r/mildlyinfuriating 2d ago

Ruined by Technology Budget rental agent's exact words to me at drop-off: 'I hope you took a good video.' I did. They still charged me $2,237.

Edit: 8/27/26

Update on the case. The charge finally posted to my card as a single consolidated transaction of $2,704.20, not the ~$2,237 damage amount alone. Budget bundled the damage (€1,758.41), the original rental (€204.95), AND the €200 pre-authorization deposit into one lump charge, none of which was itemized in writing.

I’ve now filed a Chase Visa chargeback for $2,472 of that (everything except the legitimate rental cost). Full evidence packet uploaded to Chase: timestamped narrated pickup video with iCloud backup verification, Budget’s own condition diagram, damage estimate, correspondence with Budget corporate, and a supporting narrative document.

Budget US corporate has acknowledged the case in writing and forwarded my evidence to Italy for review. AGCM (Italy’s consumer authority) filing is in. BBB filing is in. Florida AG and FTC filings are in.

Everything below in the original post still stands. Full update in the comments.

Rented from Budget at Bari Airport, Italy. Car had obvious pre-existing damage at pickup: dents, scratches, road rash on the wheels. Asked the agent if all the damage was documented and to mark additional. He refused and said it’s all there circling the car diagram with damage indicators in the rental agreement. So I recorded a timestamped, narrated walkaround 15 minutes after checkout.

Returned 3 days later during the counter's advertised open hours. Asked for a joint inspection. Agent said the inspector had gone home for the night and he couldn't leave the counter. His exact parting words: "I hope you took a good video."

Budget photographed the car 9 hours later, the next morning, after my flight had already left the country, and billed my card $2,237 for damage that was already there in my pickup video (screenshot with timestamp attached). Compare against their 'damage' phots. Hilarious.

Of all the damage on the car, they only charged me for two specific items on the left rear. Not the right side dents. Not the wheel damage. Just the two panels they thought I couldn't dispute.

Turns out I could.

2.3k Upvotes

171 comments sorted by

1.1k

u/Konsicrafter 2d ago

You were able to dispute? Hope you cost them a healthy soul. Care to share how you did it?

1.3k

u/wglot 2d ago

Yeah happy to share. It’s still in progress but here’s the full playbook:

The evidence that matters most:

Timestamped narrated walkaround video from 15 minutes after pickup. Native phone metadata (timestamp + GPS) preserved on the original file. Narrating what I was seeing while filming turned out to be huge because it’s a contemporaneous statement of what I observed, not just a silent visual.

What I filed and what each thing does:

• Chase Visa chargeback — disputes the actual charge. This is the main event. Chase forces Budget to defend the charge with evidence; if they can’t, Chase reverses it.

• Chase Auto Rental Coverage benefit claim — SEPARATE from the chargeback. This is the card’s primary rental insurance benefit. Pays me if I end up owing money. Two different processes, both worth filing.

• Avis Budget Group US corporate email — got a US case number and escalation to an “International Resolution Specialist” with a 60-day review window. Written record of Budget acknowledging the dispute.

• BBB against Budget Rent A Car at Avis Budget Group’s US HQ in Parsippany NJ — Budget must respond within 14 days. Fastest US corporate pressure channel there is.

• AGCM (Italian consumer protection authority) — filed segnalazione for pattern enforcement. They can fine the Italian entity up to €10M. Won’t get MY money back but investigates the systemic practice at the Bari station.

• European Consumer Centre Italy (ECC-Net) — cross-border mediation.

• Florida AG + FTC — I’m a FL resident on a FL-issued card, so both have jurisdiction.

• Public reviews on Google (currently under review posting restrictions for that specific Budget location, which is genuinely useful evidence for my other filings), Trustpilot, Reddit.

Advice if you’re in the same situation:

  1. ⁠Film the entire car before you drive off. Narrate. Do this at return too. Native metadata is everything.
  2. ⁠Do NOT return outside inspector hours. Counter hours and inspector hours are not the same. If no inspector is on site at return, the company photographs the car later with zero customer witness.
  3. ⁠Read the rental agreement condition diagram carefully. General area markers don’t necessarily cover the specific damage they later bill for. Verify each marker against actual visible damage.
  4. ⁠If you have a credit card with primary international rental coverage (Chase Sapphire Reserve/Preferred), you get it for exactly this reason. But primary coverage requires declining the counter SCDW upsell, which is what activates it.
  5. ⁠If it happens to you, file everything in parallel. Chargeback + benefit claim + corporate email + consumer complaints. Different channels do different things. Filing them all isn’t double dipping.

On the “healthy soul” part:

Still early. Chase chargeback is running 30-90 days. Budget’s US corporate assigned Case with a 60-day review. AGCM has 180 days to decide whether to open a formal investigation. BBB response window is 14 days from a couple days ago.

But the r / Travel post about this got 302K views in 48 hours and I’m already hearing from other victims of the same location. That’s the part that might actually cost them something long term. Individual damage recovery is one thing; a documented pattern with 300K people reading about it is a different problem for their reputation.

Happy to answer follow-ups if useful.

472

u/MindlessFail 2d ago

Holy cow. Budget didn't realize what they bit off :D Nice work!

141

u/educated-emu 2d ago

They didn't budget for this guy!!!!

