Turo

How I got ripped off during my very first Turo rental

If you follow my column here at Hooniverse, you’ll know that I’m currently without a primary car. The used market was so crazy that I sold my BMW M4 back in October. Since then I’ve been getting by on press loaners and our family SUV. Well, recently we had a confluence of events where the kids all had to go in different directions and we only had one vehicle.

I fired up the Turo app and found a great looking Ford Bronco Sport available nearby at a reasonable price. This was my first Turo rental and it very much went sideways resulting in a surprise $170.78 “cleaning” fee.

Here’s what happened and how you can avoid it as a consumer. Stay tuned for an amazing update at the end.

It even had temp tags!

Everything seemed smooth

I was quite pleased with my Turo experience initially. The vehicle was new enough that I could use the Turo Go app to unlock it. I sent the host a note earlier in the day saying that I would be walking over and asked if it would open before noon (my rental start time) if I arrived earlier. I got no response until six hours later (so much for the “Response Time: 1 minute” rating), so I killed some time and grabbed lunch. The app unlocked the vehicle, I completed the check-in process and was off.

Then I set about doing it’s sole chore, dropping off and picking up kids. My youngest had ice hockey, so I dropped him there and set off to pick the other two. My older kids split time with between my house and their mother’s, about 50 minutes away in Maryland. I drove out, picked them up, no drama, easy day. One 17 year old male (human) and one 14 year old female (also human) successfully shuttled back to Virginia, ready for a fun pre-holiday weekend.

I dropped them off at home to start on the pizza and my wife followed me back over to the drop-off location. Turo requires a limited number of photos for check-in, basically driver’s side, passenger side and the front and rear on the outside and the mileage and petrol level on the inside. We barely used the car, total miles were well under the 200 mile limit (likely under 100).

I submitted a very positive response, though I was honest regarding “responsiveness” due to the six-hour reply lag and figured that was that. I was excited to continue to use Turo over the coming months until my Mustang Mach-E arrives.

It wasn’t smooth…

Oddly enough, I was actually awake at 11:06 PM the following evening (27 hours after the rental terminated). I received a note from the host saying that I had violated Turo policy by transporting a pet in the vehicle. Wait, what? I do have a dog, but he looks like this:

Meet Dublin, he f’ing hates the car.

Our fur-bearing dog Dublin does not shed, much less leave behind long hairs (not the same as fur) like this:

Plus, he also absolutely hates the car. Dublin was in my 2020 Mustang GT when a 17 year old late for his Chipotle pick-up t-boned us at highway speed last spring. The pup was OK, thankfully, but has never been able to get through a car-ride the same since. I quickly informed the host at 11:16 pm that this wasn’t the case, there was no dog in his car, and literally as I hit send, his reply came back at 11:16 pm (emphasis mine):

Hi there, I’m in the process of getting an estimate for the damage to my car. Once I have the estimate, I’ll send it to you for review and then send a request for payment. Don’t worry, I’m aware of the out-of-pocket maximum tied to your protection plan, so my payment request won’t exceed that amount.

Working directly to settle up the cost of the damage should be cheaper and faster than working with the Turo claims team, and I’m here to help if you have any questions.

Turo Host

The bot-like response told me that he had already queued up his claim and whatever I said did not matter. I informed Turo customer service via chat who made a note, but said that I needed to call the help line the next morning.

Additional bill #1 (of 2)

Customer Host Service

The host said that he was “in the process of getting an estimate for the damage to my car” for the pet hair and claimed scratches. An estimate which I still have not seen. I was contacted the next day by Stevie from “Power Host Support“, which should have told me all I needed to know about who was getting supported by Turo (hint: it’s not the customer, it’s the host).

I thought I had a chance at this point…

So I was assessed a $170.78 fee (including a $4.50 processing fee and a $16.28 Renter sales Tax) to my account for the “policy violation”. I eventually found the breakdown to be a $150 fee for “cleaning” and the rest goes to Turo. It’s unclear how much the host gets.

I was able to disagree with the charges and state my side of the case the next day via email (sent at 8:09 am) and the via an additional automated “claims” request to input the information via the Turo website (submitted at 11:07am). I wrote up what happened, how the vehicle was used, and provided a photo of my dog.

