Reclamano i danni già esistenti nel veicolo. Durante il check-in erano visibili graffi e segni generalmente descritti sulla fiancata dell’auto (con immagini di scarsa qualità). Durante il check-in, ho registrato tutto in video e ho indicato gli esatti danni (ingrandendo lo stesso punto esatto – Video registrato il 20/04/2026 15:36h – Allegato A). Il personale locale ha affermato che non costituivano un problema e che si trattava di graffi minori, che non dovevano essere segnalati/inseriti nel sistema. Al mio ritorno, il personale locale mi ha detto che era tutto in ordine e mi ha incoraggiato a lasciare la stazione, cosa che facevo normalmente. Dopo la partenza, sono rimasto sorpreso da un’e-mail/fattura di Roadsurfer che dichiarava presunti nuovi danni durante il mio noleggio (gli stessi esatti danni dal Video – Allegato A). Ho chiamato l’assistenza e mi hanno detto che era impossibile contattare telefonicamente la Stazione.
Ero ancora ad Hannover e sono tornato immediatamente alla stazione, e ho mostrato il video del ritiro (Video Allegato A) al team locale e al direttore regionale per la Germania settentrionale, Gerhard Hamoser (occasionalmente lì in questo momento). La squadra ha subito riconosciuto l’errore ma non ha fatto nulla per ribaltare la situazione. Fondamentalmente hanno detto che una volta che la falsa affermazione era stata inserita nel loro sistema, non c’era più nulla che potessero fare. Ora il mio deposito è bloccato e in sospeso. Mi trovo di fronte a una potenziale accusa per un danno preesistente ben documentato. Il personale locale ha agito quanto meno in malafede, commettendo forse una frode. Alla stazione sono stato costretto a chiamare il dipartimento di polizia di Hannover e ho documentato anche il caso (reperto B). Sono pronto ad intraprendere un’azione legale contro Roadsurfer e anche a inoltrare questo caso alle autorità fiscali per ulteriori indagini. Se si tratta di un comportamento ripetitivo nei confronti di altri clienti, potrebbe indicare che Roadsurfer può potenzialmente detenere depositi illegalmente presentando richieste inadeguate e generando flussi di cassa operativi illegali contro i clienti defraudati. Se così fosse, anche la frode intenzionale e la negligenza operativa dovrebbero far scattare un enorme campanello d’allarme per le banche, gli investitori e i creditori di questa società.
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di dnlfrz
10 commenti
What timeframe are we talking about? Contact the company, I’m pretty sure it will be cleared up if you have documentation and you’re bringing pretty big guns here.
Is it your first time renting a vehicle? Every company does exactly the same, pretty much everywhere (at least in Europe).
When the insurance contacts you, send what you have and the deposition you made at the police and it should clear the situation.
Don’t expect this to change anything to the way they work, investors or credit 🤣
What kind of insurance do you have? Pretty much the same thing happened to me once. Them claiming scratches, a missing fork or a tea-stained cup (which was already that way, but such a minor thing it didn’t even occur to me to claim it as damage on pickup).
We got into an argument and then the guy said something like „you have full insurance anyway so why do you even bother“….
I think it’s their way to get their damages repaired?
Standard rental company behaviour. You are prepared so I won’t give a shit.
I also had similar happen to le but the worst of it was in the shop doing the once-over before leaving. The guy told me, “check everything”, so I walked around making video and got to the rear right where th bumper looked a little wonky, I saw the guy watching me so I poked it to push it back in and POP the whole bumper sprung off to midway!!! He yells, “whatdjyado???” and fortunately we had eye contact just as I had touched it and it busted, so rather than get flustered I stood up and said, “you were looking right at me, and I have the camera recording, so you know this was hanging by a thread and didn’t do anything”, so he just shook his head and fixed it “properly” with some metal twine. They were gonna charge me for that, for sure, when I came back, and most likely not even fix it anyway. Too bad ppl have to be like this.
So you rented a car that had damages that were not in the system.
U didn’t fill out a form where u tell them that they existed.
U bring it back.
New ppl see the damages that are NOT in the system and so as they are told and report that intern in a form
The system that they fill has its own desk and they can’t stop that
U show them that they were wrong and the admit to it
I don’t see a problem yet. They maybe can’t because there system is shit and they really can’t stop that in their position. The desk now needs time to check that you have proof that those damages were there before.
Maybe…just wait.
Also, refund of deposit takes time anyways.
Just chill, send them a mail with a deadline, consult a lawyer if u wanna be safe. But right now I just think a bad system needs to work itself out and u will get ur money.
I have worked for Roadsurfer for a while and can tell you that doesn’t surprise me much. Most damages that are in the system are made by seasonal workers who don’t care too much, so they often put in low afford. Due to massive financial issues the company made some big changes (especially when it comes to damages) and everything got stricter. So every scratch etc is now getting reported and ends in costs. There is a good chance that they add those old damages to new customers now.
It is really fucked up and there is usually very little customers can do. You should definitely send in a copy of the video and demand clarification that it is an old damage and in worst case threaten with legal actions. The process can take several months in which the deposit will stay frozen (stated in the contract) so don’t expect anything to happen quickly.
All that being said I worked in a different country and therefore things could be different. But from my experience they might hope to drag it out as long as possible. (Witnessed a few fucked up cases)
Contact the company directly, tell them you‘ll hand this over to your lawyer if they don’t resolve it within 14 business days. Attach the video pointing out exactly how you documented everything and that there‘s obviously zero chances and that they should check this specific return station…..it‘s sth all types of car rental stations try…(or their stations)
You’re taking three steps before doing the obvious thing.
There’s no way right now to prove fraud, so I would hold my horses in that direction. I get the feeling where it’s coming from, with rental companies in general, but with the information you have right now, there’s no way to prove intentional fraud.
I also had a damage that was not reported upon departure, since I didn’t notice it, but I had taken pictures all around that luckily showed the damage. The drop off station was forced to document the damage, and after a few email back and forth with their damages department, I got my money back (but not without them sending me an invoice first, which I didn’t have to pay in the end).
Honestly, I’d tone down the fraud and tax authority angle a bit, not because you’re wrong to be pissed, but because it makes the whole thing sound emotional and easier for them to dismiss.
Your strong point is much simpler. You have a pickup video from before the rental showing the same damage, staff told you it was fine, staff later acknowledged the mistake, and now they’re still trying to charge you. That is the clean argument. Keep everything boring, factual, written, and timestamped.
Send them one formal email saying you dispute the claim completely, attach screenshots from the video with the timestamp, mention that the local station and regional manager were shown the footage and acknowledged the damage was pre-existing, and tell them they are not authorized to deduct anything from the deposit. Ask for written confirmation that the claim is cancelled.
If they charge the card anyway, talk to your card provider and dispute it with the evidence. If they keep pushing, then go consumer protection or a lawyer. But don’t lead with investors, banks, tax authorities, massive fraud scheme, all that. That might be true in some bigger pattern, who knows, but your easiest win is proving this specific damage was already there.