I rented a car from Enterprise for three days when my car was in the shop due to damage from being rear-ended. When I picked up the car, I was told that I needed to provide a credit card as the other driver's insurance company did not approve to direct bill the charges. As I usually do, I inspected the car (noting one scratch) and declined insurance from Enterprise.
When I received a call that my car was ready to be picked up at the body shop, I returned the rental. The agent who checked the car noticed a small dent on the hood of the car and proceeded to write an accident report. The dent showed no evidence of a scratch, but when she pointed to the spot, I could see a slight indention. I honestly believe that the dent was more likely to have been present when I rented the car than to have occurred during the three days that I had possession of it, as I had not driven it much and had not noticed the dent until it was pointed out to me.
I feel that Enterprise was so aggressive in this matter because I did not accept their insurance. By the time that I returned the car to Enterprise, they had received permission to direct bill the insurance company that was responsible for the collision damage to my personal auto, so I did not receive the benefit of the insurance that I would have from using my credit card.
I feel so stupid for not considering the loss of coverage that I had by having these charges direct billed. In the long run, I may end up having to pay more to Enterprise than the cost to have repaired the damage to my own car from being hit.
I suppose that I should not have taken my car in for repairs until the other driver's insurance company had agreed to pay the cost of providing a rental car and insurance on the rental. What a scam!!