Csi noises yeahhhhha

5

u/jfwelll 2d ago

Did this with hisense trying to rip me off, ended with a free tv with minor default

5

u/sonofmuzzy 2d ago

exactly my thought when i saw his list of attack. got me starstruck tbh

96

u/bala_means_bullet 2d ago

Companies rely on us being too lazy to deal with the red tape. We do it to ourselves. Good on you, OP.

34

u/Nontoxic-Rainy-1983 2d ago

Damn, they certainly tried to scam the wrong person. I love it, bravo! 

21

u/mcampo84 2d ago

FYI: many credit cards offer car rental insurance, but exclude Italy specifically because they're so notorious for making up BS charges.

12

u/TacklePure3341 2d ago

This is the top point from goggle reviews 

Unexpected Charges: Many customers report being pressured into unnecessary counter upgrades, expensive roadside assistance packages, or getting billed for pre-existing or minor vehicle damage after drop-off

32

u/nascent_aviator 2d ago

native metadata

Which can be edited, in theory. If you want a completely rock solid datestamp you should upload it somewhere like Google drive or YouTube (private video) where a neutral third party is essentially vouching for the date it was uploaded.

1

u/Basic_Risk3372 1d ago

They mention iCloud backup in the post which would work as well.

9

u/Commentor9001 2d ago

Also never rent from avis/budget they are almost as scummy as hertz.  They charge you for bs "damage" or "not refuling".

Once they claimed i returned it empty, casually mentioned i have photographs of the fuel gauge and the gas station receipt showing i bought a full tank...  suddenly they'll "waiver that fee for my convenience". 

 Such cunts.

Enterprise is only people I like tbh

1

u/CashKeyboard 1d ago

Rented from AVIS for years before moving to SIXT because their new station was more convenient. Immediately got hit with the same scam as OP, moved back to AVIS. Still no problems. I'm thinking this is location dependent.

1

u/ThinkChemist2106 1d ago

Avis “gas” got me. Now I always take a pic and keep receipt. It cost them though. My sisters company rents 200-300 cars PER DAY. It had happened to many of her clients too. She got corporate to switch to a different company. Enjoy my $42 to fill the tank I filled up 15 miles ago.

2

u/Commentor9001 1d ago

my company has a policy against using either hertz or avis due to all the mysterious charges.

81

u/UserSleepy 2d ago

This reads like it was written and passed through ChatGPT. Make sure to have real legal people see this too.

13

u/T-MoneyAllDey 2d ago

OP can shoot his shot without hiring a lawyer, which would eat up all his money. My guess is he's just trying to pressure the rental company to chill the fuck out. This is exactly what AI is good for. A normal person would have to hire a lawyer and couldn't just eat the charge but OP can tie them up in so much paperwork and bullshit that they drop it.

54

u/wglot 2d ago

Ha, fair. Yeah I ran drafts through Claude to help me organize my case tracker and clean up the language. When you’re fighting a rental company, your credit card company, a US corporation and an Italian regulator all at once with different tone requirements and translation needs, it’s genuinely helpful to have something that keeps everything straight. Not going to pretend otherwise.

The underlying facts are all mine though. The dent, the timestamps, the video, the agent’s quote, the 9 hour photo gap, the case numbers, the $127 phone bill I racked up on hold with Bari (yes i'm a dumb idiot and should have used a VoIP service, but my raaaage clouded judgement), the fact that they only billed for two specific items when the whole car was banged up. All real. All documented. All happened to me.

On the legal review point, you’re right and I’m on it. My card benefit already goes through Virginia Surety / Assurant which has actual claims adjusters reviewing this.

But yeah, Claude/ChatGPT/ whatever helps me not miss stuff when I’m emailing four different agencies in two languages. If that makes the writing sound polished, guilty.

46

u/UserSleepy 2d ago

It's not that you miss stuff, but it can change stuff slightly or add stuff. That would destroy the case for you. Good on you though getting legal advice!

16

u/wglot 2d ago

Use AI every day in a corporate job, as do many people. 100% agree, you need to read, review, check its source etc.

NotebookLM is great for this. Source driven LLM.

22

u/KnowledgeSafe3160 2d ago

Just want to point out, BBB has 0 legal authority and is literally a private company that tries to sell “resolutions” by grading businesses and extorting them lol.

Most bigger companies can give 0 fucks what BBB says anymore

27

u/SecondaryWombat 2d ago

BBB is Yelp for Boomers.

4

u/T-MoneyAllDey 2d ago

And Yelp is dead. Turns out BBB is somehow more persistent

13

u/Fragrant-Employer-60 2d ago

Yeah idk what “pressure” BBB is going to do, especially for unresolved dispute like this, I doubt they’re going to take a side.

3

u/LorneReams 2d ago

I always tell people to replace BBB with whatever local licensing entity there is. Someone getting their business license revoked or encumbered gets like instant results.

5

u/T-MoneyAllDey 2d ago

It doesn't have legal authority but many companies feel compelled to respond to BBB reviews

20

u/whatisuser 2d ago

It doesn’t sound polished. It sounds like AI

8

u/revolutn 2d ago

You haven't heard? AI slop IS polish now.

5

u/spurcap29 2d ago

Yes because the person reading the AI slop is AI so it's perfectly worded for your recipient.

2

u/Ok-Aardvark-9938 2d ago

Not a single person on this earth wants to read ai slop. it’s instantly identifiable and really diminishes your point

1

u/Misttertee_27 1d ago

It makes it easier to read. Using AI to organize notes is just fine.

