Thrifty (Dollar) Car Rental Experience MCO

Question

Just wanted to share something that happened to me at MCO recently in the hopes it saves someone else some money. Just to be clear, I am an experienced renter and have rented from Thrifty and Dollar (they are the same company) dozens of times.

I rented an SUV from them on December 29th for about a week. I explicitly declined collision damage waiver since it is provided by my credit card (AMEX platinum), and explicitly declined their supplementary liability insurance as it is provided by my home auto insurance. When the check-in agent offered me both of these I verbally and *explicitly* declined each of them and very clearly explained my reasons why. I had both my home auto insurance policy AND a copy of my amex auto insurance policy with me. I always keep these with me to avoid any issues at the rental desk.

When my final receipt came at the end of the rental period, I saw that I was charged $175 for the liability insurance supplement which I supposedly "accepted". I called Thrifty immediately to have this refunded and they ultimately told me they could not as I supposedly signed and accepted this liability insurance supplement.

The only explanation I have for this is that when the agent at the desk told me to "sign this" for my car rental, I was actually signing to accept the liability insurance supplement that I had already verbally declined to him, and he KNEW I didn't want it.

Now you could make the case that I should have more closely read the contract, but considering that I already explicitly told him I did not want the insurance supplement, I would not have expected him to literally scam me and add it to the contract anyway.

I consider this literal theft and under no circumstances would I rent from Dollar or Thrifty again. If anyone reading this is considering doing so - either a) read your contract extremely thoroughly or b) just avoid them altogether and go with a better company.

Answer

Thanks for sharing your experience; this is unfortunately a fairly common issue with some rental companies. It’s a good reminder to be vigilant at the rental desk, especially when declining optional insurance products.

Here’s a breakdown of key points and tips based on your experience and common practices:

Even if you verbally decline insurance (CDW, SLI, etc.), some rental companies may require a signature on the contract, and the paperwork may include pre-checked boxes that automatically add these products unless you specifically mark them declined.
Credit card coverage and personal auto insurance can often cover rental vehicles, but rental staff may not be familiar or may attempt to push additional insurance regardless.
Always carefully review the contract before signing, especially the sections that mention optional insurances. Verbal confirmation at the counter does not override a signed agreement.

Practical steps to protect yourself and avoid unexpected charges:

Ask the agent to hand you the contract and highlight where any optional coverage is listed before you sign. Make sure declined items are clearly marked.
Keep copies of your credit card and auto insurance coverage documentation, as you did, to support any disputes.
Take photos of the signed contract and the counters showing your initials next to declined items.
Consider pre-booking through a major rental company (Enterprise, Hertz, Avis, Budget) that has a more transparent record of declined coverages and better customer service.
If a charge does appear erroneously, escalate to corporate customer service with documentation, including your signed contract, verbal notes, and coverage proof. Sometimes filing a dispute through your credit card company can help recover the amount if the rental company refuses to refund.

Bottom line: verbal declines are not enough. Always read and initial/sign carefully, and for high-risk situations, consider using a company with a stronger track record of transparency. Sharing these experiences helps others avoid costly mistakes.

Thrifty (Dollar) Car Rental Experience MCO

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