Deborah Behnke has done enough international traveling to know that something was amiss when she arrived at the rental car counter in Dublin earlier this year.
The Chicago resident rented the car on the Internet and purchased optional online insurance.
But at the counter, the customer service agent told her the online insurance was unacceptable — she would have to purchase the company’s on-site insurance at a higher rate. Stuck in an Irish airport with limited options, Behnke agreed to buy the additional insurance.
When she returned to Chicago in April and checked her credit card statement, she realized she had been overcharged. The statement showed she owed 464 euros, which converted to $628.50 at the time. She calculated the charges and came up with a lower number, 341 euros.
Amid the confusion over the insurance, the rental company had overcharged her by roughly $170.
Behnke said she called the company to complain every week starting in late April. She sent e-mails and even called the rental counter at the Dublin airport.
She sent in copies of her rental agreement highlighting the incorrect charges.
Still, the rental company wouldn’t budge.
So in August, the retired clinical therapist made a last-ditch effort. She called the company’s international customer service line and invoked the threat of bad publicity. Behnke told the customer service agent that if she didn’t get a refund, she’d file a complaint with What’s Your Problem?
“She said, ‘Just a moment,'” Behnke recalled. “It seemed like she was gone half an hour. She came back and she said, ‘We’ll be sending you a check.'”
Weeks later, a check for $174.59 arrived in Behnke’s mailbox.
“It wasn’t even itemized,” she said. “It was actually for a little more than I expected.”
Behnke wrote to What’s Your Problem? after the Problem Solver asked for your stories of success.
She learned a few thing along the way — tips that she believes can help fellow travelers.
First, if you rent a car over the Internet, always check with the rental company to ensure it accepts insurance purchased online. Some do and some don’t, she said. By the time you arrive at the airport, it’s too late to make changes on a previously purchased policy.
She also suggests reviewing your bill in detail. If you catch an error, inquire immediately. If your complaints get nowhere, invoke threats of going to the media.
“It wasn’t until I mentioned you that the whole thing turned around,” Behnke said. “I felt pretty good, but it wasn’t very satisfying because I was still very mad that they get people renting cars and then there were these hidden fees.”
Do you have a success story or tips for fellow readers? If so, e-mail your tale to yourproblem@tribune.com. The Problem Solver will run more readers’ stories in the weeks to come.
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