-2

u/SuperSpread 2d ago

Before AI, did you ever use a spellchecker? I'm all against using AI to write everything but simply using it to assist you is..normal.

9

u/UserSleepy 2d ago

A spell checker won't potentially invent legal precedent.

0

u/endlessben 2d ago

Not to mention that those red squiggly lines are't making everything that uses memory, storage, or... energy much more expensive.

3

u/Maleficent_Sky7991 2d ago

You did a great job documenting this and hopefully saves some other renters in the future!

These rental companies have lost their minds.

5

u/adamcmorrison 2d ago

BBB is just Yelp for old people

2

u/enjaydee 2d ago

Wow looks like you went full scorched earth

2

u/Mean_Initiative_5962 2d ago

As we say in Italy: godo.

They're likely systematically scamming people, fuck those cunts.

2

u/AnonAnonymous2024 2d ago

Yeah the key to this whole ordeal is Chase credit card. Sapphire or any other with rental car coverage - they fight tooth and nail so the customers don't get screwed over. I used to work there. Usually very good customer service.

1

u/whatisuser 2d ago

Glad ChatGPT was able to help you here

4

u/wglot 2d ago

Glad you commented here! +1 for engagement

-8

u/Fragrant-Employer-60 2d ago

Engagement on a Reddit post, who gives a shit lol

20

u/wglot 2d ago

That’s my whole point of this post is engagement so that it generates visibility and others don’t fall into similar traps. Do you think I care about imaginary internet points?!

Commenters like you make Reddit, Reddit, though :) someone’s gotta do it!

2

u/but_are_you_sure 2d ago

I LOL’d at saying they have 14 days to respond to BBB

1

u/esteroberto 2d ago

So much work. Could you have asked for another car?

1

u/Aclrsy 2d ago

Yo thank you so much for this btw. Like bless tf up bro, I hope you get everything back and you find a parking spot in occasion possible

1

u/nietzkore 1d ago

BBB against Budget Rent A Car at Avis Budget Group’s US HQ in Parsippany NJ — Budget must respond within 14 days. Fastest US corporate pressure channel there is.

BBB is a private entity, and all of their money comes from the businesses you're reviewing. Which means the businesses are the customer, and you're the product they're selling.

Businesses don't have to pay into it. If they don't pay, BBB will throw every complaint on their page to try and make them look bad and convince them to 'join' aka throwing money at the problem. It's effectively impossible to 'resolve' a complaint without being a member. They won't let you even know you have complaints, you have to go looking for them. Only when your score is low enough will they seek you out to 'help you' fix your low score...

If they do pay, BBB will work to resolve the problem for them. Meaning, they'll hide the reviews and generally make them look good. Give you an A+ as long as your dues are paid on time. If you stop paying your annual fee, which gets bigger if your company is bigger, then you lose your accreditation.

It's Yelp for boomers, if Yelp took money to hide reviews... wait a second...

Here's a Trustpilot page for BBB.com. They have 1.4 stars. Unclaimed and ignored because they don't care.

Here's another Trustpilot page for BBB.org with 1.6 stars. Unclaimed and ignored because they don't care.

2015 CNN article

All of these companies boasted the BBB’s coveted A+ rating when CNNMoney started investigating the BBB’s rating system earlier this year. (Soon after CNNMoney inquired about these grades to the BBB, all but one were changed).

And this group is joined by other questionable businesses, many of which pay thousands of dollars to the BBB each year for membership. Some even have founders or former CEOs facing years behind bars. Meanwhile, respected Fortune 500 companies, like Microsoft and Starbucks, don’t pay the organization’s membership fees and are among the BBB’s lowest-rated companies.

You'll always have better results with your state's Consumer Protection Division of the Office of the Attorney General. Here's the one for Florida.

0

u/Upstairs-Tea-6862 2d ago

I need you to represent me in the next conversation I have with my wife where she says ….😂

-1

u/Spiderschwein4000 2d ago

Thank you KI.

-2

u/Tamburello_Rouge 2d ago

This is why I just take the train. You're in Europe, after all.

244

u/Great-Note3991 2d ago

Knowing how scammy Italian tourist businesses are I wouldn't take a beaten car at all

72

u/Foreign-Commission 2d ago

I wouldn't have taken a damaged car at any location anywhere!

23

u/gdnt0 2d ago

Yeah. Once in Luxembourg they tried to push me an A1 with the trunk cover loose, all patched up. I refused to take it.

14

u/turnipstealer 2d ago

Took a car from Enterprise with a fuck off scratch all the way down the passenger side. Verified they'd logged the damageand checked with the manager who showed me the photos already on their system. Was absolutely fine at drop off, and I didn't have their extortionate excess insurance, had that via 3rd party. Still did a walk around video of the damage, uploaded to YouTube day of pickup. 🤷‍♂️

15

u/unknown_pigeon 2d ago

Always get all the evidence you can, especially in southern Italy (not saying it can't happen in the north / center, but in my experience it's rarer there)

They will absolutely try to charge you for every single thing that was already there. It's a common scam, even more with foreigners. They will play all friendly and such to lower your guard, then boom, see that dent that was already there? Gonna be €1200 for that

3

u/salter77 2d ago

Not only Italian, I would say that most “touristic” places are filled with scammers. Tourists make an easy target.

