I-Team: Rental Car Customers Charged For Damage They Didn't Cause
BOSTON (CBS) - With the holiday travel season just around the corner, a lot of travelers will be renting cars. The I-Team looked into the car rental industry and found a number of customers who say they were charged hundreds of extra dollars for damage they insist did not happen during their rental period.
"I thought they were scamming me," said Ira Birdsong of Billerica who was told he would have to pay for damage during a visit to his hometown in Arkansas. When he returned the car, the agent told him there was body damage. "She's telling me that it looks like it had been scraped and someone had painted it," he said.
Ira said he never had any kind of accident and certainly did not try to paint the car. In fact, he said he couldn't even see the damage the agent was talking about. "It was mind boggling," he said.
John Ratcliffe of Tuftonboro, New Hampshire had a similar experience when he rented a car in New Jersey for just 12 hours. "It was like being treated by the mafia down there," he said. "The next day we bring the car back and the guy tells me I've had an accident," he said. Ratcliffe says he told the agent he did not have an accident. "He just smiled and said, 'you are still paying.'" Ratcliffe says they immediately charged $500 dollars to his credit card.
Anthony Sandone was on the hook for $1,500 after he returned his rental to Enterprise. "About two hours later I'm at work and they call me saying there were a bunch of dents on the roof of the car," Sandone said. But Sandone said he kept the car in the garage and he is positive the damage did not happen during his rental period.
The I-Team has learned the Massachusetts Attorney General's office has received 28 similar complaints about Enterprise over the past two years. By comparison the office received six complaints for Avis, 2 for Hertz and one each for Thritfy and Budget during the same period. Alamo and National, both owned by Enterprise, had zero.
Eneterprise would not go on camera for our story, but in a lengthy statement they said: "Customers mistakenly believe if they didn't cause or witness any damage, for example a hit and run accident in a parking lot, they are not responsible."
An Enterprise spokesperson also told us they work to resolve claims with each individual renter, but that's not what Jon Ratcliffe experienced. "It was like being stonewalled at every turn by Enterprise," he said. Ratcliffe eventually got his money back but only after getting help from the New Jersey Attorney General.
Anthony Sandone said Enterprise wouldn't budge on his claim until he sent an email explaining that he decided to bring his case to the I-Team. "Then a half-an-hour later I got a phone call from Enterprise saying they were dropping the claim," he said.
Ira Birdsong is still waiting to hear from Enterprise and has a plan the next time he rents a car. "I will definitely take a picture. I would do a video," he said.
Consumer experts say that's a good idea, but you'll have to be thorough. All three of the drivers we talked to did a pre-rental inspection, but the damage to the cars really wasn't noticeable during that inspection.
Send tips for the I-Team to iteam@cbsboston.com or call 617-779 TIPS
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