Sharjah: Car rental agencies have been warned against holding the passports or ID cards of their customers, and if they do so, they will be fined or referred to the Public Prosecution.
The warning was issued by the Consumer Protection section at Sharjah Economic Development Department after receiving several complaints from customers who said that their passports had been withheld by car rental agencies.
The agencies however, justified their practice by saying it was the only guarantee to ensure their rights.
Ali Fadhel, Director of the Customer Protection section, said impounding passports or IDs by car rental agencies is an illegal practice under article 130 for 2002.
He said that some car rental offices still do this under the pretext of ensuring their rights in case of violations and fines issued to those who rent the cars or in case the cars are badly damaged after their customers are involved in traffic accidents.
“We compel car rental offices to give back the passports to their customers. If the customer files a complaint with the department, we refer the offending office to the Public Prosecution,” Fadhel said.
The department will not tolerate car rental companies that hold the passports of their customers, he said, adding that car rental agencies can ensure their rights without the need to impound important official documents. They can do so simply by withholding credit cards or taking a security deposit from their customer until they return the car.
“We are having meetings with relevant authorities at Sharjah Police to put an end to this issue and introduce unified contracts that govern the relation between car rental agencies and their customers,” Fadhel said.
He said that his section had received many complaints regarding the various terms used in contracts by agencies, adding that the unified contracts, which are currently being drafted, will protect the rights of both parties.
Some customers of car rental companies confirmed that most agencies that they deal with resort to this illegal practice and insist on holding their passports on the pretext of ensuring their rights.
Thaer Michael, a Jordanian who is on a visit to Sharjah, said that he had no choice but to hand over his passport to the car rental office, which told him that they would hold his passport because it was the only way to ensure he returned the car.
Firas Ali, an owner of a car rental office in Al Yarmouk area in Sharjah, said holding passports was the only way to ensure their rights especially as they have had customers who run away from the country after violations or damaging the cars.
“They run away without paying and the security deposit of Dh2,000 is not enough to cover all the damages and fines incurred by the customer,” he added.
Zaid Kazem, an owner of another car rental agency in Sharjah, said, “We resort to this to ensure our rights because some customers who come on a visit to the country rent cars and leave without fulfilling their obligations and then we find there are fines worth more than thousands of dirhams to be paid. Some customers also bring back the cars badly damaged, he added.
— Nawal Al Ramahi is a trainee at Gulf News