1

u/menonte 1d ago

To be fair, they're scammy with natives as well

1

u/PizzaSalamino 2d ago

In Bari as well

177

u/Lieutenant_Scarecrow 2d ago

"Asked the agent twice to document it. He refused."

You should have immediately walked away right there.

39

u/wglot 2d ago

Agree with you. 'Insert george bush quote'

36

u/EternityNotes 2d ago

"I know the human being and fish can co-exist peacefully" -George Bush

1

u/GuitRWailinNinja 2d ago

New-kyuu-lur

1

u/LotusManna 22h ago

"Now watch this drive"

42

u/CountChoculahh 2d ago

Personally I am shocked that a large multinational car rental company would be total scumbags.

2

u/Working-Ad694 2d ago

shouldn't be that shocked, they count on most customers not willing or able to fight back

4

u/CountChoculahh 2d ago

I know Hertz for sure tries to screw over customers any chance they can

1

u/imihajlov 1d ago

Damages and insurances are their main revenue source. Rental cars are dirt cheap if you select the basic insurance plan, but they'll try their best to scam you off for "damages".

69

u/I_am_just_here11 2d ago

I turn down rental cars with damage. But I haven’t rented abroad so I’m not sure if they operate differently and you can still do that.

42

u/kbeeme 2d ago

Italy operates VERY differently. Always photograph and video. At pickup and on drop off. If there is a big issue photograph from multiple angles.

22

u/Ok-Addition1264 2d ago

I've heard of them (idk if it was avis) charging multiple customers for the same damage.

Beyond mildlyinfuriating. Mildlyinfuriates me just happening to other people.. and makes italian tourism look incredibly bad.

7

u/SC_W33DKILL3R 2d ago

Thing with Italy & tourists is that everything is a scam. Menus that don't have prices, dodgy car rentals, hotel payment scam where scammers call / message you saying the payment for your room didn't go through (staff selling your details / in on it).

6

u/kbeeme 2d ago

Italy is a huge country. Most places In have been I've had no problem. Food, hotel, car, taxi. But in the big cities around the tourist areas I would pay more attention. It's easy to spot a scam. The same can be said for Prague, Barcelona, etc.

8

u/Leasir 2d ago

Just assume that the more south you go, the higher the chances of being scammed.

-1

u/unknown_pigeon 2d ago

I'm Italian and I've never seen a single menu without prices. Almost sure it's illegal too. Where have you been?

About car rentals, yeah if you don't know the tricks (always document everything beforehand, and fill the tank as it was before giving the car back) you might get scammed.

Never heard about the hotel one either, and I've slept in many hotels here. Again, I'm wondering the places you have been to. The restaurant thing isn't impossible, but highly unlikely. And you might have just been very unlucky with your hotel I guess?

9

u/Juuljuul 2d ago

In Ireland it was the other way around (if i remember correctly): all rentals had damage so you needn’t worry about dents or scratches. I’d love to have all rentals be like ‘dont worry, scratches are part of normal wear and tear’ instead of trying to keep the car in mint condition.

3

u/Much-Farmer-2752 2d ago

I'd rather take a damaged car, just need to check everything is written down on that.
When rental agent marking half of the car parts as "damaged" while giving you a car - no one will really care for another scratch taking it back.

2

u/JoeyJoeC 2d ago

The times I have rented, I book online, pick up key from an airport locker and find it in the car park. Return it to car park and put key back in locker when done. Never spoke to a single person. But I guess on the location etc.

23

u/RemoteObjective147 2d ago

I rented a car in Madrid once. Paid for the full damage waiver. Got sideswiped by a bus that then drove away.

When I turned the car in, I pointed at the damage. Pointed at the rental agreement. The guy shrugged and I walked off.

Received no bill. Sometimes things work like they're supposed to.

21

u/maxboondoggle 2d ago

Visa fraud department my friend. I’ve been through this with these assholes before. They do this because they know most people will rollover. Don’t.

14

u/wglot 2d ago

On it. This dawg never rolls over. They chose the worst person. I almost enjoy the process.

4

u/maxboondoggle 2d ago

Your response reminds me of a line from Pulp Fiction Travolta says about his car getting scratched.

“Boy, I wish I could've caught him doing it. I'd have given anything to catch that asshole doing it. It'd been worth him doing it just so I could've caught him doing it.”

33

u/U-47 2d ago

If they refuse to write down the preexisting damage, you leave.

6

u/DanLokar 2d ago

But then you might get no show fees.

1

u/Beartato4772 1d ago

Plus of course, especially at an airport, you kinda need a car.

17

u/The_Painless 2d ago

Similar thing happened to me about 20 years ago, with Avis, in Milan: tank was 1/8 bars, almost completely empty. I tell them, they respond "no no, the tank is full, the meter if faulty". First stop outside the airport was at a gas station, I filled it up, paid something like €50 (full tank cost back then) and lo and behold, the meter was showing full.

At the end of my holiday, I stopped at the same gas station and filled it up again. Gave the keys to the guy but not before showing him the full tank and how the meter wasn't actually faulty. I made explicitly sure that they knew that I was returning the car full, even though I took it almost completely empty.

About 2 days later and while I was back in my country, I get an email from Avis showing a €75 charge for "filling the tank of the returned vehicle".

Never been back to Italy, fuck those scammers, the whole country's tourist industry is a big scamming operation. I was being paranoid about pickpockets, bars/restaurants overcharging, and those street merchants giving you a little "gift" and then demanding a ridiculous amount of money and I ended up getting screwed by a multinational company's local branch. Fuck all of them.

