facilities but may not be applied to reducethe nightlyroom rate. One card per room.
©2o1oThe ColonialWilliamsburg Foundation
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