At 12:49 pm I heard from Britt in the “Executive Support Team“. Me not being an executive at Turo, I also didn’t really think she was here to support me. I was correct.

I reached out, there was no reply.

I responded immediately, continuing my rebuttal that there was no dog in the vehicle, but never received a response. In the future though, I will make sure to “disclose concerns as soon as they arise”! Thank goodness I was able to receive that valuable information.

Lessons Learned

The easiest way to not get scammed is simply don’t use Turo. My $92 rental turned into a $263.77 rental (actually more…), I heard from Twitter that others have had varied experiences, some good, some bad. The “entrepreneurial” angle of Turo is attractive, I get why people want to make extra money through hosting. However, there was never a moment where I felt like the company advocated for me as the customer. Their “Power Host” and “Executive” Support teams are clearly not focused on you, the customer, but the host and the bottom line for the company.

Also, pay attention to their “protection” fee. The note I received said that “You declined a protection plan on this trip, which means you are fully financially responsible for all costs related to this damage claim”. I figured that I am older and have great insurance, however that likely automatically made me a target to the host, which is being supported by the company.

Additionally – never rent a new car. The superficial scratches on the door, which looked like they could quickly removed by the host with a rag and some Armor All, were likely the result of (very light) normal use. In a car that only had a couple hundred miles on it when I picked it up, any use would be evident. I still have no freakin clue where the hair came from.

Finally, always take copious pictures on turn-in. Rookie mistake on my part, it was dark and cold when I parked it back in the lot, and the Turo app (perhaps intentionally) guides you through the check-in process with a minimal number of required photos. I take pictures of cars for a living, so I should have thought to document the vehicle better.

Regardless dear renter, if you decide to try Turo, beware. I won’t be going back. Especially because of what happened next.

Update: It’s Getting Worse…

As I was writing this, things got better, and somehow much worse. I got a note from Robert in Turo Claims. They determined that the pet hair did not warrant a $150 cleaning fee. However, the owner is pushing forward with damage claims for the vehicle.

When it comes to the cleaning fees you were charged, we have also agreed that those fees for cleaning will be refunded to you directly. The pet hair in the vehicle does not warrant the charge of cleaning/deep cleaning fees that were charged to you. Because of that, we will be issuing you a refund for those fees you were charged.

In summary, Turo has reviewed the claim in great detail and have determined the following:

Based on Valid Pre and Post Trip photos, the interior damages/scratches appear to be new and occurred during the Trip. We will move forward with these damages as covered.

Based on the review of cleanliness of the vehicle upon return, we do not agree there should be cleaning fees charged to you and any such fees will be refunded to you.

Robert, Turo Claims Department

After speaking to Robert, there is a new $500 bill pending. Still no estimate, if it costs more than that they will collect more. If it’s less, they’ll give me a refund.

More to come on this story unfortunately.

So what next? Well, Turo has been in trouble with this before, fairly recently:

Yang v. Turo Inc. – 1:20-cv-01049

A 2019 class action suit claiming fees charged by Turo are “unrelated to any costs incurred or services performed” by the company, and constitute a practice that’s “both deceptive and unfair” to consumers. It appears to have been settled out of court, but I reached out to the law firm that represented Mr. Yang for more information.

So I’ll be keeping all options open at this point. Stay tuned…

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34 responses to “How I got ripped off during my very first Turo rental”

  1. Sjalabais Avatar
    Sjalabais

    Well documented little oddyssey there…what a mess! Services like that only work when the framework has some reasonable dispute solutions.

    Quite recently, I bought a cheap DVR off AliExpress, a place I have over 800 orders from over the last decade (yeah, I know, I live out in the middle of nowhere and a quick click-and-wait-three-weeks seems easier than going to a store). The camera was not full HD (1920x1080p), as advertised absolutely everywhere, rather 720p. I felt like I had recourse in the dispute system, that I have used before to get my money back.

    Not this time, though…and it irks me. Just as you portray above, the framework has shifted and become much more seller-friendly. So you end up scammed with no way of righting it, which doesn’t lead up to more use of the platform.

  2. Wayne Avatar
    Wayne

    I’ve been tempted to try Turo, in order to “test drive” vehicles I’m interested in without being pestered by salesmen for weeks afterward. This story certainly give me pause.

