Things to know when dealing overseas (specifically in Italy):
1. Always keep your receipts: Many vendors print your complete credit card information on receipts and they may later try to charge you for things you already paid for.

2. There is no better business bureau: Not that the BBB is super effective but it does carry a certain amount of weight. If you rent from an international chain you are at least guaranteed to have local options when making complaints.

3. The mentality is snatch and grabs: In most tourist spots (especially in Italy) the mentality is that people are going to only come once so you may as well screw them as much as you can when they do come. They don’t think of repeat customers.

4. They will steal your car: This one may seem confusing. Here’s what happens, you rent a car, they steal it back at night and then charge you the insurance deductible. Use a club or something. Make sure your stuff is locked up tight.

Read more about some specific experiences:

As I was writing the last post Gary was asleep on the couch. He shifted in his sleep and said, and this is verbatim:

“You should have a ninja password.”

Shouldn’t we all?

Warning: The following contains rancor and some borderline curse words. Parents may not find the content suitable for children under the age of 9.

I’ve been reluctant to make this post because I don’t want people to feel sorry for me or anything. But here it is, Italy continues to haunt me.

I mentioned over a month and a half ago that Hollywood rent-a-car in Sicily tried to charge Gary, Lewis and my self all 250 euros. This is the amount of the insurance deductible. So, apparently, we all crashed or had our scooters stolen. riiiiight.

Obviously I disputed the charge. I thought everything was fine until I got a letter on the 12 of July dated June 26th and post marked July 3 telling me that money($333.33 US) would be would be lifted from my account on the 10 of July. Basically, USAA screwed the pooch on this one when they told me that if there was a problem they would notify me several weeks in advance of any account withdrawals.

So not only did USAA fail to notify me that there was a problem but now they aren’t going to do anything to help me against these fraudsters.

I signed a contract that says that I would be an insurance deductible if my scooter did whatever. Whether or not this actually happened or whether or not I already paid for this in cash, as they forced me to do, doesn’t matter.

The only thing my bank cares about is if I do have a contract, after words I have to hire a lawyer to try to sue some bastards in Sicily to get my money back.

I told the lady at USAA that these scam artist bastards probably pull this all the time and that they were helping facilitate dishonest practices but she assured me that there is nothing I could do. Unless I could prove that I already paid them there they won’t lift a finger to help me.

I have a few things yet to try but as of yet it looks like Hollywood Rent-a-car of Sicily is going to suceed in stealing my money along with Gary and Lewis’s.

Congratulations you Sicilian scum, you’re probably going to get away with stealing from poor college students. When you spend that money on greasy jewlery or a damned kebab I hope you choke. I dealt honestly with you, I went out of my way to treat you right and you’ve stabbed me in the back and robbed me blind.