Q: I booked a 17-day National Geographic Expedition to Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. After I rented a car, I immediately reported an issue to the car owner and Turo, whom I rented the car from. But instead of acknowledging the problem, Turo blamed me and charged me $500 for a new paint job. Turo insists that I was responsible because the peeling occurred during my rental period.
This experience has shaken my trust in Turo’s commitment to fairness and customer satisfaction. Can you help me get my money back?
A: I don’t see how you could be held responsible for peeling paint on a car that you rented from Turo. I mean, if you had collided with another vehicle and the paint started peeling, then yes, perhaps. But you showed me pictures of your car, and it looked like a paint job gone wrong.
So, what happened? Your records show that the car-sharing company charged you a $500 deposit when you rented the vehicle. After you returned the Sonata, Turo’s claims team sent you an email saying that the owner had filed a claim to repair the paint on the roof. Since you declined Turo’s optional protection, you were liable for the damage, according to Turo.
You signed an agreement saying that you are financially responsible for “all physical damage to or theft of a booked vehicle that occurs during a trip” including any additional costs and fees resulting from damage, regardless of who is at fault. In other words, while the damage wasn’t your fault, you were still responsible.
Turo strongly recommends that you take “before” and “after” photos of your car. It even has a feature on its app called Trip Photos that allows you to do so and store the images in the app. I think this is brilliant because if you can prove that the car was damaged before you rented it, you’re far less likely to face a successful claim by your host.
Why didn’t you spot this damage when you picked up the car? You say the vehicle looked “very glossy and shiny” as if someone recently painted it. The paper trail between you and Turo showed the company was unconvinced.
I think there was enough reason for Turo to take another look at this claim. Something just felt off about it. So, I contacted Turo on your behalf. In response, Turo sent you an email that it had decided to drop the matter.