    1. Don’t rent from Turo Avatar
      Don’t rent from Turo

      I’m dealing with a damage claim from our very first Turo rental as well. Declined extra protection for the same reasons and have NEVER had a damage claim in 20 years of renting from enterprise so I really didn’t think it was necessary. We took the extra time to vacuum and tidy before dropping off and then our drop off experience almost made us miss our flight because the car wouldn’t lock with the key inside. Had to leave it unlocked.

      Host says the rear view mirror is damaged but this damage can’t be proved not to have been preexisting with photos. We had no idea it was damaged otherwise we would’ve documented it- we did fail to do any documenting at the start of the trip because we really did not know what we were getting ourselves into and I think that made us a target for a claim. Anyway- we now have a $400 invoice and we are disputing it. He can’t prove it wasn’t preexisting. His photos don’t demonstrate anything. I sincerely believe he is trying to pin preexisting damage on us. Who breaks/damages a rear view mirror? How does that even happen? How is wear and tear on a used vehicle my responsibility? Im really angry about this experience. I’m not paying $400 for damages I didn’t cause. I would have a hard time paying them $50 for damages I didn’t cause to be honest but I’d pay that to avoid the headache. $400 is a different story though. I’ll fight this every step of the way and NEVER rent from Turo again. Should’ve stuck with Enterprise.

    2. Jeff Snavely Avatar
      Jeff Snavely

      Go for it! I’ve done this lots and always had great experiences (see my longer post at the bottom).
      Just upload tons of photos (20+) at pickup & drop.

  3. Maymar Avatar
    Maymar

    I’m admittedly biased (I might be employed by one of the supposedly disrupted competitors), but the only time I was ever tempted to use Turo was finding an R107 Benz SL (a 380SL, but still) in Hawaii. Oddball stuff that a major corporation could never justify, but it’s never seemed that competitive on normal consumer products. And not that the big companies are immune to customer service issues, but this seems next level.

    1. Jeff Glucker Avatar
      Jeff Glucker

      “finding an R107 Benz SL (a 380SL, but still) in Hawaii”

      Honestly that would be pretty amazing though… For years, I tried to convince Aston Martin to let me do a story for their owners magazine about one of their cars on the islands. They never went for it, haha.

  4. I_Borgward Avatar
    I_Borgward

    Vehicles whored out by OCD Karens who finally get to be the manager in an unholy union with a faceless corporation hiding in their cyberbunker packed with lawyers and weasel word fine print. Throw in customer time wasted taking pictures and composing multiple texts to customer service drones for the very best First World Hellscape experience.

    Do they make a credit card on a rope? Because you wouldn’t want to drop one around anyone involved here.

  5. smaglik Avatar
    smaglik

    (crosses Turo off list of rental car options)

  6. Dan Mosqueda Avatar
    Dan Mosqueda

    Did you update your review of the owner? It seems like other renters should know about this for this guy. I’ve rented from Turo with really no issues, but they were never new cars. I typically only use National because I have status, but sometimes there are no cars available or their prices are ridiculously high. I’ll be very careful next time.

  7. Salguod Avatar

    Unfortunately, You aren’t Turo’s customer, the owner of the vehicle is. They run a service for people who want to make money renting out their cars, not for renters. Sure, they want you to be happy if possible, but you walking away is not nearly as bad as the vehicle owner walking away.

    Can your auto insurance company be of help here?

  8. OA5599 Avatar
    OA5599

    Bogus charges aside, that’s a lot of items on the bill. Trip charge and trip fee and admin fee?

    I haven’t had any real need for a rental in the past few years, but I would have given Turo a shot. Not anymore. Their “The customer is always wrong” attitude is a dealbreaker.

    1. BobWellington Avatar
      BobWellington

      That’s the problem with things like Turo and AirBNB. You see the initial price and think “hey, that’s a pretty reasonable price.” Then by the time you get to the checkout the price has doubled from all the fees and taxes.