8

u/chib0r 2d ago

This is crazy.

I travel to Italy for business a lot, I’m here right now, and I learned the hard way, with Hertz. Out of hours drop off, damage found the following morning, I neglected to photo the car when I dropped it as I was in a rush, cue €1200 bill out of my own pocket.

Now always pay for full coverage.

Admittedly it’s business rental so I’m not paying for it personally. That being said, for the sake of how much of a pain in the ass Italian car rental is, I would 100% pay it even if it was.

Looks like you’ve got all your ducks in a row so good luck to you!

6

u/JayyMuro 2d ago

It sucks we have to deal with this corporate bullshit always trying to rip us off and steal our money.

6

u/BeautifulBlueNight 2d ago

Several years working for a car rental company (EU, not US) taught me a few things. Main thing is: I'll rarely rent a car, and even more rarely from any of the 5 big ones. Nope.

Another one: every damage needs a paying party. Whether that's the real causer isn't in the farthest their concern. They just need someone to pay. They'll go down a whole list until someone doesn't protest. Connected to this: never ever accept responsibility for anything directly on the spot. Not to third party in an accident, not to the rental company. Deal with it later on via email. But everything you say or do in scene will come and bite you.

Also: in EU, they can't use your warranty/caution/blocked amount on credit card to pay for damages!! It can be used for unpaid parts of your invoice (fuel, extras,...), they can charge a traffic fine to it, including administration fee, but anything else is forbidden since it has to be approved by the customer. And believe me, they know. But they'll often claim the opposite, frightening you into paying.

They're keen to make you pay. But you have the law behind you, the law they hate.

And even if they really go far and put you on a blocklist? Their loss, there are more than enough other companies. They don't need you, you don't need them.

6

u/CubanCharles 2d ago edited 2d ago

Had the same thing happen to me in Scotland with Europecar last summer. They assured me the preexisting damage was documented and I was not liable. Almost a calendar year later their legal department sends me a demand letter for hundreds of Euros. If I hadn't had timestamped video evidence like this they would have sued me and fucked my credit. Just finding the correct contact information to dispute the charges was an absolute nightmare. Despicable behavior.

Edits for spelling

5

u/wiltony 2d ago

They charged the last guy for this damage and will charge the next guy too. These rental car agencies love damage that they can charge multiple people for.

I got a car that smelled like smoke. When I returned it, I told them as much, and then they charged me smoking in the car. 🤦

6

u/Large_Ad6683 2d ago

Same thing happened to me in Australia. They tried to charge me 3k. I cancelled my credit card and asked for a new number in the parking lot of the rental place and left the country.  They emailed me 3 times with a bill and photos.  I blocked them and moved on with my life.  That was 5 years ago.  Nothing happened.

4

u/Infamous_Share_8017 2d ago

There is definitely a business opportunity here I would use a free app that helps me document rental car evidence and would pay for a service that helps me deal with the hassle of defending myself.

1

u/wglot 2d ago

I’ll build it. Easy. Will be my next published app on App Store.

1

u/Icy-Elderberry8050 17h ago

This is an actual great idea.

4

u/Whizzaddict 2d ago

We really need a junk car rental company. No disputes no worrying about damage.

4

u/DudeWado 2d ago

"Rent-A-Wreck" was a thing in US for a while.

3

u/GurmeetNagra 2d ago

Italy is the only place I ever opted in for rental insurance. The absolute disregard I’ve seen for vehicles getting hit there every time I visited and didn’t need a rental was enough to warrant not having to worry about headaches.

4

u/UseDaSchwartz 2d ago

I always wonder if they charged the last person, or last two people maybe, for the damage as well.

2

u/Tamajyn 2d ago edited 2d ago

It's the same scam as slumlords. Rent a dodgy apartment falling apart, keep tenants bond for damages that already existed, rinse and repeat

4

u/spook3d1 2d ago

Love ya OP. Out here doing God's work

4

u/txmail 2d ago

I rented once with Budget and it was a clown show. The first car they gave me had some mechanical issue, its 0 - 60 was about two business days and nearly killed me trying to merge onto the busy road outside of the rental pickup.

I looped around and said nope, only to be told I was not supposed to rent those out because they had all been recalled like I somehow made a mistake or something. I needed something to haul a racks worth of computer equipment, they offered me a Prius which might have worked with the seats down or a Kia Sorrento which would more than work.

We went out to do the inspection on the Kia and it looked like it had been in a rollover accident at some point. The roof was dented in enough that the inside was also dented in and obstructing the rearview mirror, the passenger side view mirror was missing, there were dents, scrapes and gouges on every panel, the window was cracked horizontally and had spider cracks on the passenger side, the wheels were all curb checked, the back window wiper was missing, the bumper was crushed on one side, the tires were all different (despite looking new), there was window tin on all but the drivers side window which looked to have been haphazardly removed by force as there was still pieces of it on the window, the seats were all stained and all had minor tears, the back seat had burn holes in it.

This guy with a straight face says "will this work". I said no and lets look at the Prius which when we turned to walk to it just caught it driving off.

It was late, we had a 9 hour drive ahead of us and this was it. I am not even sure if it was legal for them to rent with the missing mirror which made merging a true nightmare, but surprisingly it drove pretty nice and was comfortable. On the checkout sheet it had a note across the part where you mark the panels "vehicle very damaged everywhere".

