Charged for damage you didn’t cause? Gatvol is investigating car rental billing practices — and we want your story

Over the past few weeks I rented two vehicles from a major car rental company. On the first, they came back claiming damage. On the second, they claimed the jack was missing. In both cases, one thing was identical: no representative was present to inspect the vehicle with me when I collected it, and no check was done when I returned it. No signed condition report. No joint walk-around. No photographs I ever agreed to. Just a charge, after the fact.

I’ve asked the company to prove it — to produce the signed check-out and check-in reports, the dated photographs, the repair invoices, and the internal procedures that are supposed to govern how a customer is billed. I’ve given them a deadline. Over the coming weeks, Gatvol will report exactly what they produce, and what they don’t.

But here’s what I want to know, and what this investigation is really about: Am I the only one?

If you have rented a vehicle and been charged for damage or missing items you don’t believe you’re responsible for — especially where no one inspected the vehicle with you at handover or return — I want to hear from you. Send us:

• the rental company and dates,
• what you were charged for,
• whether anyone inspected the vehicle with you at collection and return,
• and any documents, photos, or correspondence you have.

We will treat your information carefully and won’t publish your details without consent.

Individually, these disputes are easy for a company to dismiss. Together, they become a pattern — and patterns are evidence. Over the next few weeks we’ll publish what we find, break down your rights as a consumer, and set out practical steps to protect yourself before you ever sign a rental agreement.

If there’s nothing wrong here, the documents will show it. If there is, we’ll show that too.