  9. Lokki Avatar
    Lokki

    The percentage of customers who take the trouble to complain to the Better Business Bureau is probably a very small number of those customers with complaints, and to be fair, the number of customers with complaints beyond that is probably a small portion of Turo customers overall.

    https://www.bbb.org/us/ca/san-francisco/profile/auto-renting-and-leasing/turo-1116-378793/complaints

    However, when you look at these problems that WERE reported to the BBB, the pattern is the same: Turo has terrible customer rapacious service that does not listen to complaints. Fees are arbitrary with two common factors: they either appear from nowhere for little reason, and if you ARE aware of them, what you see is a lot less than you will actually pay. The guiding spirt seems to come from Adonijah, King Solomon’s brother. You are aware the famous story of two mothers quarreling before King Solomon about a baby and Soloman’s solution of splitting the baby between the two…well Adonijah’s solution would have been to keep the baby for himself. Yeah.

    This kind of conduct is almost always a result of Company Culture, and will persist as long as the company does.

    Too Long/Didn’t Read: No Turo for me.

    1. Lokki Avatar
      Lokki

      To get a real picture of Turo, and how they have handled some 963 complaints in the San Francisco area, be sure to read the complaints that Turo did respond to… wow, just wow.

      https://www.bbb.org/us/ca/san-francisco/profile/auto-renting-and-leasing/turo-1116-378793/complaints

  10. Come on man Avatar
    Come on man

    It does look like you either allowed the dog to be in the vehicle or the hair came from somewhere.Dog hair is very hard to get off when it comes to cleaning.I’m sure you know.And some people are allergic.
    Writing a whole entire article about your own irresponsible behavior is another thing..If dogs arent allowed..dont let your dog in there.
    If you did, or the hair came from something else, vacuum the car before you check out.
    Also, you know this car belongs to somebody, maybe make sure your kids dont wear sporting goods that scratch the car?
    I mean it is a rental, not a car you own.You borrow something, you bring it back in the same condition.Nobody loans their car to you expecting scratches in their car that will cost more than what you paid for the rental for that day.You renting it doesnt give you the right to damage the interior.You’d be sad if you accidentally scratched the inside of your car right?I guess its offensive to be charged when you damage somebody elses.
    You know you have kids and a dog and you know something may happen, maybe rent an older car?Or just simply tell them to be careful?

    1. David Sanborn Avatar

      Bias, much? I don’t think I’ve read a more astroturfed comment in my years of being a connoisseur of the art form. At no point in your rebuttal do you consider or argue any of the points William made, you just dismiss everything he wrote and double down on your rhetoric.

      I fully plan on eating an entire cabbage then renting your Bronco a few hours later.

  11. smaglik Avatar
    smaglik

    Welp, looks like we found the owner of the vehicle….

    Sorry, ‘Come on man’, after reading the BBB complaints, that all align with the story, you’re scamming up the wrong blog.

  12. Matt Avatar
    Matt

    Sounds like you’re being scammed. Maybe it’s time to name and shame the scam artist.

    1. Sjalabais Avatar
      Sjalabais

      No, “name and shame” is already a difficult route between private parties, but William here sits with power and responsibility that would require publishing the other party’s view, too. Sounds like there might be a follow-up, but for now, it is a platform failure maybe more so than a car owner’s skewed sense of reality.

  13. James Avatar
    James

    There is definitely some scammy-ness going on, but I am sorry I cannot 100% determine by your writing if your dog was or was not in the vehicle at all. I can see you told them no dog and your dog hair doesn’t match the hair provided in the pictures, but then I took it as you were accepting their claim on the dog hair along the way, just not damages being claimed.

    I am reading this after a few drinks, but I am reading this as. You broke terms, there was a dog in the vehicle, hair isn’t from your dog, so something scammy is indeed happening, but still, you broke terms in some way. You breaking terms has opened a hole where some scammy stuff can occur and is occurring.

    1. Randi Avatar
      Randi

      Happy New Year. Hopefully you’ve had a few hours to sober up now, and re-read the article to see that William did not have his own dog in the vehicle; the only living beings transported during his rental of the vehicle were our protagonist and his offspring. He mentioned his own dog only to point out that it avoids car rides and does not shed (it appears to be a Labradoodle, a breed noted for being non-shedding and non-allergenic). No dog in the vehicle=no breach of terms, and even Turo ultimately agreed the cleaning charge was not warranted, though the revised bill does not yet have the charge removed or credited back.

      “Based on the review of cleanliness of the vehicle upon return, we do not agree there should be cleaning fees charged to you and any such fees will be refunded to you.”

