How do I fight this damage claim?

[cracked]

I've rented from Enterprise for years and never had a problem with vehicle damage . . . until recently.

The car I rented, a Chevy Cobalt, sprung an oil leak, a big one, which left a major stain running down my parents' driveway.

I immediately returned the car to the branch where I rented it and got a replacement vehicle.

No problem.

The individual who checked me in was relieved I returned the car before the engine seized.

Other than checking the oil level, which was low, this individual made no attempt to determine the cause of the leak and did not declare that the car was "damaged" in any way, shape, or form after the inspection.

In fact, to express her gratitude, she even let me slide on the gas level, which was lower than when I picked up the vehicle.

A day later I returned the replacement vehicle, and the branch manager was not only very happy I returned the initial car before the engine seized, he also offered to send someone to clean up the oil mess (without me having to ask).

The manager even took my parents' phone number, promising to send someone to clean up the mess. Again, no mention/discussion of any "damage" in any way, shape, or form.

Days later, I get a completely unexpected voicemail message from "Loss Control" (what's that?) saying I had to pay $550 to repair a cracked oil pan. (Where did that number come from?)

So, I promptly return a defective vehicle, saving Enterprise (and apparently myself) thousands of dollars in maintenance--not to mention the revenues foregone from prolonged maintenance--and they want to stick me with a repair bill?

To add proverbial insult to injury, Enterprise never cleaned up the oil mess like it promised!

How do I fight this claim?

[hekiliko'olau]

Originally Posted by cracked

I've rented from Enterprise for years and never had a problem with vehicle damage . . . until recently.

The car I rented, a Chevy Cobalt, sprung an oil leak, a big one, which left a major stain running down my parents' driveway.

I immediately returned the car to the branch where I rented it and got a replacement vehicle.

No problem.

The individual who checked me in was relieved I returned the car before the engine seized.

Other than checking the oil level, which was low, this individual made no attempt to determine the cause of the leak and did not declare that the car was "damaged" in any way, shape, or form after the inspection.

In fact, to express her gratitude, she even let me slide on the gas level, which was lower than when I picked up the vehicle.

A day later I returned the replacement vehicle, and the branch manager was not only very happy I returned the initial car before the engine seized, he also offered to send someone to clean up the oil mess (without me having to ask).

The manager even took my parents' phone number, promising to send someone to clean up the mess. Again, no mention/discussion of any "damage" in any way, shape, or form.

Days later, I get a completely unexpected voicemail message from "Loss Control" (what's that?) saying I had to pay $550 to repair a cracked oil pan. (Where did that number come from?)

So, I promptly return a defective vehicle, saving Enterprise (and apparently myself) thousands of dollars in maintenance--not to mention the revenues foregone from prolonged maintenance--and they want to stick me with a repair bill?

To add proverbial insult to injury, Enterprise never cleaned up the oil mess like it promised!

How do I fight this claim?

Unless you can prove that the oil pan was cracked prior to your rental, or that the car was poorly maintained (highly likely, since they RARELY service, or as they call it, LOFR the cars on time), you may find yourself stuck with the bill. If you can't prove that the pan was cracked before you left the lot, it will be concluded that YOU ran over something which cracked the pan. Good luck with this.

[caliente]

Originally Posted by cracked

I've rented from Enterprise for years and never had a problem with vehicle damage . . . until recently.

The car I rented, a Chevy Cobalt, sprung an oil leak, a big one, which left a major stain running down my parents' driveway.

I immediately returned the car to the branch where I rented it and got a replacement vehicle.

No problem.

The individual who checked me in was relieved I returned the car before the engine seized.

Other than checking the oil level, which was low, this individual made no attempt to determine the cause of the leak and did not declare that the car was "damaged" in any way, shape, or form after the inspection.

In fact, to express her gratitude, she even let me slide on the gas level, which was lower than when I picked up the vehicle.

A day later I returned the replacement vehicle, and the branch manager was not only very happy I returned the initial car before the engine seized, he also offered to send someone to clean up the oil mess (without me having to ask).

The manager even took my parents' phone number, promising to send someone to clean up the mess. Again, no mention/discussion of any "damage" in any way, shape, or form.

Days later, I get a completely unexpected voicemail message from "Loss Control" (what's that?) saying I had to pay $550 to repair a cracked oil pan. (Where did that number come from?)

So, I promptly return a defective vehicle, saving Enterprise (and apparently myself) thousands of dollars in maintenance--not to mention the revenues foregone from prolonged maintenance--and they want to stick me with a repair bill?

To add proverbial insult to injury, Enterprise never cleaned up the oil mess like it promised!

How do I fight this claim?

go back to the branch, pull the employee aside who wrote the ticket, ask them to shred the contract, ask them to print out a new one, sign for the cdw, and crack all the oil pans you want. its a win/win situation. you get a free pass and the employee gets a CDW sale to their credit. cdw is everything to an MT

Originally Posted by caliente

go back to the branch, pull the employee aside who wrote the ticket, ask them to shred the contract, ask them to print out a new one, sign for the cdw, and crack all the oil pans you want. its a win/win situation. you get a free pass and the employee gets a CDW sale to their credit. cdw is everything to an MT

????? Have you been drinking? How do you void a closed contract from months ago?

[Robert]

Originally Posted by cracked

I've rented from Enterprise for years and never had a problem with vehicle damage . . . until recently.

The car I rented, a Chevy Cobalt, sprung an oil leak, a big one, which left a major stain running down my parents' driveway.

I immediately returned the car to the branch where I rented it and got a replacement vehicle.

No problem.

The individual who checked me in was relieved I returned the car before the engine seized.

Other than checking the oil level, which was low, this individual made no attempt to determine the cause of the leak and did not declare that the car was "damaged" in any way, shape, or form after the inspection.

In fact, to express her gratitude, she even let me slide on the gas level, which was lower than when I picked up the vehicle.

A day later I returned the replacement vehicle, and the branch manager was not only very happy I returned the initial car before the engine seized, he also offered to send someone to clean up the oil mess (without me having to ask).

The manager even took my parents' phone number, promising to send someone to clean up the mess. Again, no mention/discussion of any "damage" in any way, shape, or form.

Days later, I get a completely unexpected voicemail message from "Loss Control" (what's that?) saying I had to pay $550 to repair a cracked oil pan. (Where did that number come from?)

So, I promptly return a defective vehicle, saving Enterprise (and apparently myself) thousands of dollars in maintenance--not to mention the revenues foregone from prolonged maintenance--and they want to stick me with a repair bill?

To add proverbial insult to injury, Enterprise never cleaned up the oil mess like it promised!

How do I fight this claim?

You have way more patience than me. I would have already chucked a brick straight through the window at the office I rented from, just to get the ball rolling.

Tell the loss control person that the damage to that vehicle was NEVER brought to your attention at the branch. If you fight hard enough, it is possible they will no longer pursue you since you already switched into another vehicle and no one mentioned anything while you were switching out.