Recently, when a college student was claimed as much as 70,000 yuan for a tiny scratch (3 cm scratch) on the headlight just because he rented a car for one day, we couldn't help but ask: Is this an upgraded version of the "lantern damage assessment"? How should the rights and interests of consumers be protected?
1. Review of the incident: The car rental encountered a sky-high claim
On April 3, a college student rented an Audi A6 through an online car rental platform in "Xinsheng Car Rental", and when the vehicle was returned, the merchant not only refused to return the 10,000 yuan car rental deposit, but also claimed up to 70,000 yuan from the consumer, which quickly aroused widespread concern and heated discussions in the society, and also made people have to re-examine and think about many problems and irregularities in the car rental industry.
2. The focus of the dispute: small scratches lead to huge claims
In this case, the focus of the controversy was mainly on the issue of damage assessment of scratches. After evaluation, the Audi 4S store made it clear that the tiny scratch on the headlight can be repaired by technical means, and the cost is only about 2,200 yuan. However, the car rental companies had a different opinion, and they insisted on replacing the original headlights with new ones, and the value of the headlights was as high as 49,000 yuan, plus various additional costs, which made the claim amount soar to 70,000 yuan. Whether such a huge claim is justified has sparked widespread controversy.
3. Response from the car rental bank: three solutions are proposed
In the face of consumer doubts and the pressure of public opinion, the car rental company proposed three solutions: one is to send the car rental directly for repair and sue, with a total compensation cost of 68,800 yuan; second, the car rental company to apply for insurance, with a total compensation cost of more than 20,000 yuan; and the third is to send the vehicle to the car rental company's familiar repair shop, with a total compensation cost of 8,800 yuan. None of these solutions satisfied consumers, but instead made people question the sincerity and professionalism of the car rental companies.
Fourth, the department intervenes: to protect the rights and interests of consumers
After the incident fermented, the Housing Construction and Transportation Bureau of Wuhou District, Chengdu City quickly intervened in the investigation. After mediation, the rental company finally refunded the renter's entire deposit. At the same time, the bureau also imposed administrative penalties on car rental companies for the illegal acts of engaging in car rental services without filing in accordance with the regulations. The results set an example for consumers and serve as a warning to the car rental industry that it must regulate its own behavior.
Netizens hotly discussed:
Epilogue:
Although this incident was finally properly resolved, the problems exposed in it are still worthy of our deep consideration. As a consumer, you must carefully read the terms of the contract when renting a car and properly keep all relevant evidence, so that you can effectively defend your rights and interests in the event of a dispute. At the same time, we also strongly call on the relevant departments to further strengthen the supervision and management of the car rental industry to ensure that the legitimate rights and interests of consumers are effectively protected.
So, what do you think about this incident? How do you think similar incidents can be avoided? Welcome to leave a message in the comment area to discuss!