Maybe I should also warn people renting cars to be sure to do a careful inspection of the vehicle before driving off. 

I had a bad experience in Co. Galway in 2006 when I rented a "white van" to move our family from one rented house to another. 

I telephoned a small agency on the Headford Road just north of Galway City, convenient to our semi-rural location which was a few miles farther north.  It was run by two partners and I asked to rent a van for half a day to include insurance for that period of time.  The man I dealt with was Partner #1, with Partner #2 out on a job with one of their tow trucks.  Partner #1 said the only van he had was still out in County Clare, I think it was, but was due back soon and would be available if I would ring him later.  I did so, the van was back and would be ready, so I went and got it and returned to our house.

My younger son and I did all the loading, moving and unloading work, and he stood behind as a guide every time I backed up the van for any reason.  About an hour before the end rental period, when the insurance was also due to expire, Partner #2, the man who had been away when I signed the rental papers, telephoned me and warned me that if I didn't have it back on-time, he would have to charge me for another half day of insurance (very expensive, as my earlier post might indicate).

So we hurried our last unloading and backed out as usual.  I was feeling stressed and didn't see my son's signal to stop, and backed into a hedge.  There was no bang or thump, just a "swish" from the leaves, and I thought nothing more of it. 

We got the van back to the agency in time, but no one was there, so I drove it into the fenced lot and turned it toward the overhead door of the agency, leaving room all around it for any washing or inspection they might wish to do.  I used my mobile phone to call Partner #2 to let him know I had the van returned, and was under the wire on time, and he thanked me and apologized for the rush.  Then my son and I were met by my wife with our car and we all went into Galway City to have lunch. 

Just as I was walking into the cafe, I realized I had the van keys in my pocket--I had forgotten to leave them off amid all the rush to get the van returned in time.  I was about to ring the agency when my mobile phone rang, and it was Partner #2.  I was glad to hear him, and started to tell him I had the keys and would leave immediately to return them in case he had another renter waiting.  He didn't answer, but only said, "Tom, there's a dent."  I asked him to say that again, and he did.

So, upset, I drove back to the agency, leaving my family to order their lunch.  The man took me to the back of the van and pointed to the rear left corner of the roof where, sure-enough, there was a dent with some paint chipped.  I said I didn't think I did that, and then he showed me the rear bumper and there were leaves caught in it.  I said that must be from when I backed into the hedge.  He said I probably hit a branch in the hedge.  He even accused me of parking the van so that the dent would not be visible when I returned it! In his defense, he said his call to me threatening to add another half day of insurance may have made me hurry and be distracted when I was backing the van.

Then we started discussing what could be done, and he ran through a list of items:
 pulling the dent, filling it and smoothing it, mixing a quantity of paint to match, applying the paint, then final polishing and blending.  All this would be done by a body shop next door to the agency, and he already had an estimate from that shop for the repair cost.   I agreed to go get the cash, and returned to tell my wife and son what happened, then got the cash from an ATM and returned with it.  Partner #2 was delighted with my honesty and said any time in the future I needed a van again, I would certainly be treated right at his agency.

Then I returned to the city for the third time where my son was waiting to tell me that it wasn't possible that I could have caused the dent from what he saw, and he was behind the van each and every time I backed it.  We returned to the hedge and measured its height and it was lower than the dent.  We also probed the hedge for hard branches that might cause a dent, and there were none, nor were there any broken off and lying in the hedge.

Then we went back to the agency and as we approached, saw Partner #2 having a cigarette and glowering at us.  I said I wasn't there to get my money back, because I had agreed our deal, but to tell him that it was impossible I had caused the dent.  He interrupted, angry, and said I was accusing him of lying.  As you can imagine, this quickly degenerated into a shouting match with my son looking on in dismay.  Eventually, Partner #1 came out to see what all the fuss was.  He supported his partner 100 percent, and I eventually gave up yelling and stalked away.

Reconstructing events in my mind, I think what happened is that the van was returned by the renter previous to me, who had taken it to another county, and he probably caused the dent, and said nothing when he returned the van.  The returned van was probably not inspected carefully by Partner #1, who signed it out to me, within roughly one hour of it being returned by the previous renter.

After I returned the van with no one present, Partner #2, on his return, gave the van a careful inspection, saw the dent and the leaves and reasonably assumed I had caused the dent.  I'd say Partner #1 realized that he had not done an inspection, but kept that to himself rather than admit his error and see his agency out the money for the repair.

An Irishman I know heard my story of all this and said this is what typically happens in Ireland:  an agency like this is always getting vehicles back with damage, and the Irish renter who did the damage and knows he caused it, will almost always say nothing about the damage, or will lie and deny any responsibility and simply walk away.  When someone like me comes along, the agency, knowing it has a damaged vehicle, will say nothing if the new renter accepts the vehicle, but point-out the damage, wail and rend garments when it is brought back, and an honest renter (such as my good self) will pay for the damage even though he is fairly sure he is innocent.

To say it again:  beware when renting a vehicle in Ireland, especially when you are tired and perhaps just arriving after an exhausting flight.  Go over the vehicle with a fine-tooth comb.  Get the agency to initial every indication of any kind of damage at all, check the windows for dings or cracks, and even check the tires (including the spare) and ask for an undercarriage inspection (that will be a tough one to get done, but it doesnt hurt to try).  Then start the engine and ask the agent to drive you around a little to listen for suspicious noises.  There may be lots of exaggerated eye-rolling, but when the car is returned, that same agency will have absolutely no mercy on you.  Rip-off Ireland is alive and well.