      He did mention that check-in only requires interior photos of the fuel level and mileage, so the pet could have been transported by a prior or subsequent renter. At this point it’s he said-she said and Turo holds all the leverage, including our victim’s billing information.

      Mainstream car rental places typically wash and vacuum the car between customers. I guess Turo doesn’t provide that courtesy to the next renter. The mainstream places also are pretty tolerant of damage that goes beyond normal wear and tear, even when they can prove who actually caused it.

  14. scoutdude Avatar
    scoutdude

    This is the reason I’ve never considered Turo or anything similar, on either side of the equation.

    As a renter too much incentive for the owner of the vehicle to come up with a reason to charge a cleaning fee or claim that there are new damages.

    As someone who would rent their car out I’d be too afraid that it would actually get damaged or returned with the detritus of a night of partying, or hauling a bunch of kids.

    So yeah I’ll stick with one of the actual rental car companies and keep my cars to myself or family members and friends I trust.

  15. Abe Avatar
    Abe

    As far as i read this article, i can tell you violated Turo no pet policy . I’m a Turo host with over 1500 trips so far. I’ve seen pet hair and small scratches caused by pet and i always make sure to charge the guest for that. Because those things are hard to clean and also stink the car especially new cars. Pets are messy and cause scratches. I wouldn’t want to rent $50k car and put my pet in it 😂 Turo supports those Whoever has enough Evidence. The host has to charge for scratches since it depreciates the car . Some charge , some don’t. Depending on whom you rent from. I’d recommend you to rent with someone who has tons of good reviews and a big car rental fleet .So you know that , you’re dealing with professional business not random hosts who are there just to make quick money or doesn’t care that much customers service.

    1. Mel Avatar
      Mel

      As someone who almost listed their car on Turo, but hesitated (for good) after reading between the lines on many reditts, bbb complaints, and more- I am almost fairly certain that almost all those favoring in the side of Turo, are paid shills.

      It just makes sense. If I was out there making money with the Turo platform, happy as a clam, carefree and my cars out there earning $$$, why on earth would I be trolling around looking for negative stories to negate?

      Truth is, I wouldn’t. I would be happy, and not here. I noticed a palpable amount of hostility on the Turo forums-little to no comraderie or helpful banter. It has to be. Turo is hiring shills to be the “happy hosts”, claiming that the complainer is actually at fault.

      And here we have Abe: Happily logging 1500 trips (yet not happy enough to mind his own business) quickly denouncing this person as a liar. Why would he lie about not having a pet in his car? Why would he put a dog in the car, and go to this much trouble to say he didn’t? I believe him. I don’t believe Abe.

      1500 trips? How many cars is that? Where do you put them all? How long has Turo been around, even?

      My instinct says Abe is a shill. And as far as I can see- there are a whole bunch of them.

      I’m so sorry for your experience.

  16. Redactle Unlimited Avatar

    It seems that you either allowed the dog to be in the car or that the hair originated from someplace else. When it comes to cleaning, dog hair is quite difficult to remove. I’m sure you’re aware. Some folks are also allergic. Another way is to write a full piece about your own foolish conduct. If dogs are not permitted, do not bring your dog in.

  17. J E Avatar
    J E

    I recently had a very similar experience with Turo. But because of this article I just paid the initial bullshit charge because I did not want the headache or cost of “letting Turo sort it out”. If I ever use Turo again you can bet I will be taking so many many pictures. But I think I might just buy a car instead

  18. Jeff Snavely Avatar
    Jeff Snavely

    I’ve always had great experiences on Turo luckily – only renting higher end fun cars for a day or two but also an old beater Accent for two weeks in Florida. I’ve started always declining the insurance (seem like it used to be cheaper) when I read that Turo always goes through your personal insurance first anyway.
    I do always upload at least 20-30 photos at pickup which probably helps reduce the chance of these kind of bogus claims after.

    One strategy to avoid this might be to rent slightly older cars where a tiny interior scuff wouldn’t be noticed.

    I hope Hoovie (see his recent video on a Turo scam) and William here have left 1-star reviews clearly stating the attempted scams.

  19. Susan Pinkham Avatar
    Susan Pinkham

    Am now disputing a $150 dog hair issue. No dog in car just dog laundry on its was to laundromat. Unbelievable also Juan and Esthela’s 10 year old Nissan had a engine light issue that I checked out and cleared with him mid trip. Bad karma him.

