Business Description:
As a family-owned and -operated business since 1994, Carl's Van Rentals has been providing affordable van rentals to residents & vacationers throughout Florida.
Categories
Vehicle Rentals
automotive
Carl's Van Rentals
3011 McCoy Rd, Orlando, FL 32812, USA
(407) 856-8866

Service

Total Experience

Will Recommend

Ron B.

West Melbourne, FL

Carl's Van Rentals

Sprinter Van Rental

I must say that my rental experience with Carl's VAN RENTAL, the van, and the overall treatment of the employees is deserving of a 5-star review. BUT what happens once you return is BEYOND REASONABLE. I rented a Mercedes Sprinter 15-passenger van for a high school cross country trip. I am a coach. We reviewed ALL the possible rental fees, conditions, policies, rules... you name it. All specifications were covered in depth through conversation with the counter employees. We purchased ALL additional insurance so that we could take this trip without cause for fear of added charges. Our trip was without incident. On our return to drop the van though, while on the highway a pebble popped up and it hit the side window. It was barely noticeable as a chip but it quickly stared a hairline crack. AGAIN, this was NOT noticeable as these vans have dark black tint. When we returned the van they did the once over and reported it returned in good shape. BUT IN GOOD FAITH I pointed out the window, explained what happened and was CONFIDENT through all our conversations and coverage explanations that we were covered by one of the two insurance policies. Two weeks after my return my credit card was charged $1250!!! I did NOT even receive a phone call to explain what was going on. I did NOT get a courtesy of even telling me ahead of time that my card would be charged. THIS IS BAIT AND SWITCH AT ITS FINEST! The counter help TOLD ME SPECIFICALLY you better get the full insurance because "I have seen people rip the AC units right off these vehicles when they forget how tall they are. It is crazy the amount of damage people return a vehicle with and you don't want to have to pay for that!" I WENT INTO THE TRIP CONFIDENT THAT WE WERE COVERED. For goodness sake a Sprinter van is 50% glass! How can NONE OF IT be covered for damage. I would have been better off running the vehicle square into a wall and returning it totaled! These kids fundraise all year to take this trip and now AS THEIR VOLUNTEER COACH I either dip into my own pocket or have the kids pay???? I CANNOT write enough to explain how angry I am about these HIDDEN risks and fees and unannounced charges! BUYER BEWARE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Update 8-31-22
These are NOT FALSE STATEMENTS!
You have invoiced me for for LOSS OF USE.
My credit card WAS charged without any notice.
I got a local estimate that was 25% less expensive and that was NOT considered by you or your insurance company.
But MOST IMPORTANTLY - the Carls Van employee COMPLETELY believed all damage to the vehicle was covered with the insurance that was sold to us. HE believed it. He sold it to us that way. WE believed it. I was NOT aware that ANY uncontrollable damage to the windows of a Mercedes Sprinter van would be out of pocket. This van has $10,000 plus in windows!! WHY would you rent this vehicle with this much UNCOVERABLE liability to anyone without making them FULLY aware of the possibility of such charges??
Small company or not... you owe it to your clients to be 100% honest and upfront about possible out of pocket expenses!
Correspondence with: Alternative Claims Management (The Insurance company) and Carl’s Van Employees
Johnm Carlsvanrentals
Tue, Jul 12, 11:19 AM

to me


I added the Renters Collision Package (physical damage) and I also notice on your driver license that you are a
Veteran so I applied that discount so the difference for the whole contract will only be approximately $79.00 after adding the physical damage coverage.

Also, I would need your Florida Tax Exempt form, as the State of Florida does not recognize the IRS form. Assuming you may not have that, I made some adjustments to make it work for you.

At this point, everything is set for Saturday afternoon.

Thank you
Jeanine L.
Mon, Jul 25, 3:05 PM

to COACHRON


Hello,
This email is to let you know that new damage was found on the vehicle you recently rented from Carl’s Van Rentals. Right now our understanding is that new damage was located on your vehicle upon inspection after your return.

We are currently investigating this damage, and will get an estimate from a body shop as soon as scheduling permits. In accordance with our rental agreement, we have taken a damage deposit on the credit card provided for your rental. This deposit will go toward the cost of your repairs or toward your deductible if you choose to use your insurance for a claim. Any overages will be refunded to you promptly.

Here is a brief overview of what will happen with your claim:
We will verify not only the inspection form done for your rental, but the photo’s we took before and after your rental. If you have any photo’s before or after your rental, please provide them to us. We will look at the rental agreement, photo’s of damage, review any accident report forms, and of course welcome any feedback or information you may have about this damage. Estimates are provided by approved body shops and are available to every customer. Damage is not a profit center for us (it is a significant expense!) and there is no point in the process where we experience a net gain. We value our relationship with our customers, and will be completely transparent with you at every step of the process.

