I'm just back from a holiday in Croatia and had a similar experience. The car hire was booked online through Argus, who used local company Lucic to provide the car. I was using the car for a week, so paid the excess waiver which served to limit my exposure to 200 euro.

The flight to Zadar airport landed at half 9, so the initial damage check was carried out in a badly lit car park. However, it was clear there was a number of scratches to the bumper at the front and back which I pointed out.

When I brought the car back however, the hire company claimed that there was an additional mark on the front bumper which hand't been there before. I told them it had been there, but looking at the damage record where the company marked the car in the relevant places, saw that there wasn't an X in that spot. I had barely used the car and knew there was no way I could have done that damage without noticing it. But eagerness to be off on the holiday combined with the multitude of X's on the paperwork meant I hadn't picked up the missing one. As a result, I had to pay 150 euro for the repair. I was fuming, but felt there was nothing I could do.

I'll write to Argus to bring it to their attention, but again it goes to show how essential it is to be hyper vigilant when checking for damage. Particularly when being given a pretty bashed about car...

Technically and legally speaking, you and the company are absolutely correct: I didn't check for minor damage before departure and therefore I am liable for any such damage found on the vehicle at return. I am absolutely certain that the damage did not occur whilst I was hiring the car because I did not get out of the car between hire and return and I would certainly know if I had collided with something or something had collided with me. What really incensed me was the way that my wife and I were treated by Europcar - we were made to feel like liars and criminals. It seemed to us it was the company that was committing a crime by renting "no damage" cars that actually had damage which could easily be missed by a cursory inspection, and then imposing heavy charges on unfortunate customers who did not take out insurance cover for the excess. Hence my advice to inspect every inch of a car before hire. I shall certainly be excessively pedantic in the future and will come armed with a digital camera to make sure that every scratch and blemish is recorded and accounted.

As for taking the matter further, there is little I can do other than complain to the head office and try to warn others of this issue. As I say, I have never previously had this problem and I have hired many cars over many years. I have found that most car companies are reasonable about small scratches and that they are mainly concerned about substantial damage. Not so with Europcar, so be warned!

Hi Washand

The blame can't solely lie on the Car Hire company as you didn't check for damage (although I feel that the charges are a little steep) and how can you be sure that the damage wasn't caused whilst you where in possesion of the car?

Some good advice however at the end of your post, this is something that must be done even when in a rush and possibly being put under pressure to sign contracts etc as it can/does cost people a lot of money. The cost of taking the insurance cover can/is often cheaper than the excess in the event of damage to the vehicle but there is no obligation to take the extra cover.

Are you taking this any further as I'd be interested to know the outcome?

I have been hiring many cars in all continents around the world over 30 years and I have just had the worst car hire experience ever at the hands of Alamo (Europcar) in the UK. This is not just some unjustified grumble and I am not in the habit of writing complaints to a forum, but my experience was extraordinary and a letter of complaint to the head UK office of Europcar was rebuffed with a weak attempt to justify the actions of their staff. I am writing this to suggest that you avoid Alamo/Europcar/National, or if you want to hire from them, that you take my advice at the end of this post.

I rented an Alamo car on a one-way hire to drive from one airport to another, without leaving the car and arrived without incident. On arrival, the Europcar attendant pounced on a scratch on the wheel arch and almost gleefully told me that it would cost GBP 200 to repair. I had not taken out insurance to cover damage excess and no-one from the company had inspected the vehicle prior to my departure. My wife and I reasonably argued that the damage could not have occurred while we had the car and the response of Europcar was to call the police. The police were quite sympathetic to us and we got the impression that Europcar frequently resort to police intervention when anyone dares to argue with them.

It seems to us that Alamo/Europcar may be indulging in a scam whereby they hire out cars with unrecorded damage and then charge customers who decline damage excess cover. Most car hire companies will check the car over with you when you hire from them and I usually do this myself anyway. On this day, I was in a hurry, so I took the "no damage" statement on the contract at face value - big mistake! If you wish to hire a car from these companies (and I suggest you avoid them), I strongly recommend that you inspect every inch of the car, inside and out, for damage, and note even minor scratches, bumps, blemishes, scuffs and stains on the contract. You should then phone the office to report any damage BEFORE you drive off and get the name of the person to whom you reported the damage. Another car hire victim in front of us in the queue when returning our car was accused of staining the back seat, even though he and his friend had only had the car for several hours and claimed he had not touched the back seat. He was charged damage excess.