Enterprise Rent-a-car
Complaint
K.C.
Country: United States
I rented a car from an Enterprise Rent-a-car branch on 11/09/2012 because I lost my car in a flood caused by Hurricane Sandy on 10/29/2012.
I received a maroon car in an extremely dirty condition. It was covered in a lot of brown mud on the exterior and had a dirty smelly interior. There was a shortage of available cars in the area as a result of flooding from Sandy so I rented this car anyway. The car was inspected in this dirty condition by an Enterprise agent.
My friend walked around with me and the Enterprise agent while he was doing his inspection. He showed us around the car, but never inspected or showed us the roof of the car. I am not a tall person and would not be able to see the roof without extra effort such as stepping on the side of the car. The agent was also not a tall person and would not have properly seen the roof without extra effort. I was given a free car wash card before driving away from the lot. The car wash was located a couple of blocks away and I decided not go there because I was working from home that day and had to get home after picking up the car.
The car was negligently and improperly inspected in such a dirty condition by the agent. The car should have been cleaned by the Enterprise branch before doing the inspection and the agent should have shown us and inspected the entire car including the roof. If the agent had done a proper inspection of the entire car, he would have noticed the alleged scuffs and would have noted this prior to me taking the car. Thus, the agent negligently and improperly inspected the car.
As I drove the dirty car home, I began to notice a strong smell of gasoline inside the car. While I was driving the car, I began to get a nauseating headache and feeling of light headedness from the toxic smell of gas. I parked the car inside my driveway at home and called the Enterprise office a few hours later after my working hours to alert them of the possible gas leak. I couldn’t tell if the car they gave me was involved in a flood resulting from Sandy because of its extremely dirty and gas smelling condition, but I began to suspect it.
I called the Enterprise office and spoke to the manager. I told him that I was feeling sick from the extremely strong smell of gas and condition of the car. He apologized and told me that he would refund all of the rental charges for the day as if I did not come to rent the car at all. I agreed and told him that I would return the car to a different nearby Enterprise branch so that I would not have to drive back for a long time and distance in the car. I did not want to risk a further health hazard from driving the car. My credit card was refunded all of the rental charges from that day.
I returned the car with my mom to a different Enterprise branch closer to home. After his inspection, the receiving agent/manager told me that I have to pay for some alleged scuffs that he discovered on the roof of the car. He stepped up on the side of the car and asked me to come and take a look at the roof. It was very dark outside and I had a hard time seeing exactly what he was referring to. I stepped up on the side of the car and with closer inspection with the light on my cell phone, I could hardly see any of the alleged scratches or scuffs since the roof was still mostly covered by dirt. Still not sure at what I was seeing, I immediately told him that the other office agent had not inspected the roof nor pointed this out to me and my friend. I told him that I would not be responsible for any charges because I was not the one who caused them. We went back inside the office and after almost an hour of discussion, I asked him to call the other Enterprise branch where I had picked up the car. During our conversation, the manager agreed with me that it does not seem possible that I could even have caused these alleged damages in the amount of time I had the car.
I spoke to the manager of the branch where I picked up the car from, once more and told him what had just happened. I told him how his agent had inspected the car and showed me and my friend around the car earlier that day. I also told him that his agent had never looked at the roof of the car nor showed us the roof of the car. I also told him how dirty the car was during the inspection. To help him see what was happening, I took a picture of the car roof with my cell phone and e-mailed it to him a few minutes later. He saw the photo and said over the phone that he is not sure what the other manager was referring to since he did not see any obvious scuffs, dings, or dents. After that, he told me that I should just give my insurance information just in case Enterprise decided to file an insurance claim. I refused to do so.
I told him that even the other manager had agreed that I could not have possibly done this. He immediately asked to speak to the other branch manager. They had a heated exchange of words and after a few minutes, he said that he would just make a note in their system and assured me several times in front of my mom, that I would not get charged any fees and that I would not be held responsible. I was no longer asked for my credit card nor was I asked for my insurance information. I signed the note letter and walked away having been reassured several times that I would not be responsible for any fees.
On December 13, 2012, I received a claim letter from Enterprise Rent-A-Car’s Damage Recovery Unit. The letter asked for my insurance information or a credit card for some alleged damages to the car I rented.
It is very bad business to wrongly take advantage of any customers especially customers who have been victimized by Hurricane Sandy. I am a responsible person, but it is wrong to force me to take responsibility and pay for alleged damages that I, myself, did not cause. If the agent had done a proper and thorough inspection of the car (including the roof), he would have noticed and noted any alleged damages prior to giving me the car in such a dirty condition.
I am requesting that I be relieved of all fees and charges including any claims of responsibility for an alleged damage that I did not cause. I should not be charged for alleged damages that I was not responsible for. I also request an apology for all the grief and inconvenience they have caused me at an already stressful time in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
I received a maroon car in an extremely dirty condition. It was covered in a lot of brown mud on the exterior and had a dirty smelly interior. There was a shortage of available cars in the area as a result of flooding from Sandy so I rented this car anyway. The car was inspected in this dirty condition by an Enterprise agent.
My friend walked around with me and the Enterprise agent while he was doing his inspection. He showed us around the car, but never inspected or showed us the roof of the car. I am not a tall person and would not be able to see the roof without extra effort such as stepping on the side of the car. The agent was also not a tall person and would not have properly seen the roof without extra effort. I was given a free car wash card before driving away from the lot. The car wash was located a couple of blocks away and I decided not go there because I was working from home that day and had to get home after picking up the car.