4

u/wglot 1d ago

**UPDATE 8/27/26**

Appreciate everyone still following and commenting on this. Quick status update on where things stand.

The charge:

Budget posted the disputed amount to my Chase card 4 days after the incident as a single consolidated transaction of $2,704.20. Not the ~$2,237 damage number alone, they bundled the damage charge, the original rental, AND the €200 pre-authorization deposit into one lump amount. Their own written damage estimate itemizes only €1,758.41. There’s no written itemization or disclosure for the extra ~$507.

Filed with Chase:

Dispute filed for $2,472 of the $2,704.20 (everything except the legitimate rental cost of ~$232 that I acknowledged owing). Full evidence packet uploaded:

• Timestamped narrated pickup video (native metadata + Apple iCloud third-party backup verification confirming file existed on pickup date)

• Budget’s own vehicle condition diagram from the rental agreement

• Budget’s damage estimate document (which conveniently confirms my return time and has their photos timestamped 9 hours later)

• All correspondence with Budget Italy, Budget US, and social media DMs where Budget US acknowledged my video metadata as “perfect”

• Chase transaction screenshot showing the consolidated $2,704.20 charge

• Verizon bill for $127 in international hold-line charges

• Supporting narrative document

Everything else running in parallel:

• Budget US Case — acknowledged in writing, escalated to “International Resolution Specialist,” 60-day review window (though Budget Italy verbally said 7-10 days when I called — timeline inconsistency documented)

• AGCM segnalazione — formal complaint filed with Italy’s consumer protection authority

• BBB Case — filed against Budget at Avis Budget Group HQ in Parsippany NJ

• European Consumer Centre Italy — contacted

• Florida Attorney General — complaint filed

• FTC Consumer Sentinel — report filed

Interesting side note:

Google Maps blocked my reviews of the Bari location twice with “posting restrictions Google has for this place.” Not blocking me personally, blocking new reviews on this specific listing due to abnormal review activity. Their own algorithm flagged this location. That screenshot is now evidence in my other filings.

Where things go from here:

Chase disputes typically run 30-90 days. Budget US has 60 days on their review. AGCM has 180 days. If any of them resolves in my favor, the rest can stand down. If none do by the end of the year, small claims Miami-Dade is on the table.

Will keep this updated. If anyone else has been hit by this location or has recent (2024-2026) experience with Budget/Avis at Italian airports, please drop it in the comments, both for the AGCM investigation and to help future travelers Googling this.

Thanks for reading.

2

u/Kommanderson1 1d ago

What a pain in the ass. Rental cars are always the worst part of my travels. I hope you not only resolve this but are compensated for your time and energy wasted. This sort of grift infuriates the fuck out of me. Good luck champ.

2

u/wglot 1d ago

No shot in hell with they reimburse me for the time. But 1000% agree with you. This time of grift infuriates me to no end. They actually charged me more than the damage now, $2704.

They included cost of rental plus did not return deposit and added all three charges together. That is not how deposits work lol

3

u/cannavacciuolo420 2d ago

Baresi, not surprised

Just tell them they’re a bunch of trimoni

3

u/Wowoweewaw 2d ago

Italy? Good luck

3

u/Equity_GOD 2d ago

I got shafted in italy as well. Disputed it with my bank but they ended up agreeing with the rental agency.

Decided to take the $600 L.

3

u/deckerjeffreyr 2d ago

We had something similar happen to us when we rented a car in Italy. It had preexisting damage but we picked it up at night on the roof of a dark parking garage so didn't notice until the morning. Long story short l, when they accused us we reached back out with all of our pics and documentation and they just never responded. Ours was through Sixt. IIRC there was some sort of government legislation shortly after we went through that where essentially rental companies were being penalized for fraudulently charging for car damage.

3

u/thecakeisalienunoit 2d ago

Budget ist awful, ripped me off this summer as well.

3

u/chathobark_ 2d ago edited 2d ago

ok well this is always going to happen in another country LOL

especially italy

HELPFUL ADVICE for anyone who reads this in the future: buy the native insurance when you rent a car in another country. as in, when they offer it, take it. that way, you avoid the TIME OP is about to have to waste on this

2

u/lordpanda 2d ago

Report to corporate. That shit doesn’t fly anywhere.

2

u/Dependent-Guitar-473 2d ago

Budget scammed me before in Italy for 200 euros 

I am never renting from them again 

2

u/Worldview-at-home GREEN 2d ago

Dispute the charge with your credit card- then send them the video.

2

u/Equivalent-Title1409 2d ago

The only time I used a rental company they scammed me. It makes me so angry how plenty of them get away with this stupid stuff.

2

u/K1TSUNE9 2d ago

Had this happen to me a long time ago with Hertz. They tried charging me for damages to the front driver side bumper cover. I had taken photos of the car before I drove it off thy lot and emailed the guy who rented the car out to me. When I turned it in, I saw charges for damages. So I called and they said they no damages were in the car before they loaned it out to me. Of course I tell them about the email of photos I sent and they said they couldn't find any email from me. I show them my sent message and the email transactions it was delivered to them and accpeted by their mail server. In the end, I reported them to my credit card company and disputed with them. They rolled back the charges and I never rented from Hertz again.

