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Turo Customer Service & Complaints

Car Rentals & Carsharing - October 23, 2024

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    Contents

Turo Customer Service & Complaints
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Turo is a carsharing company in which people are able to find short or long term rentals for their cars to other consumers. 

In this article, we will cover many common complaint types that consumers have against Turo, also how to get in contact with Turo customer service, and lastly how to sue Turo in small claims court if no other remedy works for you. 

Types of Customer Complaints Against Turo
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At the time of this article being written, Turo has faced 1,128 Better Business Bureau (BBB) customer complaints; also, there were 361 customer Turo reviews which averaged out to a 1.05/5 stars. 

Here are some of the most common complaints seen on the Turo BBB website:

  • Late or missing refund

  • Lack of payment on client caused crash

  • Turo host scammed me

  • Rude and unsupportive customer service representatives

  • False fees for cleaning 

  • Denied valid insurance claim

How to Reach Turo Customer Service
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Before you escalate your issue with Turo by filing a small claims lawsuit, it is often beneficial to take your complaint to Turo car rental customer service and resolve the matter outside of court. 

Turo customer service number: 1(415)965-4525

Turo customer service number number hours: available 24/7

Other ways to reach Customer Service at Turo:

Turo host customer service 

If you have an issue as a host, your best chance is to call Turo customer support: 1 (415) 965-4525.

Turo Refund Policy - Cancellation

Make sure to review your Turo contract as the terms may be different than the ones we address in this section. 

There are many reasons for a trip cancellation, most often the important factor for receiving a refund is the timeline for when the trip is canceled in relation to booking time. The following are the timelines that will guarantee you a full refund based on the Turo terms we reviewed: 

  • For trips booked with more than 25 hours before the start time, you have until 24 hours before the trip to get a full refund

  • For trips booked with less than 25 hours before start time, you must cancel within 1 hour of booking to receive your full refund.

The following is for cancellations that do not fall within the timeline that constitutes a full refund. Meaning that the following are the general rates to determine how much of your trip will be refunded

  • If your trip is more than 2 days long, you will receive a full refund minus the average price of one day and half of the delivery fee (The average is the average day of the trip and trip fee)

  • If your trip is 2 days or less, then you will receive a full refund minus half of one days average trip plus half of the delivery fee

If any modifications are made, cancellation dates are relative to your original booking time. 

Turo Refund Policy - Refund Timeline

Here you will see the possible timelines and reasons for a Turo refund resulting from a trip cancellation.

  • If you, or your host, cancel a trip - The refund will be initiated roughly 24 hours after the cancellation

  • It is possible to rush this refund by clicking “Initiate Refund” on the cancellation window or email

  • If the cancellation is for a “Book Instantly” trip, but the cancellation is within 40 hours of the booking time, then the transaction will be canceled. You will not be refunded because the transaction will be canceled before you are charged. 

  • Refunds on security deposits will be initiated 80 hours after the trip ends

  • This refund will only happen if there is no damage or money outstanding that allows the host to retain the security deposit

If your Turo refund takes more than 10 business days, contact customer service.

How to File a Complaint with the BBB Against Turo
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What is the BBB?

The Better Business Bureau, or BBB, is a non-profit organization that acts as an intermediary between consumers and companies like Turo whenever there is a conflict. 

How to submit your complaint against Turo BBB

  1. Go to the Better Business Bureau website.

  2. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the button “Start Your  Complaint.”

  3. Go through the form and fill in all the information requested

What to expect once you submit your complaint to the BBB

  • The BBB will forward your complaint to Turo within 2 business days.

  • Turo’s complaint department will be asked to respond within 14 days, and if a response is not received, a second request will be made.

  • You will be notified of Turo’s response when the BBB receives it (or notified that they received no response).

  • Complaints against Turo are usually closed within 30 business days.

How to Sue Turo in Small Claims Court
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Send a Demand Letter to Turo

In some states, but not all, a demand letter is a mandatory first step in the process initiating a small claims lawsuit, as for the other states, it is usually a highly recommended step. This demand letter serves as a last chance for Turo, or any other company, to make the matter right on their own accord. This letter can be mailed to the headquarters of Turo. 

Here are some commonly included points when writing a demand letter for Turo, or any other company. 

  • How much money Turo owes you

  • Why Turo owes you this money

  • How you calculated how much Turo owes you

  • Typically, you are expected to give Turo 7-14 days for them to respond to your letter

Step 1: Prepare and file the lawsuit

  • Prepare the lawsuit using the proper form, this is usually available for download on your local small claims court website.

  • The court will want to know why you are suing Turo, how much are you suing Turo for, and finally how you calculated the amount you are suing Turo for.

  • You will need to search for the correct legal name (legal entity name) Turo uses in your state on the Secretary of State website for your state. 

  • File the lawsuit. There are several ways you can file the lawsuit (1) in person at your local small claims court, (2) by mail (3) electronically (not available in all courts), (4) by fax (not available in all courts).

Step 2: Notify Turo about the small claims lawsuit

  • Once the court returns the filed lawsuit to you, the next step is to serve Turo (serving means to notify Turo that they have been sued).

  • There are different rules on how to serve a company in each state so make sure you review the rules for serving that apply to you. In many states you will need to serve the “agent for service of process” that Turo selects in each state. This is usually a company or person that is authorized by Turo to receive lawsuit documents on its behalf. 

  • To serve the small claims court lawsuit on Turo you most likely will have to serve their "Agent for Service of Process." This is a company that Turo has selected to receive lawsuits on their behalf. ‍

  • Always make sure to confirm with the court if there are any additional filings you need to complete and file after you have served Turo. 

Step 3: Prepare your small claims hearing

  • Prepare your statement for the judge. Be prepared to tell the judge why you are suing Turo.

  •  Prepare your evidence. This is one of the most important steps to winning a small claims lawsuit! Evidence like screenshots, emails, and pictures, should be brought to the hearing (you should make a copy for yourself, the judge, and the Turo representative).

Your evidence might include: 

  • Emails with Turo representatives regarding your security deposit. 

  • Pictures of the vehicle when you delivered or recovered it.

  • Other similar complaints other Turo customers may have had.

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Author

Attorney at JusticeDirect. Camila holds a law degree and is a certified mediator. Her passion is breaking down complicated legal processes so that people without an attorney can get justice.