Stop losing car rental deposit disputes: the 8-photo check-in protocol
Every contested rental deposit comes down to one question: where's the proof? The 8-photo check-in protocol Moroccan car rental agencies use to win.
A customer returns the car. You walk around it together. He swears the scratch on the rear bumper was already there. You're not sure. The deposit is 3 000 MAD.
You give it back. You eat the repair. It happens twice a month.
The fix isn't a better argument
It's eight photos at pickup and eight at return — front, back, both sides, the wheels, the roof, the interior. Time-stamped, customer-signed on the phone, attached to the contract. Pulled up on screen the moment a dispute starts.
The argument ends in 30 seconds because the photo ends it. The customer doesn't get angry — they get caught.
What changes
- Insurance writes faster. Your insurer gets a dated photo with the contract; the claim closes in days, not weeks.
- Repeat customers behave better. Word travels: this agency takes photos. Customers who plan to argue rent somewhere else.
- Counter staff stop guessing. The protocol is the protocol — no judgement call about whether a scratch is "new enough."
Eight photos, every time
- Front bumper
- Rear bumper
- Driver side
- Passenger side
- Roof (if you can)
- Each wheel rim
- Dashboard with odometer + fuel
- Interior — back seat, no trash
Two minutes per check-in. Two minutes you save back tenfold the first time a dispute disappears.
The cars that come back have new dents. They always will. What changes is who pays for them.
