Don't let rental car confusion wreck your vacation

WASHINGTON -

Like many rental car customers, my husband and I declined the expensive insurance offered at the counter.

We knew we were covered through our auto insurance carrier. Additionally, the credit card we use covers rental cars. In my mind, if we did get into an accident, I would just use the coverage offered by the credit card company.

But during our recent vacation, we came out one morning to climb into our Town and Country minivan and found that the bumper had been hit. Or so we thought.

In anticipation of filing a claim with the credit card company, a wave of panic set in as we realized that the coverage was "secondary," meaning we had to go through our personal car insurance company first. And you know what that means. In all likelihood - our fault or not - the claim could result in a premium increase.

Turns out lots of people don't know about the secondary coverage caveat. Sixty-five percent of rental car customers are unaware that credit card insurance often kicks in only when damages can't be first recovered from their auto policy, according to a YouGov survey commissioned by insuremy rentalcar.com, a provider of rental auto insurance.

Now here's another twist in my minivan mayhem. When I looked carefully at the damage, I discovered it had actually been there all along. I was feeling along the cracks - there were two - and discovered black duct tape on the backside of the bumper. Because of the hot temperatures - we were vacationing in Florida - the tape had split. The minivan hadn't been hit at all during our rental. I hadn't detected the cracks when we first picked up the car because the vehicle was a dark color and, once taped up underneath, there were only hairline fractures. We never saw them.

Another survey commissioned by insuremyrentalcar .com found that 23 percent of rental customers found damage on the car that hadn't been highlighted on their checkout sheets. Nearly 29 percent of customers said they were concerned that a rental company would try to charge them for damage that they didn't cause.

I always take time checking out the rental car and snapping photos of any damage I find, no matter how small. Once, when I pointed out a small scratch, a rental agent said, "Oh, don't worry about that. We won't charge you for something like that."

"No, sir," I said. "Please record the scratch on my paperwork."

I did the same thing for this rental. I noticed some scratches, took pictures and made a notation on my rental agreement.

Insuremyrentalcar.com said 4 percent of rental customers believe that they were wrongly accused of damaging a car. Although 64 percent of people said they always check for pre-existing damage, only 19 percent take a photo as proof when there is something wrong. And people often neglect to check the condition of the wheels and tires.

Here's some advice from my rental scare:

* Double-check ahead of time what your auto policy covers with a rental, including if you're covered for "loss of use," which is a charge you could get hit with while the vehicle is being repaired.

* Read your credit card agreement. Really pore over the conditions related to rental cars. I should have read more carefully.

* Pay attention to the exclusions and restrictions. Under our card, the secondary coverage provides only collision damage to the rented vehicle. It does not cover injuries to ourselves or anyone else. It doesn't cover damages to other vehicles or property. And not all vehicle types are covered. My card does not cover any vehicles with a manufacturer's suggested new retail price of $50,000 or more.

* The secondary insurance might not kick in if you rent the vehicle for longer than a certain amount of days.

* Be sure to take pictures when you return the car.

* If you don't want to risk a claim on your insurer's auto policy, consider getting primary coverage from a third-party company. Shop around for rates. Insuremyrentalcar.com offers waivers for loss and collision damage starting at $17.50 per trip.

We won't have this scare again. We now have extra premium rental coverage from American Express. It's $24.95 per rental period (not per day). If there is a theft or damage to the car, we can file that claim with the company as a primary provider. And there is no deductible.

For more tips, go to insure uonline.org and search for "car rental considerations."

There's so much to think about when you are planning your vacation, it's easy to speed through agreements, especially if you think you know something. But slow down. Do your homework. Even those of us who are typically meticulous about checking things can overlook important details that can crash a trip.

Readers can write to Michelle Singletary c/o The Washington Post, 1150 15th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20071. Her email address is michelle.singletary@washpost.com. Follow her on Twitter at SingletaryM or Facebook at facebook.com /MichelleSingletary.