Source: Tara Siegel Bernard - The N.Y. Times ( Paid Registration )

Before her most recent trip last spring, which required her to rent a car, Sandra McKinnon learned that she was covered through her personal auto policy and her credit card and decided not to buy additional insurance. So she made sure the Dollar Rent a Car clerk with the friendly, back-home demeanor knew she did not want any coverage. “She went back to her big screen, which I could not see, and she clickety-clickety-clicked,” said Ms. McKinnon, a 66-year-old retired nurse practitioner. Then, as the clerk instructed, Ms. McKinnon signed her name on the electronic tablet.

But 15 days later, when she returned the silver Ford Focus, Ms. McKinnon said she was handed a bill for $944, nearly twice what she expected to pay. She was charged an extra $23.95 a day for the loss damage waiver, an option that isn’t technically insurance, but that generally “waives” the renter’s responsibility for loss or damage to the vehicle.

Read Full Article: A quick electronic signature at the car rental office, and then trouble