The car was negligently and improperly inspected in such a dirty condition by the agent. The car should have been cleaned by the Enterprise branch before doing the inspection and the agent should have shown us and inspected the entire car including the roof. If the agent had done a proper inspection of the entire car, he would have noticed the alleged scuffs and would have noted this prior to me taking the car. Thus, the agent negligently and improperly inspected the car.
As I drove the dirty car home, I began to notice a strong smell of gasoline inside the car. While I was driving the car, I began to get a nauseating headache and feeling of light headedness from the toxic smell of gas. I parked the car inside my driveway at home and called the Enterprise office a few hours later after my working hours to alert them of the possible gas leak. I couldn’t tell if the car they gave me was involved in a flood resulting from Sandy because of its extremely dirty and gas smelling condition, but I began to suspect it.
I called the Enterprise office and spoke to the manager. I told him that I was feeling sick from the extremely strong smell of gas and condition of the car. He apologized and told me that he would refund all of the rental charges for the day as if I did not come to rent the car at all. I agreed and told him that I would return the car to a different nearby Enterprise branch so that I would not have to drive back for a long time and distance in the car. I did not want to risk a further health hazard from driving the car. My credit card was refunded all of the rental charges from that day.
I returned the car with my mom to a different Enterprise branch closer to home. After his inspection, the receiving agent/manager told me that I have to pay for some alleged scuffs that he discovered on the roof of the car. He stepped up on the side of the car and asked me to come and take a look at the roof. It was very dark outside and I had a hard time seeing exactly what he was referring to. I stepped up on the side of the car and with closer inspection with the light on my cell phone, I could hardly see any of the alleged scratches or scuffs since the roof was still mostly covered by dirt. Still not sure at what I was seeing, I immediately told him that the other office agent had not inspected the roof nor pointed this out to me and my friend. I told him that I would not be responsible for any charges because I was not the one who caused them. We went back inside the office and after almost an hour of discussion, I asked him to call the other Enterprise branch where I had picked up the car. During our conversation, the manager agreed with me that it does not seem possible that I could even have caused these alleged damages in the amount of time I had the car.
I spoke to the manager of the branch where I picked up the car from, once more and told him what had just happened. I told him how his agent had inspected the car and showed me and my friend around the car earlier that day. I also told him that his agent had never looked at the roof of the car nor showed us the roof of the car. I also told him how dirty the car was during the inspection. To help him see what was happening, I took a picture of the car roof with my cell phone and e-mailed it to him a few minutes later. He saw the photo and said over the phone that he is not sure what the other manager was referring to since he did not see any obvious scuffs, dings, or dents. After that, he told me that I should just give my insurance information just in case Enterprise decided to file an insurance claim. I refused to do so.
I told him that even the other manager had agreed that I could not have possibly done this. He immediately asked to speak to the other branch manager. They had a heated exchange of words and after a few minutes, he said that he would just make a note in their system and assured me several times in front of my mom, that I would not get charged any fees and that I would not be held responsible. I was no longer asked for my credit card nor was I asked for my insurance information. I signed the note letter and walked away having been reassured several times that I would not be responsible for any fees.
On December 13, 2012, I received a claim letter from Enterprise Rent-A-Car’s Damage Recovery Unit. The letter asked for my insurance information or a credit card for some alleged damages to the car I rented.
It is very bad business to wrongly take advantage of any customers especially customers who have been victimized by Hurricane Sandy. I am a responsible person, but it is wrong to force me to take responsibility and pay for alleged damages that I, myself, did not cause. If the agent had done a proper and thorough inspection of the car (including the roof), he would have noticed and noted any alleged damages prior to giving me the car in such a dirty condition.
I am requesting that I be relieved of all fees and charges including any claims of responsibility for an alleged damage that I did not cause. I should not be charged for alleged damages that I was not responsible for. I also request an apology for all the grief and inconvenience they have caused me at an already stressful time in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
Comments
We’ve taken note of your concern and would like to have the opportunity to look into this for you. Please send us a detailed email to care[at]enterprise.com including the exact rental location information, your contact information, your rental agreement and any further information regarding your experience with us.
When emailing, please list Reference Number 130104-000129 in the subject line. We look forward to hearing from you.
Respectfully,
Carol
Social Media
Enterprise Rent-A-Car
Thank you for your message.
I've sent an e-mail and file to care@enterprise.com containing the relevant information you've requested below.
I will provide status updates here for your reference.
Sincerely,
K.C.
I am responding on this particular email because I am in a similar situation as he.
I rented a van from your Honolulu location on Saturday, April 13, 2013. When inspecting the van, the agent and I examined the van but neglected to look on the roof. While driving to a concert that night and shortly after our departure, one of my passengers said he heard a knocking on the roof. However, we did not think there was a problem and decided not to pursue the matter at that time. After returning from the concert, we noticed that the rack on top of the van was somehow disconnected. We surmised that the initial knocking was in fact the broken rack.
The next morning, I assessed the damage and determined that the rack was irreparable. Although I was not responsible for the damage, I made a conscious decision to inform the agent about the rack when I returned the van. He asked me what happened, and I proceeded to tell him that I rented the van so that I could drive my friends to a concert that night. I also told him about the knocking on the roof. He took a statement from me, then removed the rack. He discovered scuff marks from surfboard wax. I do not surf and did not drive anywhere except to the concert and from my home.
While I did not have to inform him of the damage, my conscience took over, and I did. If I had not told him about the damaged rack, he would not have discovered the broken rack upon the return inspection.
My question: why does Enterprise need my car insurance specifications? I am not culpable for the damage. The initial agent did not inspect the roof of the van, so how can one expect me to inspect it? All that I am culpable for in having a good conscience.
Your attention to this matter is greatly appreciated, and I look forward to future correspondence. Sincerely, Jon Fernandez