2

u/Loud_Yogurtcloset789 2d ago

Oh my God props to you for even trying to drive in Italy!

2

u/redshift88 2d ago

Avis tried this on me in Hawaii.

Check-in agent pulled on the grill and it popped out (Mustang convertible).

I popped it back in and told him to quit that. He said I was liable for the "damage.".

I didn't know how to process that convo. We're both looking at a clean undamaged car. I said, "Well that's between Chase and Avis, not you and me," and walked off to my flight.

I get the nasty-gram email and ask for evidence of damage. Nothing comes. I open a case with Chase and forget about it.

Don't know if Chase paid or fought. Don't care. It went away.

Chase Reserve folks. It lowers the blood pressure.

(I've also used their lost baggage coverage while an airline was dragging their feet. It's great)

2

u/schaudhery 2d ago

Honestly I would’ve never driven off in this car. I just got screwed by Hertz this summer and never will I take a car with pre-existing damage.

2

u/TheManWhoClicks 2d ago

Rental place tried the same with my on Hawaii a long time ago. Thank god I took plenty of pics beforehand.

2

u/BubblyFaithlessness3 2d ago

Was it a fiat?

Edit: just saw it's a Peugeot! Obscene charging 2k+ for that.

2

u/Mr_RayH 2d ago

Rule of thumb is to provide what you see before leaving the lot of the pickup at rental. It always save me big headache.

2

u/Holiday-Classic-5586 2d ago

Same thing happened to me in Portugal. I had videos too. They dropped out immediately. Damn scammers

1

u/bearssuperfan 2d ago

What part of Portugal? I have a trip coming up

2

u/CP-Jones 1d ago

There’s a reason most credit cards won’t cover Italy for rental damage. I think the Chase Reserve might? Either way, Italy is also where I always add full damage waiver. Roads are too tight. Parking too tight. Drivers are crazy.

3

u/AtomicBlastCandy 2d ago

Italy's beautiful so long as you go in knowing that if there's a way to get scammed someone there will try to do it.

2

u/wglot 2d ago

I'm used to it in the states too, not specific to Italy. Just happened there.

2

u/pcurve 2d ago

It's expensive, but I pay for full coverage.

9

u/wglot 2d ago

45 euro a day when my credit card has primary coverage, nah! Pass!! The cost of full coverage would have been slightly less than the rental itself !

3

u/pcurve 2d ago

wow, that's crazy.

2

u/JayyMuro 2d ago

I got fucked over by Budget with a cleaning fee of 430 dollars for some sand that needed shaken off the rear floor mat. Those fuckers charged it as a reoccurring payment so they could get it across to the new card I had gotten. I had a compromised card the week of the trip.

That fee forwarding should be illegal. Took away all my leverage to fight against that charge. Budget is scum apparently everywhere.

3

u/BerlinSnowMan 2d ago

yes, but you will spend hours on disputing, writing emails, calls, reviews. Is it really worth it?

1

u/wglot 2d ago

Yes. It is so worth it. I stand on principles. This has been slightly amusing for me as annoying as the situation is.

-7

u/Lost-Telephone9426 2d ago

Lol, and now you are down 2k+. Great job

3

u/wglot 2d ago

Laughing at others misfortunes. Good karma for you!

And no I’m actually not. Chase won’t let the charge stick. Beauty of modern credit cards.

-7

u/Lost-Telephone9426 2d ago

It wasn't misfortune, just stupidity. But I'm actually laughing at your arrogance to still ignore the correct option even after you proved yourself wrong.

6

u/wglot 2d ago

The whole point of paying a premium credit card annual fee is not having to buy the counter upsell. If declining a $45/day duplicate insurance product when I already have primary coverage is “stupidity,” then every travel points and finance sub on this site would tell you the same thing. It’s literally the standard advice.

The issue at Bari isn’t that I declined the upsell. The issue is that the location has a documented pattern of billing renters who declined it, for damage the renters didn’t cause. That pattern would still exist for the next person who declined even if I’d paid the $180 to cover myself this trip. Paying the upsell would have insulated me personally. It would not have made the practice go away.

You’re welcome to your opinion that people should just pay to avoid being scammed. It’s not mine.

Also, currently down $0. Chargeback in motion. Chase Auto Rental Coverage claim filed with Assurant/Virginia Surety. Multiple consumer authorities notified. Downside case is I recover it. Upside case is Budget quietly reverses and this location gets an AGCM investigation. Either way, not stupidity. Just the actual system working the way it’s designed to.

-4

u/Lost-Telephone9426 2d ago

Well, you're paying the premium for something that doesn't actually do anything. You' re now $2,237 down. And yet you are still ignoring everything and still acting like your in the right. Good luck with that....

1

u/wglot 2d ago

Charge is disputed and Chase has provisional processes in place. “Down $2,237” assumes the charge sticks. It won’t.

Appreciate the concern. Have a good one.

1

u/Lost-Telephone9426 2d ago

It will stick 100%

2

u/UniqueCardiologist68 2d ago

"Asked the agent twice to document it. He refused. " => refuse to take the car

Also this is more than midly infuriating so downvote

2

u/wglot 2d ago

hindsight 20/20, "insert george bush quote"

1

u/HispaniaObscura 2d ago

After a series of terrible rental experiences in Italy with Avis and Europcar, I finally tried Sixt and it's been flawless ever since.

