ArcaMax

Q: I rented a car from Alamo at Geneva Airport in April for a six-day trip through Switzerland. The car worked perfectly for the entire rental period until the last morning. We were staying in Champex-Lac in Valais and woke up to a cold, frosty morning. We needed to return the car and catch our flight from Geneva.

When we tried to start the car, nothing happened. No lights, no starter, nothing. Four people tried to get it going, but the car was completely dead. We called Alamo's emergency number, and they told us to leave the car where it was since we didn't have time to wait for a technician. Three of us had flights to catch, so we arranged alternate transportation to the airport at a considerable expense.

Two months later, Alamo charged roughly $1,000 to my credit card without any prior agreement or warning. What's worse is that they sent me two invoices with different totals -- one for 395 Swiss francs and another for 489 Swiss francs. Neither amount corresponds to what they actually charged to my account. I later learned that the garage checked the battery and had to replace it entirely. It wasn't simply discharged from negligence -- it needed a full replacement because it was defective and couldn't handle cold weather. This battery was inadequate from the start.

When I contacted Alamo's customer service in Switzerland, they refused to refund the charge. They said that I should've purchased their Roadside Assistance Protection, which would have covered the towing costs. They also claimed that because I selected an insurance policy with a 1,500 franc deductible, I was responsible for all these charges. Can you help? This seems like Alamo is taking advantage of foreign customers who have difficulty defending themselves outside of Switzerland. -- Kjell-Erik Berggren, Oslo, Norway

A: You're right, if the battery was defective, Alamo should've never charged you for it. A battery that dies on a cold morning after functioning normally for five days suggests a preexisting problem with the vehicle -- not customer fault. Here's what you should have done: First, document everything immediately. Take photos of the car, the dashboard and the surroundings. Get the names of everyone who tried to help start the vehicle. Create a written timeline of events while the details are still fresh. And as soon as you see an unexpected credit card charge, contact the company in writing.

Then appeal to a higher authority. When a customer service representative closes your case, escalate it to the executive contacts. I publish a list of Alamo's contacts on Elliott.org for this purpose. A brief, polite email to a senior executive often produces better results. After I contacted Alamo on your behalf, the company conducted a thorough review of the case. "After checking all previous rentals, we confirmed that no prior customer reported any issues or faults with this vehicle or its battery," a representative told me.

The company suggested that repeated start attempts after the initial failure may have permanently damaged the battery. But what were you supposed to do? Not try to start the car? When a rental car won't start, most people will naturally try multiple times before calling for help. It's common sense.

To Alamo's credit, it recognized that this case wasn't clear-cut, and it agreed to cover the cost of the battery as a goodwill gesture. Your case highlights an important issue with rental car breakdowns. Companies often have policies that seem reasonable on paper and become problematic in real-world situations. The lesson? Always purchase travel insurance that covers rental car mishaps, document everything, and dispute suspicious charges to your credit card immediately.

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Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy (elliottadvocacy.org), a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting him at elliottadvocacy.org/help/.

(c) 2026 Christopher Elliott

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