Sally sorts it out: I was bullied by a car rental company into buying extra £581 insurance that I knew I didn’t need

My wife and I fly to Orlando, Florida at least twice a year. We always book a rental car and never have any problems.

But in April, when we went to pick it up from Dollar Car Rental, the agent refused to let us take the vehicle unless we paid a $738 (£581) deductible for six weeks.

Even though I told him we had our own standalone coverage – and showed him the policy number – he wouldn’t accept it. Tired after two flights and 18 hours of travel, I felt like I had no choice but to pay. I was furious. I complained later but to no avail. Can you help?

YES, East Lothian

Sally Hamilton replies: Your story about the problems with the car rental counter made me groan. The hard sell to weary travelers is a threat that must be stopped, but unfortunately is likely to continue as long as vacationers rent a car.

For years, many travelers have been fooled into believing that they had to pay at the counter for something called ‘Super Collision Damage Waiver’.

Although rental car contracts have a certain level of insurance, this additional policy is intended to cover the parts not included here – mainly the excess charged in the event of a claim, which is typically £1,000 – £2,000.

It can also cover exclusions such as the cost of a blown tire or windscreen damage.

But it is not mandatory to take it out. Customers can decide to take the financial hit themselves, if necessary, by paying the deductible, or, as you did, take out a standalone policy, which is miles cheaper.

For example, your annual global policy from iCarhireinsurance cost you £133 – four times cheaper than the Dollar policy which only covered the period of your trip.

If an incident occurs that incurs repair costs, the driver simply pays the agreed deductible to the rental company and later claims the costs on the policy.

Whether you are self-insured or take out a standalone plan, drivers will still have the value of the excess on their credit card reserved by the rental company during the rental period, and will retain some or all of this value if a chargeable incident occurs occurs.

You were well within your rights to reject the rental company’s high-pressure sales techniques, but you felt like you had no way out because the agent wouldn’t let you take the car. You and your wife are in your 70s and you say she is seriously suffering from arthritis, so after the long flight you were both tired and she was in severe pain, so they wanted to get to your destination quickly.

You filed a complaint with Dollar upon your return from Orlando, but got nowhere. It was hidden behind the fact that you had signed for the additional coverage.

So I took the wheel and asked Dollar to investigate what went wrong and to refund you. Within two days, the rental company made a complete switchover and refunded you the full $738.

Dollar has apologized directly to you ‘for any misunderstandings’. A spokesperson for Hertz, which owns Dollar, tells me: “Customer satisfaction is our top priority and we regret this customer’s experience. Although associates are trained to provide information about our value-added services, our vehicle protection plans are optional.

‘We have apologized, issued a refund and will reinforce our policy with staff to ensure clear communication to customers.’

My daughter bought me a Dyson Airwrap hairdryer last November and it has never worked. I have contacted Dyson repeatedly without resolving the issue. I’m so frustrated. They promise to send a return label, but it never arrives. Can you please help?

MM, Glasgow

Sally Hamilton replies: You were thrilled to receive such a generous gift from your daughter, but were extremely disappointed that the £479.99 hairdryer never worked properly.

You only used it three times because it turned off after a few minutes, and each time you had to wait about 15 minutes before it restarted. You were forced to fall back on your old hairdryer. The Dyson Airwrap was clearly defective.

Under the Consumer Rights Act, purchases must be ‘of satisfactory quality, as described or fit for purpose’. If not, the buyer can request a refund, replacement or repair depending on how much time has passed since the purchase.

If a problem occurs within 30 days of purchase, buyers can request a full refund. You didn’t realize the hairdryer had a problem until afterwards, because you hadn’t opened the gift (bought in November) until Christmas and didn’t start using it until a few weeks later.

The law gives customers six months to return faulty goods, unless the retailer can prove the item was not faulty when purchased. One attempt to repair or replace the product is allowed, but if that fails, the customer can ask for a refund.

You went out of your way to show Dyson that the hairdryer wasn’t working. For example, in March you showed an agent via video call that it had been disabled and could not be restarted. She told you she would make sure it was picked up, but no one came.

After contacting Dyson twice more before the end of March and ensuring a courier would pick it up, still no one showed up.

You called again in April and were promised a return label by email so that you could send the hairdryer. You were given a 25% off coupon to say sorry, but the label never arrived and more empty promises followed.

Anyone who buys a hairdryer that costs around $500 can expect a fully functioning appliance and top-notch customer service.

I asked Dyson to put things right. I’m happy to say that the response this time was faultless and you received a full refund within days. A spokesperson apologized and said: “We have been in contact with MM and have resolved the issue.”

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