Our process in detail:

1. We are not remotely interested in charging any of our clients for damage that they did not cause.
2. We will thoroughly investigate any claim, and consider any information presented to us.
3. We will get a body/mechanical estimate for repairs from a certified, fully licensed, and trusted shop as soon as possible.
4. Please note, in cases where the damage is purely cosmetic, we may have to delay getting an estimate in favor of honoring our existing reservations. Because we guarantee our rentals, this can result in significant delays upon occasion. However we will thoroughly document the damage in question with photographs.
5. We will turn the claim over to a professional claims processing company.
6. The professional claims processing company will by default submit the claim to your insurance company. If you want to have the option to pay out of pocket for the repair, plus loss of use, diminished value, administrative fees (as allowed by law), please contact me ASAP so we can indicate your preference to the claims company.
7. Please keep in mind that you may still be responsible for the insurance deductible, as well as any expenses not covered by your insurance policy. Some insurance companies have exclusions in their policies for administrative fees, loss of use, etc. These costs can be significant. We advise checking with your insurance company before telling us to pursue the claim with them.



We know no one is happy about being responsible for damage. On the other hand, we hope you understand that there is no way we can stay in business if we are forced to absorb all the expense of damage caused by our renters. We take your business seriously, and we promise you that at all times we will do our best to make sure the final resolution is fair to all parties.

If you have any additional questions, you are welcome to call our claims manager directly at: 407-383-2321, or email at Jeanine@CarlsVanRentals.com.

Ron
Tue, Aug 16, 5:10 PM

to Jeanine


Sorry, heticate week with school starting, We have been working with Renee's insurance company since she was driving. Additionally, your quote is very high, Safelite can do it for $900. Insurance company will need 3 bids I do believe, I gave them yours and the one I got from safelite. Please provide additional insurance coverage policy details, nothing we got at the time of rental had any details as to coverage. Ray told us that the Van would be covered completely, even joked about replacing an AC unit for $5000 under insurance. I bought the additional insurance at Ray's recommendation to cover the entire van. Any additional charges to AMEX will be disputed as you do not have authorization to charge beyond the $500 that Ray quoted.

Thanks
Ron

Jeanine L.
Wed, Aug 17, 2:27 PM

to Ron

Mr B,
I have seen the review you recently left about our company and think we need to discuss what you’ve written / your perspective vs the perspective I have from our communications. Also your email from last night, perhaps things have been mixed up in the understanding of the specifics of this new damage claim that you could have directed to me before you chose to escalate.

The only reason the card on file was charged was because I had not received any communication back from you in several days since my email to you on the 7th stating there was no coverage, along with some potential options for you, and asking you to get back to me by the end of last week. I even waited until Tuesday before doing the additional damage charge which is still refundable, as soon as the claim is settled. We do our best to work fairly with every customer and you never gave us a chance. I have attached below a few things for your review.

A few more items... in your email last night, a request for additional insurance coverage policy details. I had sent those to you August 4th. You also stated you would dispute the charges but we have not only the signed rental agreement but also the signed authorization form that specifically states we can charge for all charges arising under the rental agreement. I have attached a copy below.

We are still committed to working with you to get the best solution if possible. Your best route at this point I believe, is to do as I suggested and see if you can make an insurance claim or see if the amex has coverage. On our side, this claim has been sent to Alternative Claims so you will work with them directly rather than any Carl’s employee. They will now be working on our behalf and can be reached at 210-340-4400. We have provided them your email address and the phone number 321-210-9590. They will reach out once the demand for the claim is complete. If you already have insurance or any other claim info, please send that to me and I’ll forward it to them or you can provide it directly to ACM. Your claim number is #00541636. Once we get payment, we will refund the card the balance.

Attached below is a photo taken of the additional products we sell that are on our countertops when at our location. You will notice the difference of description of what’s included in the Renters Collision Package (the one you purchased) vs the Personal Protection Package as well as the price difference.

Bria Talley btalley@altclaim.com
10:16 AM (4 hours ago)

to me


Good morning,

We did confirm with the client that the additional coverage that you purchased does not cover glass and/or tire damages. I will attach the document that you signed, and it states that the vehicle will be covered for any damages related to collision, vandalism, fire, windstorm, hail or flood. In this instance, a rock hitting the windshield would be covered under comprehensive coverage. Please let us know how you would like to proceed with this claim at this, since the rock hitting the windshield is not considered a collision.

Thank you,

Bria Talley
Damage Recovery Specialist
Alternative Claims Management

Ron
2:33 PM (42 minutes ago)

to Bria


A police report has been filed!
You still have not addressed the fact that there is only 1 quote and not several. There is no proof of repair and any dates to correspond.
Insurance companies mandate at least 3 quotes for any work is performed. I'm requesting the same. I provided one within 2 days of rental for $900.
I have asked repeatedly for Carl's to provide details of the policy of the RCP. Nothing. All we have is a summary provided only after the rental was returned. First line,
"This is only a brief description of the benefits available under this agreement", where is the rest?
Best regards,
Ron

Bria T.
3:05 PM (23 minutes ago)

to me


Good afternoon Mr. B,

As far as your request for multiple estimates to be completed, we cannot have this completed as per your contractual agreement our client can choose who they feel fit to complete the repairs. You have expressed the need for the terms and conditions of the RCP coverages. Again, it states this coverage does not take into effect without a police report. For this coverage to activate we will need a copy of the report or the police department’s information and the report number. Can you please provide us with the police report information once you receive it? However, these are extra steps that we are taking in hopes that the collision coverage would be available even though Carl’s Van Rental already confirmed that glass is not covered.

Ron
3:29 PM (0 minutes ago)

to Bria


With all due respect I can not find the clause that the client can choose anybody they want, that leads to insurance fraud. I was told by Jay to purchase additional insurance because my current policy would not cover "the entire van" .