Rachel Goh, Author at Goody Feed

Rental cars are a hit or miss. This GetGo user claimed he was charged over $4,600 after a “minor” accident he had settled privately. Here’s what happened. The Incident On 25 February, the Facebook user posted on the Facebook group SG Road Vigilante to detail his experience. Image: Facebook (@SG Road Vigilante) He said, “I have heard many horror stories about accident claims from GetGo when involved in a car accident. Until it happened to me, I know it is all real!” According to the user, he rented a GetGo Ssangyong for five hours on 16 February 2023. At around 2 pm, he had a “minor” accident in the car park of Novena Square 2. While driving out of the parking lot, he turned left too soon and grazed a white Mercedes beside him. Image: Facebook (@SG Road Vigilante) He reported the accident to customer service immediately and continued driving until the end of his rental. At around 8 pm the same day, the GetGo accident reporter came to inspect the car and found a graze and some damage to the paint. Image: Facebook (@SG Road Vigilante) Image: Facebook (@SG Road Vigilante) The next day, the owner of the white Mercedes told the Facebook user that the workshop had quoted him $150 for the repair. The user proposed to pay him $288 in total to compensate. The owner of the white Mercedes agreed and both of them settled the matter privately. The Bill However, when the Facebook user received the bill from GetGo, it shocked him. He was charged a whopping amount of $4536.80. The bill was inclusive of 8% GST. Attaching a picture of the invoice to his post, the user proceeded to contest all three points stated in the invoice. Image: Facebook (@SG Road Vigilante) Here were the three points in the invoice: Repair cost for the GetGo car: $960 Compensation cost for the loss of use of the vehicle for three days: $300 Third-party damages: $3000 The insurance excess for third-party damages amounted to $3,240, according to a copy of the letter. The user wrote that the bill “is just too absurd to believe”. Firstly, he complained that the repair cost was “a few times higher than to the workshop to repair it yourself”. Secondly, the user noted that he returned the car at 4 pm on 16 February. However, the car was available for rent on 18 February, causing him to wonder how three days’ loss of use is calculated. Regarding the third-party damages, the user wondered where the amount in the bill was derived from. After all, he had already settled the matter privately with the owner of the white Mercedes. The user has since filled in an appeal form to GetGo and wrote that he would give an update when he can. Image: Facebook (@SG Road Vigilante) Netizen Response The incident sparked a discussion in the post’s comments. Some netizens were incredulous by the Facebook user’s reaction, suggesting that he should own up to his mistakes. Image: Facebook (@SG Road Vigilante) However, others suggested this was how car rental companies like GetGo earned money. Image: Facebook (@SG Road Vigilante) Some people shared that GetGo drivers often refuse to report car accidents because of the absurd charges set by GetGo. Image: Facebook (@SG Road Vigilante) Other netizens advised those in a similar situation to pay for extra rental hours and bring the damaged car to a workshop instead to save money. Image: Facebook (@SG Road Vigilante) Image: Facebook (@SG Road Vigilante) GetGo has yet to comment on the situation. Other Similar Incidents Previously, in September 2022, a man was given a $2,187.80 fine for damages he did not cause to a GetGo car he had rented. The Facebook user, who goes by Dan Yeo, posted about his predicament. The incident occurred in August 2022. He was rushing for an appointment and only checked for damages on the driver’s side of the rental car. However, when he was refuelling the vehicle at a petrol station, he realised that the car’s bumper was damaged. He immediately reported the issue to GetGo and informed the company that he only discovered the damages after starting his trip. According to him, GetGo deduced that he had caused the damages and was liable for the repair costs. A few days ago, user Jasvon21 posted on the subreddit r/askSingapore to ask for advice on a GetGo accident he was involved in. Image: Reddit (@r/askSingapore) While travelling along the expressway, the car he had rented drifted to the next lane and he realised that the brake was not working. He tried to avoid hitting the car in front, resulting in the GetGo car spinning and hitting the centre guard railing twice before stopping. GetGo sent him an invoice of $7,320 for accident charges. Join our Telegram channel for more entertaining and informative articles at https://t.me/goodyfeedsg or follow us on Twitter : https://twitter.com/goodyfeed Risks of Car rental Like anything, car rental has its pros and cons. Though renting a car is a good alternative for those who don’t drive often and don’t want the financial burden of owning a vehicle, it's possible to get a poorly maintained rental vehicle as well. In the comments of the Reddit post on r/askSingapore, netizens took to sharing the cons of car rental. Image: Reddit (@r/askSingapore) Image: Reddit (@r/askSingapore) Maybe it’s best to stick to taking public transport instead. If you’re okay with the risks of using rental cars, it’s best to be a safe and careful driver.