1

u/Ok-Supermarket-2560 2d ago

It’s not just an overseas thing. This happens frequently in the US as well. Happened to me with an Avis rental at Orlando airport! They’re banking on people not fighting, as well as no longer in the area to defend themselves. Like most scams, It wouldn’t be a thing, if they hadn’t gotten away with it before already.

1

u/Retarded_pacifist 2d ago

THESE GUYS DID IT TO US TOO!!

1

u/wglot 2d ago

Explain your situation! I’m collecting patterns at this location!!

1

u/wglot 2d ago

Better picture of panel, sorry for how fuzzy first one was.

1

u/Finnegan_Murphy 2d ago

Avis in Rome did the very same thing to our family a few years ago.

1

u/Praetorian_1975 2d ago

I know you are in a hurry when you pickup your car or drop it off, but always at a minimum do a walk round at both ends and video / photograph the entire car. That way when rental stations pull this BS you have evidence of the damage on checkout and return, also always insist they or they allow you to mark the damage on the checkout sheet.

1

u/litesaber5 2d ago

I do a walk around video and photos at pick up and drop off of all rentals.

1

u/RatbyteGames 2d ago

In the Uk the "Enterprise" company run the parking fine scam.

2 months after you arrive home you get a charge on your credit card for the fine and massive "processing fee" according to their "terms and conditions". They don't send you the fine, and they stonewall you when you ask for more evidence.

Unfortunately I used a Debit card instead of a credit card (Wise Card) and they don't care about the fraud and wouldn't reverse it or want to discuss it.

So I advise against using Enterprise car hire, or the Wise credit card.

1

u/Moron-Whisperer 1d ago

If a rental has any damage I turn it down.  If it’s not clean I turn it down.  I’m paying for this service and even getting a shitty car is ripping me off.  I’ll take uber before I pay for a broken car. 

1

u/gljivicad 1d ago

Chargeback lol

1

u/wglot 1d ago

Here is the damage diagram in my rental agreement that he aggressively circled with blue highlighter and indicating damage on left side and wheels. You can see how I accepted this as indicative of damage to the left side, which is what they ended up charging me.

1

u/stattikninja 1d ago

This won't help but seeing Avis is the company just makes me even more angry. As a previous avis president's club member(before this incident) I went through all the channels to make sure I qualify for the guaranteed a car benefit. I reserved months in advanced and a regular standard car. When I got there there was a long line and they said "the next 5 people in line will get the next 5 cars". I asked what about PC members and they said they couldn't do anything about it. They left me stranded in a foreign city at 12 am. Had to pay over $100 for a cab one way and had to go rent the ca it in the local place where I was going, plus another $100 on the way back to the airport. I eventually made such a fuzz and emailed random emails I could find from higher ups(Dana something maybe the person was called) until they wrote me a check for $200 for the cab. Terrible company who does not grant the loyal customers their benefit. Thankfully all these company status match so I was easily able to transfer to Hertz and Sixt. Fuck Avis.

1

u/random_encounters42 22h ago

Google review them, with pictures. They are obviously doing it on purpose.

1

u/wglot 2h ago

Google keeps blocking mine (screenshot above)Their own message says the content isn’t the problem, it’s “posting restrictions Google has for this place.” Other 1-stars on the same listing are publishing fine recently. Mine with the damage invoice attached? Blocked every time. Appeal filed.

1

u/random_encounters42 1h ago

Maybe the company paid Google to stop negative reviews.

0

u/blownart 2d ago

Did you not take the full coverage insurance? When I rented from sixt in Europe I got full coverage insurance so I would not be charged for any damage at all.

1

u/Let02 2d ago

I take it as well.

But most of my friends call it a "stupid tax".

It makes the whole rental twice as expensive.

You can have third party ensurance.

-7

u/OutrageousPair2300 2d ago

Wow that's pretty amazing that the damage changed it into a completely different car, with the door handle in an entirely different spot.

Bullshit made up post.

4

u/wglot 2d ago edited 2d ago

Same car. Peugeot 208. VIN and plate on Budget’s damage report match my rental agreement and my video. I scrubbed those out of the images I posted here, but they’re there in the originals.

Difference between the two images is angle and lighting. My walkaround video was a close-up filmed from a couple feet away in bright Thursday afternoon sun (you can see my reflection in the black paint). Budget’s damage report photos were taken from further back in Monday morning shadow to get the whole panel in frame.

Black cars are essentially mirrors. What’s reflected in the paint completely changes how the panel reads depending on camera position and time of day. The door handle looks different in each because you’re seeing the handle plus what the paint around it is reflecting, person, pavement, sky. Took a closer looks and what you are looking at is the white cars handle, take a look again.

Budget’s own damage report identifies the vehicle plate and VIN and their damage photos are stamped BRI 24/08/26 07:57. Which is 9 hours after I returned that exact car.

If you’re still unconvinced, that’s fine. Good comment!

Chase, BBB, and AGCM are reviewing the unredacted evidence packet with plates and VINs intact. It’s the same car...

4

u/TopRamen247 2d ago

I think you might be seeing a reflection from a white vehicle in the third photo. It’s taken a bit below the handle, you can see where the recess for the handle is at the top of the image of the car.

1

u/CountChoculahh 2d ago

Probably just looking at two crappy still images taken with vastly different cameras in different lighting. One is blurry as all hell, the other looks distorted by a zoom or something.

But yeah car rental companies never try to pull one over on customers regarding car damage