In May 2009, I had a troubling experience in Ireland (apparently notorious for scamming tourists). I have fought for six months and I have WON! Here's my story and here's how to defeat these common scams.
I rented a
car from the Dublin airport, a gray VW Golf, and it was acting funny from the start.
It stalled when the clutch was almost fully depressed and the gears would grind even when the clutch was fully depressed. At first I dismissed the stalling as learning a new cars behavior. But after only driving the vehicle for 9km (5.5 mi), the clutch burnt out leaving me stranded. Keep in mind I have years of experience on a stick shift as it was the first car I learned how to drive. I filled out an incident report and was told I would be contacted within days if there were any issues. I left Ireland for the USA 16 days later. Six weeks after THAT, I received a bill in the mail. They had already charged my credit card $1801.13!!! This included towing the vehicle from Dublin (country capital) to Galway (~200 km) along with labor, parts, and a "loss of car hire" fee of 88 euro. Even insurance companies get to assess damage before paying. Why wasn't I afforded this opportunity? I was never given a copy of my own statement, OR a copy of the investigation report concluding I was at fault. I was never even notified they were holding me liable or given information regarding where and when the vehicle was being repaired. There is no way I burned out a clutch in only 9 km and there is no way it should cost almost $2K to repair.
Budget of the U. S says they have no jurisdiction. I've filed a complaint to the Better Business Bureau, the Federal Trade Commission, the European Consumer Center, the
Car Rental Council of Ireland, and have sent certified letters to the car agency.
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Victory Letter from my Solicitor!
