There are numerous threads regarding renting a car with insurance and what is or is not covered. Well, I was just down in the DR for a week and I had abit of a nasty auto accident so, I thought I would share my experiences for others to learn from.
First a little background info. I typically rent a Honda CRV for weeks at a time and I've always rented from Gypsy/Jason at Adventure-Rent-A-Car, they are located right at the POP airport. I've rented from them NUMEROUS times (too many to count) and although their pricing is a little higher than you can find elsewhere, I've NEVER had a problem with them. Plus they have a good reputation on various forums. I fill out and sign all the forms and a credit card slip is processed at the amount of $65/day. When I return the car in satisfactory condition, I pay in cash at a rate of $50/day and the forms and credit slips are ripped up. The "understanding" is that if I am ever in an accident then all the forms/credit card information is processed and I am fully covered under insurance, both their's and my credit card's. Well, here's what happened to me, when I got into an accident:
I do want to state that although Dominican drivers are crazy, this accident was entirely my fault. I rear-ended a 1997 Toyota Corolla with a 2002 Honda CRV and although we were traveling in the left-hand lane of a 4 lane road with a divider in the middle and I have no idea why the Corolla slammed on his brakes and came to a dead stop in front of me, I did rear-end him and take full responsibility.
Now, I hit the Corolla pretty hard, I had just glanced down at the time on my cell phone and when I looked up it was too late to stop. I did manage to slam on the brakes and I figure that I probably hit him at around 10-15 mph, which doesn't sound like alot, but I did substantial damage to the Corolla as well as the CRV. Roughly 1/3 of the Corolla's trunk was pushed in, both tail lights were shattered, center rear panel trim was shattered and the bumper had a HUGE gash down the right side of it. The CRV had it's bumper and front grill pushed completely in, the radiator and a/c condenser coils were folded in half and the electric fans behind the radiator and in front of the motor were both shattered. Both cars did start and run, although the CRV had all of it's coolant leaking out onto the highway.
The Corolla had 5 passengers (1 male driver and 4 female passengers) and I was alone. Thankfully, noone was hurt, not even a case of whip-lash. Surprisingly, the other party didn't come storming out, screaming at me. We both checked to make sure everyone was safe and I then proceeded to call Jason to ask what I needed to do. He told me he would be right over from the airport to help me out. We left both cars parked where the accident occurred and waited for Jason to come. Two police cars stopped on two seperate occasions, the first was a policia nacional and the second was a policia trafico. Neither stuck around, they both just looked around and then got back into their cars and left. A Dominican lawyer did show up asking the other party if they needed his services though! I guess not too far from what happens here in the US. His services were graciously declined and he continued on his way.
Jason finally showed up and we all eventually ended up at the police station. There all information of both parties were taken down (you need your driver's license in hand and need to know your passport number). Car registration and insurance is of course provided by the rental company. The officer basically just wrote down an explanation of what happened in a notebook and had both parties sign it. Then of course, I had to tip the officer 200 pesos so, I could have the process of having an official police report in hand by the time I returned back to the States. Otherwise, I believe it would take roughly a week for the report to be ready.
And ultimately, in the end this is what I ended up having to pay for:
I had to personally pay for all damages to the Toyota Corolla. This included 2 new rear tail-lights, the center rear trim, new rear bumper and the work to straighten out the chassis, install and paint everything. All that came to roughly 14,000 pesos.
I had to also pay up front for all the damages to the CRV. This included a new front bumper, new radiator, new dual electric fan setup, new a/c condenser coil, new front grill and the labor to install and paint everything. That came to roughly 32,000 pesos.
The "full" insurance that is provided has a deductible of 90,000 pesos. So, any damages incurred from 1-90,000 pesos comes out of the renter's pocket. Apparently, this is standard policy practice down in the DR.
So, 46,000 pesos came directly out of my pocket. My credit card was charged for the full amount of $65/day and I have to provide my credit card company with receipts for all the damages, copy of the rental agreement and a copy of the police report. I will be reimbursed for everything minus $500.00.
I never thought I would see the inside of a Dominican police station. Thankfully, I have the means to pay for all the damage I caused immediately. Otherwise, I believe you are held until you CAN round up the money somehow/someway.
Now, considering I have been driving around all over the island under the assumption that I was fully covered for any kind of accident and I could just literally walk away from one, this was a good wake up call for me. There is no rental insurance that comes with full insurance that allows you to walk away from an accident. If you ask, the counter people will charge you for all the extraneous crap that you can want but ultimately, you will have to pay for damages out of your own pockets and seek reimbursement elsewhere.
Although, I have no problems with Jason and Adventure-Rent-A-Car, I will no longer rent cars from them anymore. I will seek out the cheaper alternatives because I now know, that paying extra for "premium insurance coverage" really doesn't get you anything more.
Live and learn...
- J.
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