A customer of a car rental company is said to have to pay almost €15,000 to a transport service provider for a damaged door handle. Now the company is in court.
According to information from “heute.at”, the online van rental company “123-Transporter” has been criticized. The company is said to have charged a customer almost 15,000 euros for damage she allegedly caused. It is not the only accusation against the company.
The Austrian consumer protection organization VKI has described the company’s behavior as extremely detrimental to consumers. Even before the mega claim for the broken door handle, the organization repeatedly criticized substantial deposits of up to 1,000 euros. According to “heute.at”, these concerns are compounded by reports of non-refundable deposits and long waiting times for remittances.
The woman from Lower Austria who was accused of damaging the property denies any guilt. The woman argues that the door handle was already damaged before she rented the vehicle. She could even prove this with a video. Her lawyer, Mathias Burger, emphasizes that his client has taken out a comprehensive insurance package for the rental period, which means she has no incentive to conceal any damage that may have occurred.
The company is said to have even tried to debit the requested amount from the woman’s credit card. For her lawyer, the incidents are enough to report the company for fraud. The hearing will take place at the Wiener Neustadt regional court.
When asked by “heute.at” “123-Transporter” reacted cautiously. When asked for comment, a company spokesperson only confirmed that a main hearing was pending. He emphasized that the demand for payment against the woman was based on an “error”.
Focus-Online expert Marco Rogert, who, as an experienced lawyer and commercial lawyer, has already persuaded large corporations such as VW to pay consumers, advises prudence in the event of unjustified or excessive claims by car rental companies.
Rogert emphasizes that only damage caused by the customer is liable. However, the burden of proof lies with the car rental company. What is also crucial is what kind of damage it is. According to the lawyer, damages that fall under contractual use are borne by the landlord. He cites stone chips and wear and tear as an example.
In Italy, drivers have to be particularly careful. Because a mirror trick is currently making the rounds. This is a particularly perfidious type of fraud. Those affected are led to believe that they have caused damage. There is only one reaction to this.
Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) also spoke about the heating law, which caused major discussions last year, at a citizens’ dialogue on the 75th anniversary of the Basic Law in Berlin. He admitted that the law had gone too far.