Dollar Rent a Car also Thrifty rent a car Damages to vehicle prior to renting - Upon return charging for damages that already existed SCAM - SCAM, Internet

Whenever the OP knows they cannot offer an intelligent response to a rebuttle, the standard old dodge is "you must work for them".

When you sign a contract the transaction is governed by that contract. When you sign a contract agreeing there's no damage at pick up, the contract with your signature on it does not allow you to go back and suddenly claim there indeed was damage at pick up! I do believe there was pre-existing damage on your car. However, you failed to handle that aspect of the contract provisions correctly to protect yourself.

I would be very interested to see how you are going to convince a judge the contract is faulty. I am sure all your years of law school and experience have enabled to to spot the contractual defects within minutes. When you get that contract quashed and enable recovery for all renters under that contract, you let me know. I will fly my MU-2 personally to pick you up so you can address our next Bar Association educational session!

Ms.

Your wrong -  wish I could say different - u work for the company - I will follow up and answer  all complaints - regarding  the rental vehicle - moreover will test rental contracts as they are.

All the diatribe about poor service, poor customer service skills, the CEO etc is nothing more than minutia...it doesn't matter and has ZERO bearing on the issue at hand.  You were spending YOUR MONEY.  You care more about YOUR MONEY and preserving it than they do.  In the final analysis, you blew it!  YOU failed to have their representative note on the contract pre-existing damage and then YOU signed the contract AGREEING to there being NO damage!  There's no way around that.  What you can do is try to dispute it with your credit card company and if that doesn't work you can fight them in small claims court.  However in both cases all they need to do is bring out that contract which shows you agreed to there being no damage when you picked up the car.  End result is you have no case based on the paper trail. 

I rent alot of cars and in EVERY case I do not sign the contract until and unless me and the representative inspect the car.  Whatever way he/she starts walking, I go the opposite way and when we meet I tell him/her my findings and he or she tells me theirs.  If they give me the rush I still work at my own pace and if they don't like it, I'll go elsewhere. 

Should they have treated you like gold?  Absolutely.  YOU are the most important part of the equation...YOU are the customer and without customers there's no need for them.  On the other hand, you must take steps to protect yourself and your money by inspecting the car AND having them list pre-existing damage on the contract and you reading the contract BEFORE you sign it.

I'm not the enemy here...but I'll say it again, you blew it but you can learn from this and never do it again!

I wish you did work for them - you need insight, into  policies (yours), practices and over all procedures for employees.  
LOL - You walk in - stand in line - waiting 45 minutes (on-line) - they print paperwork out (from the prior rentor),  askin questions Name- address- phone - insurance "yes/No" this that and the other thing regarding it - credit card - license - upgrade - gas - return date & time - what type of vehicle, want a up grade vehicle for this $, etc?  Well ask what the problem is in 5 to 8 minutes -Did you tell the representative about the pre-existing damage BEFORE you signed the contract?  Did you read the contract BEFORE you signed it?  If there is no notation on the contract of pre-existing damage, then YOUR signature said YOU AGREED to there being no pre-existing damage!  Yes it is a big deal.  
 YOU signed the contract indicating YOU AGREED there was no pre-existing damage.  You can't have it noted on the contract- haven't even seen the vehcile (Car/Truck/SUV, etc). I didn't even know what vehicle I was assigned to, let alone make, model, year -  other than midsize and/or a space number..... Another question I have, why? Would anyone put a see through sticker on the smallest dent by the key lock u can't read without glasses and even with them, hard to see/or read. Last but not least  New CEO is needed as far as I see.  I will address this in NY & Florida.  I will continue (freedom of speech) when i'm wronged - vehicle was damaged by prior rental or an employee - I wasn't even helped by an employee sitting in a thrifty box attached to a Dollar box (one in the same as I see now dba) on the 4th floor of Tampa Airport - walked up to Dollar window, no one there  - guy sitting in Thrifty  - nothing said - waited 1 minute and finally asked  him (thrifty) is anyone in Dollar - he said let me have your receipt - handed me keys and sat back down - love it - need better employees DOLLAR/THRIFTY
 Last but not least  New CEO is needed as far as I see.  I will address this in NY & Florida.  
Moreover - will never rent from anyone dba Dollar/Thrifty!

You said you walked around the car, noticed pre-existing damage and your assessment was "no big deal".  Did you walk around the car with the representative?  Did you see the representative mark down the damage areas on the contract?  Did you tell the representative about the pre-existing damage BEFORE you signed the contract?  Did you read the contract BEFORE you signed it?  If there is no notation on the contract of pre-existing damage, then YOUR signature said YOU AGREED to there being no pre-existing damage!  Yes it is a big deal. 

Sorry, there's NO SCAM here.  As per you, there was pre-existing damage on the car.  YOU failed to have it noted as such on the contract.  YOU signed the contract indicating YOU AGREED there was no pre-existing damage.  You brought the car back, they saw the damage, checked the contract in which YOU AGREED there was no damage.  You are on the hook.

No, I don't work for them.