From Excitement to Regret

The car was parked in the lot while we went for dinner. An Italian person scratched the car from the back to the front with a key. The staff admitted it wasn't due to improper driving but incidental damage. Rushing to catch a flight, we had no time to report it to the police. The staff said, according to their policy, the estimated damage was 1400 euros. Basic insurance covers up to 900 euros, and there was no room for negotiation. We had to pay 900 euros to proceed. This was a very, very unpleasant car rental experience! First, I think the car rental company overestimated the damage cost excessively in such a special situation. It felt like a scam! Big car rental companies have designated repair centers, and the damage estimation cost is way too high. A car worth just over ten thousand euros, and we ended up paying 900. Second, the car rental websites shouldn't focus solely on low prices to attract customers. Our situation was quite special, and it's impossible to assess a region's security before renting a car. Such insurance should be included in the basic coverage to ensure the car rental experience. Overall, this experience completely ruined our car rental trip. We bore a significant risk without any fault of our own!