"You really did not call the police?" This was the first thing the guy at the rental counter in Pisa asked me when I returned the car. I was standing near the return area and looking at the side of the Hyundai Tucson. There was a clear dent on the rear door. I still felt a bit upset. I booked the car on QEEQ and picked it up in Rome at the airport around June 29. For me it was just a normal business trip with a few cities on the way. The real problem happened one afternoon in the middle of July, around July 11. I parked the car in a parking lot and went to meet a client. When I came back I saw some broken plastic near my car. I walked closer and saw the rear door and the part near the wheel were hit. The metal was pushed in and some paint was gone. There was no one waiting for me and no note under the wiper. I stood next to the car for a while. I felt nervous and also a bit angry. In my head I kept thinking why it had to happen to me. I checked around and saw a camera on a pole but I knew in a new city it is hard to go find police and ask for the video. It could take the whole day and maybe still give nothing. That evening I had a work call and my schedule was tight. In the end I did not call the police. I just took many photos of the damage, the license plate and also the rental contract. On July 12 in the evening, when I was back at the hotel, I started to think about how to deal with this. Then I remembered that when I made the booking I had added AXA Full Coverage. At that time I chose it because I travel for business and I like to feel safer. I did not really think I would use it. I opened my email and checked the coverage. I saw that damage from another car in a parking lot was also covered. I felt a bit better after reading that. I returned the car in Pisa around July 13 at night. At the return point the staff checked the car. When he saw the dent he became serious and took photos. He asked me when and where it happened. I told him it was in a parking lot, that the other car ran away and that I did not call the police. At that moment I was worried. I was afraid he would say they need a police report. He only told me there will be a cost and showed me the estimate. When I saw the amount was 1310 euro my heart sank. That is almost the price of a flight for me. I finished the return and went back to the hotel. Then I contacted their customer service and told the story again. I also sent all my photos. I was not sure if the missing police report would cause trouble so my tone was a bit tense. They listened and told me not to worry too much. They said my case still had a chance to be paid because it was under AXA Full Coverage. When I heard that I felt calmer. They asked me to write the time of the accident clearly. I tried to remember and it was around three in the afternoon on July 11, before and after my meeting with the client. The first time I filled a form I wrote it as night time. Later they reminded me to correct it to the real afternoon time. I felt a bit embarrassed and I was afraid the wrong time would make trouble. Their tone stayed normal and they just asked me to confirm and write what I really remembered. The bank account part was more confusing. I work in Poland and I use a Polish bank for daily life. I also have an account in Lithuania that can receive euro. First I gave them the Lithuanian account but my address is in Poland. They said the insurer wanted the bank country and the address to be the same. It was still me but the countries were different. This part made me a bit annoyed. To follow the rule I then gave my Polish bank account. Later I found out that this account can only receive PLN and not euro. I really wanted the money in euro because the rental damage bill was in euro. If I got PLN first, then changed currency, I might lose money in exchange and fees and for a business trip it would just make things more complicated. I told customer service about this and said I prefer to receive euro directly. I was a bit worried they would think I was too picky but they still helped me talk to the insurer again. After some time they told me that the insurer could accept my Lithuanian account. When I heard that I finally relaxed. Later I got the message that the claim was approved. The amount was 1310 euro and it would be sent to my Lithuanian account. When I saw that the number was the same as the damage cost from the rental company I felt the tight feeling in my chest go away. I am not someone who likes big words but I really felt taken care of in that moment. My regret about not calling the police became softer. Looking back I know that if I had not bought AXA Full Coverage, this hit and run in the parking lot would end with me paying more than one thousand euro from my own pocket to fix the car. For someone who travels often for work this is not a small cost and it would stay as a bad memory. In this case there were some small troubles with changing the accident time and fixing the bank and address, but the process still moved forward and the money reached the account I wanted. Now I see more clearly how this kind of full coverage helps in real life. Before I only had a general idea that insurance is better than no insurance. Now I saw the details. When you are on a business trip in another country with a busy schedule, it is good to know there is something behind you if things go wrong. When I look at the photos of the dent now I do not feel that first panic anymore. I just see them as a lesson and a reminder to be more careful where I park the car next time.
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