  20. Susan Pinkham Avatar

    Charged $150 clean up on Juan and Esthela’s San Diego 10 year old Nissan. no dog just some dog laundry taken to landromat. Unbelievable considering with his consent I had to take car in to check engine light about catalytic converter.

  21. andiego Avatar
    andiego

    I’m sorry you had to go through that. I believe scams against guest are very common on Turo.
    I was traveling to San Diego for 2 days. The rental was $168 with insurance. The insurance has a $3000 deductible.
    I was scammed by Turo and the owner for $897. I haven’t paid and intend to see a consumer advocate for legal advice.
    The owner claimed I scratched the door panel and under the front bumper cover. The car is white and the 2 scratches look much like chalk, about 2 inches long. There is no bill from a body shop. There was no physical inspection, before or after.
    He did not walk around the car with me. He texted me, the key is in the car. I never saw or spoke to the owner.

    The owner took 300 photos before I picked up the car. Who does that? I took about 30 photos, it took 10 minutes to upload them into the app. How long did it take the owner to take 300 photos and upload them into the app?

    It was raining when I got there, the 300 photos were all of a dry car. The car is new, about 8000 miles. Why would someone rent their new car? To get suckers like me to make the car payment!

    They make you review the owner BEFORE the claim is made. You cannot change it. I had to fight to have my review removed.
    Turo will invoice you and go after your credit report if you refuse to pay. My credit is important, that’s why I believe people should fight.

    Who is Turo going to support? The owners that bring them business or you? They act like a car rental company with no assets, cheap employees from Philippines, and no hassle of maintenance or managing claims.

    Stay away from Turo. It is much cheaper to get a car at the airport.

  22. Rodrigo Wolff Avatar

    Myself alone have over 400 trips completed in a single year with a small fleet of 8 vehicles. I personally know hosts who have over 50 vehicles on their fleet and over 7000 completed trips.

    Turo is a marketplace where you have serious businesses and where you have people trying to make a quick buck. You have great renters and you have horrible renters.

    So dismissing a great platform just on this story or the bad reviews it has on BBB is unfair compared to the great stories and reviews out there as well.

    I personally clean which one of my vehicles before their trips, 1-2 hours cleaning, outside and inside, vehicle is delivered spotless, that alone is something you won’t have with a Traditional rental company. The vehicle rented on Turo is what you receive, no overbooking and no surprises as you arrive to get your car and you are told they are out of cars. No long wait lines. I live in Orlando, depending on what time of the year sometimes you can experience longer than 1 hour wait lines on Traditional rental companies, renting my vehicle you arrive, walk to the parking garage, open the car and off you go.

    It all comes down to which host you choose to rent from, check their reviews, the amount of trips they have. All of that influence on how serious that specific host is about their Turo business and their vehicles.

    Turo does have bad hosts and scammers, they are constantly trying to weed those out, the pictures before and after your trip are very important in that matter.

    And last point, even though Traditional rental companies let some stuff go without charging, they actually shouldn’t.
    If you receive the vehicle clean, undamaged, full tank of gas, you should return it that way, is not crazy to expect that.
    I let small scratches slide just to avoid the headache and confrontation, but anything other than that it will be charged. Smoked in the vehicle, returned filthy dirty, returned more than the 30 minutes allowed lateness without any form of communication, caused a big damage, cracked windshield, of course you will be charged, as you should.

  23. Mark Snyder Avatar
    Mark Snyder

    I’m dealing with this now and they are charging me 2k for a long list of ABSURD damages I never caused 🙁 Ma

  24. Noreen M Avatar
    Noreen M

    Similar but worst experience. I like you the sloppy job of taking pictures when I return the car and later that day I was told it hit the car had damaged. The car had no damage on it whatsoever when I returned it. This gets very involved but it’s pretty simple I thought it was a scam also I still think it is a scam. I’d like to hear from you.
    WHAT IS YOUR EMAIL?

  25. Aria Avatar
    Aria

    It’s simple. Just take photos of everything when you pick up and drop off the vehicle. Take a bit more time to capture detailed photos of the vehicle and upload them on Turo. That way, there shouldn’t be any issues for you because you’ll have proof.