We've been charged £500 for two tiny scuff marks on a hire car in Mallorca. I'm sure the marks were always there but don't have proof - what can we do? The HOLIDAY GURU replies

We have been visiting Mallorca for more than 20 years and always hire a car, using various companies depending on what’s available. However, last October we had an appalling experience.

We had hired a car with OK Mobility at Palma de Mallorca airport. When we returned it, a member of staff went round using a torch looking for ‘damage’. She found two tiny scuff marks on a hubcap. She then asked if we had photographs of these from when we collected the car.

We said ‘no’, which was unsurprising as we would have had to get on our hands and knees with a torch to see what she had found.

She promptly said we would be charged for the marks – and, once we got home, we received notification it would cost £496. This seemed extortionate, so we queried the amount with OK Mobility. Their response was that we had taken the car without pointing out the damage, so it was down to us.

We accept that by the letter of the law this is the case, but we doubt whether this ‘damage’ even occurred during our hire period, though we realise we can do nothing to prove it. Surely such a high cost is wrong? We asked OK Mobility for their matrix of repair estimates, which they sent to us, but we have no evidence this repair work was completed. We feel we have been greatly overcharged. Can you help?

Pat and Anthony Smyth, Baldock, Hertfordshire

It is highly recommended to take out car hire excess insurance whenever hiring a car

The Mail’s Holiday Guru Mark Palmer replies. This sounds dreadful – and it seems you are far from alone suffering such charges. Surveys of rental car customers routinely reveal dissatisfaction over ‘dodgy damage’. Which? Travel recently found more than 40 per cent of respondents said they had been charged for pre-existing scratches and dents.

Fortunately, after writing to us, and after many months and emails, you have now been refunded. It took time, but OK Mobility has finally admitted that the hubcap damage was already there and the charge ‘erroneous’.

In your case, the company has eventually put its hands up and admitted its staff had, somehow, made a mistake and, even, apologised.

It’s a rare thing, however, for hire car firms to back down – and your case highlights the need always to be extra careful when renting vehicles. The key to avoiding ‘misunderstandings’, according to the RAC, is to factor in plenty of time for a thorough check of the vehicle during the pick-up.

This may seem tedious at the beginning of a holiday, but the RAC recommends taking pictures all the way round, focusing on ‘wear and tear and imperfections’. Pay close attention to wheels/hubcaps: photos of all four are a good idea. Also take pictures of any blemishes inside the car.

All this should be done in the presence of a rental car employee, who should mark down any damage on a diagram sheet. When complete, take a picture of this sheet, or request a copy – and also take a snap of the car in its entirety including its number plate and the number of the lot in which its parked. Both the number plate/lot number in the same shot is ideal. This whole process should not take more than ten to 15 minutes.

You will then be in possession of all you need should an issue arise on return. During the drop-off, Which? Travel advises asking for the vehicle to be inspected in your presence. You should then take a photograph of the signed damage report.

In the unlikely event of later being charged for damage, Which? Travel recommends you request evidence of damage and how repair costs were calculated. Of course, if you have pictures showing there was no damage the hire car company will have nothing to go on.

Finally, it is highly recommended to take out car hire excess insurance whenever hiring a car – this will protect you against an automatic liability for excess, often of up to around £2,500, whether or not you were to blame for damage to the vehicle.

However, never do this at the car hire desk. It has been estimated that rental company insurance costs as much as £205 more per week than booking independently before you go. Which? Travel suggests trying chewinsurance.com, questor-insurance.co.uk and rentalcover.com – which came out best in a price comparison. Annual policies are available if you hire cars regularly.