Don't waste your money | 2 easy steps to avoid bogus car rental charges and fees | Business

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Many people may opt to rent a car for their upcoming 2024 vacations, but when you return it, do you just drop it off and go?

Consumer reporter John Matarese explained why that can be risky. He wants people to be aware, so they don't get billed for damage they didn't cause.

Butch Hatcher is a clean car fanatic, who loves shining his BMW, so imagine his surprise when a rental car company charged him hundreds in cleaning fees.

"They charged me $300 for a clean up," Hatcher said.

But the cleaning fee was only one surprise. Hatcher's receipt showed a late fee of $140 a day for a wee, even though he insists he had returned the car.

"They said I didn't turn it in. They said their records show the car wasn't turned until a week later." Hatcher said.

It turns out, he dropped the car off after hours.

"I called customer service and told them I dropped it out front and put the key under the passenger side seat," he said.

Now a national consumer group said it is getting complaints from all over the country from renters who said they turned in a rental car in pristine conditions, but a few days later, they got a bill for cleaning or damage.

"Car rental companies do like to broadside customers with bills like this," said Chris Elliott, founder of the consumer advocacy group "The Elliott Report."

"There's no one there, you just drop the key off. Guess what? That's still your responsibility," he explained.

The Elliott Report said to protect yourself, take cell phone photos of the rental car, so they can't claim you damaged it.

"Take pictures that show the rental car before, and take pictures afterwards as well," he advised.

Elliott said you can never take too many picture of a rental car, and he said you can never take too many pictures of a rental car. he said to save them for six months -- just in case.

Hatcher vows he will never drop off a rental car again, if there's no one there to check it out personally.

Matarese said try to avoid overnight drop-off, and take the expert's advice to document the car with pictures.

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