First time renting a car on my own and could really use some advice.
Rented from Avis on 1/28. Booked the reservation using Klarna via Apple Pay. At pickup they needed a card for the incidentals hold. I didn’t have a physical credit card with me, but after some extra verification they accepted my debit card for the hold.
Fast forward to today (2/2), two days before return. While driving off the highway I noticed a couple small chips on the passenger side of the windshield. When I parked, one of those chips had turned into a nice 3–4 inch crack starting from the edge. It’s been unusually cold and windy in Florida and there’s been debris flying everywhere from trucks.
I didn’t buy Avis’s extra insurance because it would’ve basically doubled the cost of an already expensive rental. I’ve read similar posts here, but most people used a credit card for both booking and the hold. My situation is different since I used Klarna for the booking and a debit card for the hold.
So now I’m stressing:
Am I totally screwed here?
Do I just return the car and wait to see if they contact me?
If they do contact me, what’s the best way to push back?
Since they have my debit card, can they just pull whatever amount they want from my checking account?
Any advice would be hugely appreciated. Definitely learning some lessons the hard way on this one.
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