TAMPA, Fla. — The holiday travel rush is underway and many people will be renting cars over the next two weeks, but one Tampa traveler's experience serves as an important warning about protecting yourself from unexpected damage claims.
Barry Peterson thought he was facing a scam when a collections agency contacted him months after he rented a car during a trip, demanding $686 for damage to the vehicle. Peterson said he contacted the rental company and was told they found a bullet hole in the side of the car.
"I don't remember being shot or being shot at," Peterson said when asked about his reaction to the damage claim.
Peterson, who said he has rented thousands of cars throughout his career, had picked up a rental in Providence, Rhode Island, for a work trip. The car already had visible damage when he received it.
"There was a lot of dings and dents on it," Peterson said.
Instead of the traditional paper inspection form, Peterson said the rental agent told him to take pictures of any existing damage. Peterson said he walked around the vehicle and snapped photos with his phone before leaving the lot.
After a two-day trip, Peterson returned the car at 4 a.m. when he said no attendants were on duty. He claimed he dropped the keys in the slot and flew home to Tampa.
Months later, a demand letter from a collections company arrived claiming he owed money for damages to the rental car. Initially thinking it was a scam, Peterson called the collections company after his wife urged him to investigate.
"Well, they said it is well there was a bullet hole in the side of the car," Peterson said.
The photos Peterson had taken proved invaluable. When he sent them to the company, they showed the small hole already existed when he picked up the vehicle.
Tampa Bay 28 is not naming the car rental agency since it dropped the fee.
Kate Williams is the Chief Communications Officer for the travel site Kayak.com. She said Peterson's experience highlights an important lesson for all travelers.
"That little bit of extra preparation can go a really long way," Williams said.
Williams emphasized that rental agencies won't always mark existing damage, making travelers their own best advocates.
"It's easy to just hop in the car and go but I strongly suggest take a minute, take a photo of the outside of the car, take a video, get that timestamp on there," Williams said.
Peterson, who reached out to share his story as a warning to others, said the experience reinforced an important principle.
"If you're not looking out for you no one else is," Peterson said.
This situation could happen with any car rental company. Peterson noted concerns about the timing, saying damage notices should come within days, not months, of a rental period ending.
If faced with a similar situation, travelers can request utilization logs from rental companies to show how many people drove the vehicle after it was returned.
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