Vehicle Damage Waiver: Fill & Download for Free

I hate to say it, but I was the sleazy businessperson. Actually, our whole area was.In the early 2000s, I worked for a rental car company. Odds are, if you rented a car from a local branch and it wasn’t from Black and Yellow Car Rental Company, it was with ours.We were encouraged to say, “… and would you like the damage waiver?” as we helped the person into their vehicle and ran down the contract. If the person said yes, we were to merely circle the amount and not say another word. Most people are in a rush to get away from a car rental location. The rationale was that like the “surprise” charge for adding cheese on a sandwich, customers wouldn’t come back and dispute the charge. (They did. All the time.)To convince people who declined the coverage, we had several tactics to try.Ask if they were sure that their auto insurance would cover them in a rental car. A few companies won’t cover a rental car if your own car is in the shop for repairs (Mercury was one), and other companies only cover a specific driver in a specific car.If they said that their credit card would cover the damage, we’d ask if they knew that they had to first go through their own insurance company since the credit card coverage was supplementary.We’d ask what their deductible was, and write it down, nice and big, and circle it.We’d ask them if they were used to driving the size of car/truck/van they were renting. If not, we’d mention that if they accidentally scraped a pole while parking, the cost of repairing the damage was usually replacing the entire bumper.Oh, they were going to a vacation destination? Did they know that thefts are common in tourist spots and that a broken window doesn’t meet most people’s deductible?I hated it. In general I was a fan of the damage waiver concept, but not the way we tried to scare people into taking it. Unfortunately, the damage waiver count was the main sales number that was used to rate employees’ performance. So, I was just a “bad” sales person, even though my customers were always very happy with my service.Only time I’ve given two weeks’ notice without having another job lined up.

Loss Damage Waiver (LDW) or, as it is often referred to, collision damage waiver (CDW), is usually optional damage insurance coverage that is available to you for an extra cost when you rent a car.Technically it is not insurance, since it is a waiver between the renter and the company that the company waives their right to charge the renter for valid damages to the vehicle. Rental companies are not licensed or regulated as insurers. There are also no claims made. Rental companies treat CDW as a waiver of their right to make the renter pay for damage to the car.Basically if you pay for LDW/CDW when you rent the car and have an accident or damage the car in some manner, or the car is stolen, then you will have no financial liability as long as the car was not used in a negligent or otherwise prohibited manner.

What does a collision damage waiver not cover?An excellent question. Let’s start with what may be obvious.Liability and Personal Injury Protection/Medical Payments: Collision Damage Waiver does not cover:Injury or Property Damage to Third Parties (people, property outside your vehicle)Injuries to you and others in your carThese exposures typically can be purchased through supplementary insurance or your auto insurance policy.Physical Damage to the Rental Vehicle:Collision Damage Waiver will dispense all damages and fees following loss to a rental car, but it important to know there are numerous exclusions. (See a sample AVIS contract) Those exclusions include the following:Damage intentionally caused or by reckless conductDamage caused while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.Damage caused while racingDamage caused while committing a crimeDamage caused while suing the car outside the US or Canada.Damage caused while using the car on a surface not intended for use by Private Passenger Autos. (IE: 4-wheeling!)Damage following a vehicle rented using misleading information.Damage following an accident where you fail to promptly notify the rental car agency or police.Damage caused by an unauthorized driver.One of the most frequent reasons that rental car companies deny coverage is because of unauthorized use of the rental vehicle. It is important to note, that most auto insurance policies will also exclude use of a rental vehicle by a person not “entitled to do so”.Moral of the question…. Make sure you understand the terms of your rental car agreement!